McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Wilkie, Thomas J., 1842-1916
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1842-1916
History
Thomas J. Wilkie was born on May 10, 1842, in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
He was one of the pioneers of the Young Men's Christian Association. In 1869, he became the first General Secretary of the Toronto association. He was also involved in the development of the YMCA in Brooklyn, New York, becoming its secretary in 1880. In 1886, along with his brother John, he was hired to develop 64 acres of the prime waterfront land on Long Branch Avenue in Etobicoke. The project was named “Long Branch Park” and it housed the first boys’ summer camp. Wilkie also served as a travelling secretary and was instrumental in establishing many summer camps across Canada and the United States.
In 1874, he married Charlotte Cornell (c. 1843-), and in 1890, he married Mary McCord (1842-1909). He died on September 4, 1916, in Los Angeles, California.