| Wilson Ruffin Abbott | |
| Birth Date: | c. 1801 |
| Birth Place: | Richmond, Virginia |
| Death Place: | Toronto, Ontario |
| Resting Place: | Necropolis Cemetery |
| Resting Place Coordinates: | 43.6683°N -79.3603°W |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Spouse: | Ellen Toyer |
Wilson Ruffin Abbott (c. 1801 – 1876) was an American-born Black Canadian and successful businessman and landowner in Toronto, Ontario. He was the father of Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada's first Black physician.
Born to a Scotch-Irish father and a free West African mother in Richmond, Virginia, Wilson Ruffin Abbott left home when he was aged 15 to work as a steward on a Mississippi River steamer.[1]
He married Ellen Toyer, and moved to Akron, Ohio, where he opened a general grocery store, but left in 1834 after receiving a warning that his store was to be pillaged. In late 1835 or early 1836, he moved to Toronto, Upper Canada, where he prospered as a businessman. He served in the militia that protected Toronto from the rebels in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion and was elected to Toronto city council in 1840.[2]
His son Anderson Ruffin Abbott in 1861 became the first African Canadian to practise medicine.[3]
Wilson Ruffin Abbott died in Toronto, aged 74 or 75.