William Archibald Mackintosh, CC, CMG, FRSC (May 21, 1895 – December 29, 1970) was a Canadian economist and political scientist, and was the twelfth principal of Queen's University from 1951 until 1961. He is best known for developing the staple thesis that explains Canadian economic history in terms of a series of exports of staple products – fish, fur, timber, and wheat.

W. A. Mackintosh
Born
William Archibald Mackintosh

(1895-05-21)May 21, 1895
Madoc, Ontario, Canada
DiedDecember 29, 1970(1970-12-29) (aged 75)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
TitlePrincipal of Queen's University (1951–1961)
Spouse
Jean Mackintosh
(m. 1928)
AwardsInnis-Gérin Medal (1967)
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisorF. W. Taussig[1]
InfluencesGuy Callendar[1]
Academic work
Discipline
Notable ideasStaple thesis

Born in Madoc, Ontario, he received his BA and MA from Queen's in 1916. He received his PhD from Harvard University.

From 1922 to 1939 he was a professor of economics at Queen's. During the Second World War, he was an assistant to the Deputy Minister of Finance in Ottawa and later in the Department of Reconstruction and Supply. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1946.

After the war he was the dean of arts and science at Queen's until becoming principal in 1951, the first principal who was a Queen's graduate. He was a director of the Bank of Canada and a member of its executive committee.

In 1967 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and received the Innis-Gérin Medal, awarded for a distinguished and sustained contribution to the literature of the social sciences, from the Royal Society of Canada, of which he was a fellow and was president from 1956 to 1957.

Mackintosh-Corry Hall at Queen's is co-named in his honour.

He married Jean Isobel Easton (1902–1983) in 1928.

References

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  1. ^ a b Holmes, Gordon (2013). Staples, Political Economy and Trade Flows: A New Interpretation and Quantitative Evidence (PhD thesis). Hamilton, Ontario: McMaster University. p. 100. hdl:11375/15304.

Further reading

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  • Grant, Hugh (2015). W.A. Mackintosh: The Life of a Canadian Economist. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Academic offices
Preceded by Principal of Queen's University
1951–1961
Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by President of the
Canadian Political Science Association

1936–1937
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Royal Society of Canada
1956–1957
Succeeded by
Awards
New award Innis-Gérin Medal
1967
Succeeded by