Robert Grant Haliburton Q.C., D.C.L. (3 June 1831 – 6 March 1901) was a Canadian lawyer and anthropologist. He became famous after founding the Canada First organization that saw English Canadian society as the "heirs of Aryan northmen" and that the French Canadians were a "bar to progress."[1]
Robert Grant Haliburton | |
|---|---|
 Haliburton in 1868 | |
| Born | 3 June 1831 Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | 6 March 1901 (aged 69) |
| Alma mater | University of King's College |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, Anthropologist |
| Parent |
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| Relatives |
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| Awards | Q.C., D.C.L. |
Early life edit
Haliburton was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia. His father was Judge Haliburton who wrote the best selling Clockmaker series about the humorous adventures of the Sam Slick character. Like his father he graduated from University of King's College and was part of the local volunteer militia where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel. He was a lawyer, called to the bar in 1853.[2]
Canada First and the Aryan North edit
The Canada First movement was organized in Ottawa in 1868. It was at first supported by Goldwin Smith and Edward Blake. Ontario residents, George Denison, Charles Mair, William Alexander Foster and Robert Grant Haliburton founded the movement.[3] Haliburton and like minded authors that made up the Canada First movement saw that the milder southern climate was said to lead to "degeneration, decay, and effeminacy."[4] The harsher northern climate they argued was said to produce the most Canadian of characteristics, "the inclination to be moderate".[4] The Canada First movement saw the French Canadian and Métis cultures as dead weight that was holding the advancement of English Canada back.[1]
Later life edit
Ill health required Haliburton to move to warmer climates and he spent his winters in Jamaica. After a lucrative career in law he was able to live off his investments and spent some time as an anthropologist and was instrumental in discovering the "dwarf races" of northern Africa and the Atlas region.[2] A "rover", he died in Pass Christian, Mississippi, United States, on 6 March 1901; he was 69.[5]
Works edit
- An Address On The Present Condition...British North America, (1857)
- Men Of The North And Their Place In History..., (1869)
- A Sketch Of The Life And Times Of Judge Haliburton, (1897)
- Voices From The Street
Source:[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Francis & Jones 2011, p. 61
- ^ a b Chamberlain 1901, pp. 62–63
- ^ Vigod 2010
- ^ a b Holman 2009, p. 85
- ^ Davies 2005, p. 231
Further reading edit
- Chamberlain, Alex. F. (January 1901). "Robert Grant Haliburton (1831–1901)". The Journal of American Folklore. 14 (52). University of Illinois Press: 62–64. ISSN 1535-1882. JSTOR 533120.
- Davies, Richard A. (2005). Inventing Sam Slick: A Biography of Thomas Chandler Haliburton. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802050014. - Total pages: 316
- Francis, R. Douglas; Jones, Richard & Smith, D., Wardhaugh, R. (2011). Destinies: Canadian History Since Confederation (7th ed.). Nelson Education Limited. ISBN 9780176502515.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Total pages: 608 - Holman, Andrew C. (2009). Canada's Game: Hockey and Identity. McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 9780773575912. - Total pages: 236
- Vigod, B.L. (2010), Canada First The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica-Dominion, archived from the original on 20 July 2011, retrieved 21 April 2010
External links edit
