I did not go to Queen’s University. As such, I only recently learned of Robert Sutherland, his accomplishments, and his lasting legacy.
Robert Sutherland was born in Jamaica in 1830 and died in 1878.
Mr. Sutherland was the first known graduate of colour from a Canadian university, Queen’s University. While at Queen’s, he won numerous academic awards. He went on to study law at Osgoode Law School.
Mr. Sutherland went on to practice law in Ontario. He was British North America’s first known black lawyer.
In his will, Mr. Sutherland left his entire estate to Queen’s University. He did so because, as he told friends, Queen’s was a place where he had always been treated as a gentleman.
The gift was the largest single gift to the university as of 1878. At the time, Queen’s was suffering financially. The bequest, said to be equal to the school’s annual operating budget, saved the University from financial ruin (and, to some, saved it from a perhaps worse fate: from being annexed by the University of Toronto).
Several memorials, bursaries, prizes and scholarships are now named in Mr. Sutherland’s honour at Queen’s University.
Thank you, Verlyn Francis, for tweeting the story of Robert Sutherland to my attention.
For more information, see the Queen’s Encyclopedia entry on Mr. Sutherland, here.
Thank you for reading.