Burr Plato (–1905) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

political figure. Of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

background, he was born into slavery in

Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States: * Logan County, Arkansas * Logan County, Colorado * Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895) * Logan County, Illinois * Logan County, Kansas * Logan County, ...

, today part of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. Burr succeeded in escaping enslavement and making his way to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1856 after an arduous journey culminating in a swim to freedom across the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, where he settled.'Black History'

, With a reputation locally in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

, for honesty in business affairs, Plato became a prominent property owner and served from 1886 to 1901 in Niagara Falls as an elected councillor. Plato died in 1905.

References

City of Niagara Falls Museums – Black History
at www.niagarafallsmuseum.ca * Electoral firsts in Canada#African-Canadians 1833 births 1905 deaths People from Logan County, West Virginia 19th-century American slaves American emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Black Canadian politicians Niagara Falls, Ontario city councillors Immigrants to the Province of Canada Black Canadian businesspeople Canadian people of African-American descent {{Ontario-politician-stub