User:Geo Swan/John Hooper Meade

John Hooper Meade was a British sea captain best known for his role in the tradition of presenting a traditional top hat for the captain of the first ocean going vessel of the shipping season to visit Toronto to wear during a ceremony celebrating their arrival. In 1861 Meade donated the top hat. According to Angus Armstrong, the current Toronto Harbour Master, Meade's hat is ''“... very small. It almost never fits any of our captains.”''