Donald Creighton
Donald Creighton was a prominent Canadian historian, born on July 15, 1902, in Toronto. He pursued his education at Victoria College, University of Toronto, and later at Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned multiple degrees. Initially interested in the history of the French Revolution, he shifted his focus to Canadian history after being hired by the University of Toronto in 1927, where he served for fifty years. Creighton is best known for his influential works, including "The Commercial Empire of the St. Lawrence, 1760-1850," which introduced the Laurentian Thesis, emphasizing the geographical influences on Canada's development. His extensive writings, including notable biographies of John A. Macdonald, reflect his narrative skill and deep nationalism. Throughout his career, he received numerous accolades, including fellowships and medals for his contributions to Canadian history. In his later years, Creighton became vocal about his political views, particularly criticizing bilingualism and advocating for centralized governance. He passed away on December 19, 1979, leaving a lasting impact on the field of Canadian historiography.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Donald Creighton
- Born: July 15, 1902
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Died: December 19, 1979
- Place of death: Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Donald Creighton, the preeminent Canadian historian of his day, was born on July 15, 1902, in Toronto, the son of William Black Creighton, a Methodist minister and editor, and Laura Harvie Creighton. He enrolled at Victoria College, University of Toronto, earning his B.A. in 1925. He later attended Bailliol College, Oxford University, receiving a second B.A. in 1927 and an M.A. in 1929. In 1925, he married Luella Sanders Browning Bruce, and the couple later had two children, Philip and Cynthia.
Creighton initially planned to conduct original research on the history of the French Revolution, but he became immersed in Canadian history instead. The University of Toronto hired him in 1927, and he remained there for half a century, eventually becoming a full professor and chairman of the history department.
Creighton’s first book, The Commercial Empire of the St. Lawrence, 1760- 1850, is regarded as one of the best books about Canadian history. He developed the Laurentian Thesis, which argued that Canada’s past was tied to its geography, whereby the natural basis of trade ran along an East-West axis, rather than a North-South axis. He maintained that the failure of commercial entities to properly exploit the St. Lawrence River had led to Canada’s confederation. Creighton’s later historical studies, most notably Dominion of the North: A History of Canada, The Story of Canada, British North America at Confederation, The Road to Confederation: The Emergence of Canada, 1863-1867, Canada’s First Century, 1867-1967, Canada: The Heroic Beginnings, and The Forked Road: Canada, 1939-1957, expanded upon his original thesis. An excellent writer and a compelling storyteller, as well as an unabashed Anglophile and a passionate Canadian nationalist, Creighton influenced some of Canada’s later historians, including Ramsay Cook and Michael Bliss, who studied under him.
Creighton also was acclaimed for his pioneering two-volume biography of Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald. Another biography, Harold Adams Innis: Portrait of a Scholar, is similarly well regarded. Creighton also wrote numerous essays about Canada that were published in the collections Minorities, Schools, and Politics and Towards the Discovery of Canada: Selected Essays.
Creighton garnered many honors for his work, including Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Nuffield fellowships. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, which awarded him the Tyrell Medal in 1951. He won the Governor General’s Medal for Academic Nonfiction in 1952 and 1955, received a medal for popular biography from the University of British Columbia in 1955, won a National Award in Letters from the University of Alberta in 1957, took the Molson Prize in 1964, and was made a companion of the Order of Canada in 1967. Creighton also received a dozen honorary degrees from institutions across Canada.
Late in life, Creighton spoke out publicly against bilingualism, the Liberal Party, the growth of provincial rather than centralized power, and the United States, particularly opposing the concept of “continentalism,” or moving Canada towards a union with the United States. One of his last works, and his only novel, Takeover, dealt with an imaginary scenario in which the United States takes control of Canada. Creighton died of cancer on December 19, 1979, in Collingwood, Ontario.