| Jesse Edgar Middleton | |
| Birth Date: | 3 November 1872 |
| Birth Place: | Wellington County, Ontario |
| Death Place: | Toronto, Ontario |
| Occupation: | Historian, journalist |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| Period: | 20th century |
| Genre: | History |
| Resting Place: | Fort Macleod, Alberta |
| Alma Mater: | Dutton High School Strathroy Collegiate |
Jesse Edgar Middleton (November 3, 1872 – May 27, 1960) was a Canadian journalist, historian and songwriter.
Middleton was born in Pilkington, Ontario, the son of Margaret Agar and Rev. Eli Middleton, a Methodist minister. He attended Dutton High School and Strathroy Collegiate. He then taught school for three years, and was a proofreader in Cleveland, Ohio for three years. In 1899 he married Bessie A. Jackson and together they raised one son. They moved to Toronto in the early 1900s.[1]
For most of his career, he worked as a journalist and as a special writer for Toronto newspapers. He became a music critic for the Mail and Empire, and in 1904 joined The News, where he wrote a column, "On the Side."[2] He led the choir at Centennial Methodist Church, and sang in Toronto's Mendelssohn Choir. In 1926 he composed the English lyrics to a traditional Canadian Christmas hymn, the Huron Carol.[3]
Aside from one volume of poetry and two novels, his main writing contribution was a lengthy historical account of Toronto and its local environs, The Municipality of Toronto (3 volumes). He also wrote a history of the province, The Province of Ontario: a History (4 volumes).[4]
He died in Toronto in 1960 and was buried in Fort Macleod, Alberta.[4]