Fred Jacob

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]

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]

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]