John Tory

Birth Name: John Howard Tory

Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: May 28, 1954

Ethnicity: English, Scottish, Cornish, Irish, Ashkenazi Jewish (maternal grandmother)

John Tory is a Canadian politician, businessperson, and broadcaster. He has served as Mayor of Toronto, from December 1, 2014 to February 17, 2023. He was previously Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, from September 28, 2004 to March 20, 2009, and Leader of the Opposition in Ontario, from March 29, 2005 to October 10, 2007.

John is the son of Elizabeth (Bacon) and John A. Tory (John Arnold Tory). His father was a lawyer and corporate executive, who was president of Thomson Investments Limited and a director of Rogers Communications. His uncle was lawyer James Marshall Tory. He is married to home builder and renovator Barbara Hackett, with whom he has four children.

John is a member of the United Church of Canada.

John’s maternal grandmother was Jewish. His other ancestry is English, Cornish, and Scottish.

John’s paternal grandfather was John S. D. Tory (John Stewart Donald Tory, the son of John Alexander Tory and Abigail Georgina Buckley). John’s grandfather John was born in Toronto. He was a lawyer, who founded the law firm Torys. John’s great-grandfather John was the head of the Ontario division of Sun Life Assurance Company, and was the son of Robert Kirk Tory and Anorah Ferguson. Abigail was the daughter of George Edward Buckley and Eva Georgina Campbell.

John’s paternal grandmother was Kathreen Jean Arnold (the daughter of Ernest Franklin Arnold and Kathleen Mary Davidson). Ernest was the son of Asa Franklin Arnold and Jemima Rosetta “Jennie” Ferguson. Kathleen was the daughter of Walter Davidson and Mary Smith.

John’s maternal grandfather was Howard Edward Bacon (the son of William Henry Bacon and Irena/Irene Mary/May/Minnie Pethick). William was the son of William Henry “Harry” Bacon and Phoebe Margaret Tombleson. Irena was the daughter of William Richard Pethick, who was of half Cornish descent, and of Annie Georgina Boulton/Bolton, who was Cornish.

John’s maternal grandmother was Helen Yvonne Solomon (the daughter of Nathan/Norman Solomon and Kate Greben). Helen was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Russian Jewish parents. Nathan was the son of Shlomo/Samuel Solomon and Chana/Anna Posner. Kate was the daughter of Solomon Greben and Libbie “Lilli” Gold.

Source: Birth record of John’s maternal grandmother, Helen Yvonne Solomon – https://www.familysearch.org