Workman was born in Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland. He settled in Huntley Township in Upper Canada in 1820. In 1823, he joined his brother in Montreal, where he helped operate an academy, before moving to Bytown in 1845 and establishing a hardware business there with a fellow Unitarian Edward Griffin. He became influential in attempts to organise a Unitarian Church in Ottawa but was ultimately unsuccessful. He was a city council member for many years, finally becoming mayor in 1860 and 1861. His wife, Mary Abbot, died on 23 April 1874, at the age of 72. She is buried in Beechwood Cemetery. Workman died at the age of 93.[2][3]
