Fred Jacob

Fred Jacob (occasionally shown as Fred Jacobs in some publications about his work; 31 October 1882 – 3 June 1928)^[1] was a journalist with Toronto's The Mail and Empire (now The Globe and Mail), and joined the publication after winning the publication's poetry contest.^[2]

Fred Jacob
Born	(1882-10-31)31 October 1882 Elora, Ontario
Died	3 June 1928(1928-06-03) (aged 45) Toronto, Ontario
Occupation	Journalist
Employer	The Mail and Empire

He was first a sports reporter but from 1910 on, Jacob was responsible for the literary section of the newspaper; he was also the drama and music critic.^[3][2][4] Occasionally, he wrote about drama in the Canadian Magazine.^[5][6]

Early years

Jacob was born in Elora, Ontario on 31 October 1882, the son of a lawyer and the nephew of a judge.^[7] As a child, he particularly enjoyed lacrosse. Later in life, while living in Toronto, he was the president of a lacrosse club for 16 years.^[2]

Fictional works

Jacob wrote two novels, The Day Before Yesterday (published in 1925) and Peevee (1928),^[8] both satirical works,^[9] and set in a fictional small communities resembling Elora; the first book included some characters resembling residents of the town.^[2]

He wrote that his intention in the books was to "preserve an impression of the Canadian scene".^[10] A review of the first book provided this comment: "To the structure of Canadian literature Mr. Fred Jacob has contributed not only a substantial brick but a graceful vine."^[11]

Jacob also wrote several popular stage plays, including One third of a bill and Autumn Blooming.^{[12][13][2][14]}

Legacy

Jacob suffered from rheumatic fever as a child, and died on 3 June 1928 of a heart attack during a social function.^[2][15] An obituary in Saturday Night referred to him as the "ablest critic on drama of the daily press in Toronto", praising "the soundness of his judgements and clearness of his expositions".^[16]