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MSS SC 20
Title: Stephen Leacock fonds
Dates: 1932
Extent: 0.1 cm of textual records
Biographical Sketch: Stephen Leacock was born
in Swanmore, Hamshire, England in 1869. Emigrating to Canada in
1867, the Leacock family settled on a farm a few miles south of
Lake Simcoe near the village of Sutton, Ontario. Leacock graduated
from Upper Canada College in 1887 and Strathroy Collegiate Institute
in 1888. He worked as a high school teacher in several schools and
became housemaster of Upper Canada College. He obtained an honours
B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1891 and a Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago in 1903. Leacock married Beatrix (Trix) Hamilton,
an aspiring actress, in 1900. He began lecturing at McGill University
in the early 1900s and was appointed as the William Dow Professor
of Political Economy and chair of the Department of Economics and
Political Science in 1908. He remained in this position until he
retired in 1936. Leacock along with eleven colleagues founded the
Unversity Club of Montreal. Throughout his life he enjoyed considerable
success as an author. His first and most profitable book was Elements
of Political Science (1906). He became famous throughout Canada,
the United States and the United Kingdom for both his public lectures
and publications. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912),
is considered to be his literary masterpiece. He won a Governor
General's Award for My Discovery of the West: A Discussion of
East and West in Canada. Leacock died in Toronto in 1944 leaving
three unfinished books, including his autobiography Last Leaves
(1945), which were published posthumously.
Custodial History: Arthur Millward of St. John's
College donated the fonds to Archives & Special Collections
in 1978.
Scope and Content: The fonds consists of a letter
written by Leacock to the Winnipeg Free Press on Winnipeg
Free Press Company letterhead. In the letter, dated 18 November
1932, Leacock thanks the Free Press for a positive review
of his book Dry Pickwick.
Source of Supplied Title: Title based on provenance
of fonds.
Restrictions: There are no restrictions on this
material.
Finding Aid: Finding aid is currently unavailable.
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