Edgar McInnis

Edgar McInnis
Born Edgar Wardell McInnis
1899
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Died 1973
Occupation historian, poet, academic
Nationality Canadian
Period 1910s-1960s
Notable works The Unguarded Frontier, Oxford Periodical History of the War

Edgar Wardell McInnis (1899 - 1973) was a Canadian poet and historian,[1] best known for his Oxford Periodical History of the War, a six-volume year-by-year history of World War II, and for Canada: A Political and Social History, which was an important and influential textbook in Canadian history classes in its era.[1] A longtime professor at the University of Toronto and York University, he was a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction, winning for The Unguarded Frontier: A History of American-Canadian Relations at the 1942 Governor General's Awards and for The War: Fourth Year at the 1944 Governor General's Awards.[2]

Originally from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,[2] McInnis served as an artilleryman with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France during World War I. Writing poetry in his spare time, he published the collections Poems Written at the Front (1918) and The Road to Arras (1920), and won the Newdigate Prize in 1925 for his poem "Byron".[3] He completed a bachelor's degree in history at the University of Toronto in 1923, and a master's degree from Oxford University in 1930.[2] He taught history at the University of Toronto for several years[1] before becoming executive director of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs in 1951.[1] He joined York University in 1960, becoming the institution's dean of graduate studies in 1964.[4]

He won the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal in 1966.

Works

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Edgar Wardell McInnis. Biographies of Prominent Quebec and Canadian Historical Figures (Marianopolis College), 2004.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Three Women and One Man Win Awards in Literature". Toronto Star, March 31, 1945.
  3. Lyn Harrington, Syllables of Recorded Time: The Story of the Canadian Authors Association 1921-1981. Dundurn Press, 1981. ISBN 0-88924-112-0.
  4. "Design Unimportant for Nation's New Flag, York Graduates Told". The Globe and Mail, June 4, 1964.
  5. "From Evangeline to Ogdensburg". The Globe and Mail, November 14, 1942.
  6. "War Record". The Globe and Mail, December 5, 1942.
  7. "The International Stalemate". The Globe and Mail, August 29, 1959.
  8. "German Background". The Globe and Mail, December 24, 1960.