William H. Atherton
Dr William Henry Atherton MBE, KSG, M.A., Ph D. Litt D, LLD, Professor Emeritus (November 15, 1867 – July 6, 1950)[1] was a Canadian writer, historian, academic and scholar from Montreal.[2]
Early life
He was born on November 15, 1867 in Salford, Lancashire, the son of Joseph Atherton and Sarah Ann Nicholls.[3]
Education
Atherton spent some of his youth in Norwich. He attended Stonyhurst College, a Roman Catholic school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. In the 1901 census, at the age of 33, Atherton is recorded as being a theological student at St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre, known locally as St Beuno's College, in Denbighshire.
Career
Upon completing his degree in philosophy, he began his career as a teacher in England and Wales. He emigrated to Canada in 1907. and continued his profession as a teacher at various institutions, initially in the Province of Alberta, then relocating to Montréal where he became a member of the faculty at Loyola College, an anglophone Jesuit college. He reoriented his career to teach English literature initially at the Laval University of Quebec - Montréal annex and later at the University of Montréal.[4]
Broascaster
He was the first in Canada to give broadcasted conferences on literature, history and social reforms, this was aired on CFCF, a Montreal radio station from 1945.
Civic interest
His social involvement extended to the municipal scene. Atherton was active on a number of civic and national issues, such as Canada's first exhibition on the protection of childhood in 1911. He was a member of various associations working to improve the quality of urban life and was instrumental in the first cleaning campaign of the city of Montreal. He also founded the Catholic Sailor's Club in Montreal. As Manager of this club, he was awarded an MBE in 1946 [5]
Published works
He was an active member of Montréal's literary community, producing two major works. In 1914 he wrote Montréal 1535-1914, published in three volumes.[6]
In 1925 he published Old Montréal in the early days of British Canada, 1778-1788. In 1935 he published the History of the harbour front of Montréal since its discovery by Jacques Cartier in 1535.[7]
He also collaborated on the four volume work, (as associate editor) in The Storied Province of Quebec.[8]
Death
He died on July 6, 1950, aged 82, in Montréal, Québec.[9]
Legacy
Rue Atherton was named in his honour by the City of Montreal in 1955, this road extends into the Town of Mount Royal.
Ancestry
His paternal ancestors were from Wigan, Lancashire. His maternal ancestry was from Yorkshire. His grandfather, William Atherton (1824 – 1898) married Mary Dwyer of Limerick, Ireland.
References
- ^ "Atherton One Name Study - Entry for William H. Atherton".
- ^ Atherton, William Henry (1914). "Montreal (1535-1914): 3 Volumes". The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, Montreal,.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "Atherton One Name Study - Entry for Joseph Atherton".
- ^ "U.S. Library of Congress Biography".
- ^ "MBE (Civil) awarded to Canadians WW2 on 1 July 1946" (PDF).
- ^ Atherton, William Henry (1914). "Montréal 1535-1914: 3 Volumes". The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, Montreal,.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ André Beaulieu, W.F.E. Morley, Benôit Bernier, Agathe Garon. "Le province de Quebec".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The storied province of Quebec, past and present / editor-in-chief William Wood ; associate eds. William Henry Atherton and Edwin P. Conklin".
- ^ William H. Atherton at Find a Grave
