Robert J. C. Stead
Robert J. C. Stead was a Canadian journalist, poet, and author known for his contributions to literature and journalism in the early to mid-twentieth century. Born in Ontario, Canada, he grew up in a rural setting that influenced much of his writing, particularly focusing on themes related to prairie life. Stead began his writing career at the tender age of twelve, contributing to various publications while balancing work to support his family after leaving school at fourteen. He founded the Winnipeg periodical Cartwright Review and later published the Crystal City Courier, alongside releasing his first poetry collection, *The Empire Builders, and Other Poems*, which enjoyed a long publication run.
In 1912, he joined the Calgary Alberta newspaper, but shifted focus in 1913 to public relations, supporting his family while working for various governmental agencies and businesses, including the Canadian Pacific Railway. Stead authored numerous novels, with his 1918 work, *Cow Punchers*, achieving significant popularity. Despite a fruitful writing career, his later works struggled to find an audience during the Great Depression. Stead's literary output, comprising thirteen books, serves as a historical reflection of the social issues and challenges faced by Western prairie communities. He passed away in 1959, leaving behind three children and his second wife, Nancy Rankin.
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Subject Terms
Robert J. C. Stead
Writer
- Born: September 4, 1880
- Birthplace: Middleville, Ontario, Canada
- Died: June 25, 1959
Biography
Robert J. C. Stead, a twentieth century journalist, poet, and author, was born in Ontario, Canada. His parents were Richard Thompson Stead, a homesteader, and May Campbell Stead. Stead received his early education at Badger Creek School, a one-room schoolhouse in the small Canadian prairie village of Badger Creek. While attending this school, at the age of twelve, Stead began his writing career by contributing articles to various Canadian publications such as the Western Home Monthly. Stead continued with his education at the Badger Creek School until the age of fourteen, when he dropped out in order to help support his family.
During the next few years, he worked as a clerk in a general store, a grain elevator agent, and a steam engine operator. Also at this time, Stead took classes at the Winnipeg Business College in Manitoba. In 1898, he returned to his passion for writing and founded the Winnipeg periodical titled the Cartwright Review. After the failure of this paper, he published the Crystal City Courier, which remained in publication until 1908. During this time, Stead published his first poetry collection, titled The Empire Builders, and Other Poems. This work remained in print for over twenty-three years.
In 1912, Stead became a staff member of the Calgary Alberta newspaper. In addition to his journalistic work, Stead continued to publish numerous novels and collections of poetry. Most of his work, written in traditional verse, pertained to the theme of prairie life. In 1913, in order to support his family, which included his wife Nellie May Wallace Stead and their three sons, Stead left journalism and embarked on a career as a public-relations author. For the next thirty years, Stead worked for governmental institutions and businesses, including the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Department of Immigration and Colonization, and the Department of Mines and Resources. In addition to his public-relations work, Stead produced numerous acclaimed novels. His 1918 novel titled Cow Punchers was the most popular of his works. It sold more than seventy thousand copies.
In his later years, Stead continued to publish novels; however, his writing lost its popularity during the Great Depression and the years that followed. The thirteen books he produced serve as a historical reference to the challenges and social issues of Western prairie life. In 1952, Stead’s wife, Nettie May, died. Seven years later, in 1959, Robert J. C. Stead died. He was survived by his three children and his second wife, Nancy Rankin.