Howard P. Whidden
Encyclopedia
Howard Primrose Whidden was a Canadian churchman, member of Parliament, educator, scholar and editor of Canadian Baptist.
Born in Antigonish Harbour
, Nova Scotia
, became a Baptist minister in Dayton, Ohio
and likely knew John D. Rockefeller
and may have been instrumental, along with Cyrus' uncle Charles Aubrey Eaton
, in his meeting Cyrus S. Eaton
, president of Brandon College, Brandon, Manitoba.
He sat in the Canadian House of Commons
for four years as a member of the Robert Borden
/Conservative led Union
government of 1917 (which gave women the right to vote). He was appointed in 1923 sixth Chancellor of McMaster University
, then in Toronto, Ontario; and served for 18 years to 1941, making him the longest-serving chancellor or president, to that time. Whidden Hall at McMaster University is named after Chancellor Whidden, as is the Whidden scholarship at McMaster University.
He died in Toronto, Ontario and was buried 2 April, 1952 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
.
Howard married Katherine "Kit" Louise Ganong (daughter of James H. Ganong
and Susan E. (Brittain) Ganong) born February 14, 1870 in Malden, Massachusetts
. Her sister, Susie
, was the proprietor and Principal of the Netherwood School
for girls in Rothesay, New Brunswick
. Kit Whidden died on April 4, 1959 at the home of her son in Wolfville, Nova Scotia
and was buried on April 8, 1959 beside her husband and daughter Susan in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.
Howard and Catherine had eight children:
Born in Antigonish Harbour
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Antigonish is a Canadian town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.-History:...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, became a Baptist minister in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
and likely knew John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
and may have been instrumental, along with Cyrus' uncle Charles Aubrey Eaton
Charles Aubrey Eaton
Charles Aubrey Eaton was a Canadian-born clergyman and politician who rose to lead prominent congregations at Natick, Massachusetts, 1893–1895; Bloor Street, Toronto, 1895–1901; Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 1901–1909; and at Madison Avenue, New York City, 1909-1919...
, in his meeting Cyrus S. Eaton
Cyrus S. Eaton
Cyrus Stephen Eaton was a Canadian-born investment banker, businessman and philanthropist in the United States, with a career that spanned seventy years....
, president of Brandon College, Brandon, Manitoba.
He sat in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
for four years as a member of the Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
/Conservative led Union
Unionist Party (Canada)
The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament in Canada who supported the "Union government" formed by Sir Robert Borden during the First World War....
government of 1917 (which gave women the right to vote). He was appointed in 1923 sixth Chancellor of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, then in Toronto, Ontario; and served for 18 years to 1941, making him the longest-serving chancellor or president, to that time. Whidden Hall at McMaster University is named after Chancellor Whidden, as is the Whidden scholarship at McMaster University.
He died in Toronto, Ontario and was buried 2 April, 1952 at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...
.
Timeline
- ca 1880 educated in the public schools, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
- 1891 BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, graduate Acadia UniversityAcadia UniversityAcadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
, Wolfville, Nova ScotiaWolfville, Nova ScotiaWolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772.... - 1894 theology, McMaster UniversityMcMaster UniversityMcMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... - ca 1895 University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... - 1894-96 Baptist Church, Morden, Manitoba
- 1897-1900 Baptist Church, Galt, Ontario
- 1898-1900 lecturer, McMaster University, Toronto, Ontario
- 1900-1903 professor of Biblical literature and English, Brandon College, Brandon, ManitobaBrandon, ManitobaBrandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
- 1904-1912 pastor, First Baptist Church, Dayton, Ohio
- 1912-1923 president, Brandon College, Brandon, Manitoba
- 1917 first elected to House of Commons, Brandon riding, supporter Unionist government
- 1923-1941 Chancellor, McMaster University, Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, longest serving chancellor or president
- 1936 honorary doctorate DDDoctor of DivinityDoctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, Victoria UniversityVictoria University in the University of TorontoVictoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
(now Victoria College, University of Toronto)
Family
He was the son of Charles Blanchard and Eunice Caroline (Graham) Whidden.Howard married Katherine "Kit" Louise Ganong (daughter of James H. Ganong
James H. Ganong
James Harvey Ganong was a Canadian businessman in St. Stephen, New Brunswick who co-founded Ganong Bros. chocolate making company in 1873 and the St. Croix Soap Manufacturing Co. in 1878....
and Susan E. (Brittain) Ganong) born February 14, 1870 in Malden, Massachusetts
Malden, Massachusetts
Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
. Her sister, Susie
Susan B. Ganong
Susan Brittain Ganong B.Sc., LLD was a widely respected Canadian educator and proprietor of the Netherwood School for girls in the Province of New Brunswick....
, was the proprietor and Principal of the Netherwood School
Rothesay Netherwood School
Rothesay Netherwood School is an Atlantic Canadian, independent day and boarding university-preparatory school for grades 6-12 located in Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada. It has been an International Baccalaureate World School since April 2007...
for girls in Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay is a Canadian town located in Kings County, New Brunswick. It is a bedroom community of Saint John along the Kennebecasis River.Located along the lower Kennebecasis River valley, Rothesay borders the city of Saint John to the southwest, and the neighbouring town of Quispamsis to the...
. Kit Whidden died on April 4, 1959 at the home of her son in Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
and was buried on April 8, 1959 beside her husband and daughter Susan in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.
Howard and Catherine had eight children:
- Charles Ganong (22 August 1895 - 27 July 1978
- Susan Gwendolyn (5 January 1897 in Waterloo, Ontario - 1963) buried in Mt. Pleasant cemetery, Toronto, Ontario.
- Dr. Rev. Evan McDonald WhiddenEvan M. WhiddenDr. Rev. Evan McDonald Whidden was a Canadian Christian minister and academic whose career included being President of Brandon College, Dean of Theology at Acadia University and chairman of the founding conference of the Atlantic Ecumenical Council...
(9 July 1898 - 11 March 1980) - James Gilbert (13 January 1901 in Brandon, Manitoba - 15 April 1901)
- William Francis (19 March 1902 in Brandon, Manitoba - 4 July 1905)
- Prof. Reginald Wilbur born 18 December 1904
- Bruce Cuthbert (29 March 1909 - 17 March 1972)
- Howard Primrose, Ph.D., LL.D. (4 August 1910 - 12 March 1977). He was a senior editor of Business Week magazine.