Esther Frances How (January 29, 1848 – September 22, 1915), better known as Hester How, was a teacher who helped turn around delinquent boys in 19th-century Toronto. How was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1848 to Thomas Ferguson How and Catherine J. How and immigrated to

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 ...

in 1849. How graduated from

Toronto Normal School The Toronto Normal School was a teachers college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1847, the Normal School was located at Church and Gould streets in central Toronto (after 1852), and was a predecessor to the current Ontario Institute for St ...

and began her teaching career in 1871. It was in 1879 when How was hired under the direction of

Toronto Mayor The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...

William Holmes Howland William Holmes Howland (11 June 1844 – 12 December 1893) was Mayor of Toronto from 1886 to 1887. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Biography Prior to William Holmes Howland becoming Toronto's 25th mayor, he was a businessm ...

and public school inspector James L. Hughes to help establish a school for troubled youth. This helped establish her as an advocate for troubled youth. It also helped steer youth away from trouble, away from being handled in the adult court system, and toward a juvenile justice system. The school she taught at was renamed after her in 1912, and she retired from teaching a year later. How died in Toronto in 1915, and was buried in

St. James Cemetery St James's Cemetery is an urban park behind Liverpool Cathedral that is below ground level. Until 1825, the space was a stone quarry, and until 1936 it was used as the Liverpool city cemetery. It has been designated a Grade I Historic Park by H ...

Legacy

Beside Hester How Public School (former Elizabeth Street Public School now demolished and located in what is the east entrance of Hospital for Sick Children), a day care centre at

Toronto City Hall The Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, is the seat of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Viljo Revell and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in ...

(opened 1990) is named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:How, Hester Frances 1848 births 1915 deaths Canadian educators Pre-Confederation Ontario people Education in Ontario Canadian people of Irish descent Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto