John Wesley Dafoe
Encyclopedia
John Wesley Dafoe was a Canadian journalist
and Liberal
. From 1901 to 1944 he was the editor of the Manitoba Free Press, later named the Winnipeg Free Press
. He also wrote several books, including a biography of Wilfrid Laurier
. Dafoe was one of the country's most influential and powerful journalists. During his tenure, the Free Press was among the most important newspapers in Canada and was considered one of the great newspapers of the world. His influence extended to the very centre of Canadian power, both through his writing and his close relations with his employers, the Liberal Sifton family. Dafoe accompanied Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
to several Imperial conferences and was asked by the Prime Minister to sit on the Rowell-Sirois Commission
studying federal-provincial relations. Dafoe opposed appeasement
of Fascist dictators and urged the government to prepare for a major war, which he accurately predicted would begin in 1939.
His son Edwin Dafoe also became an editor of the Free Press and his two nephews became editors of The Globe and Mail
and The Beaver
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. From 1901 to 1944 he was the editor of the Manitoba Free Press, later named the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
. He also wrote several books, including a biography of Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
. Dafoe was one of the country's most influential and powerful journalists. During his tenure, the Free Press was among the most important newspapers in Canada and was considered one of the great newspapers of the world. His influence extended to the very centre of Canadian power, both through his writing and his close relations with his employers, the Liberal Sifton family. Dafoe accompanied Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
to several Imperial conferences and was asked by the Prime Minister to sit on the Rowell-Sirois Commission
Rowell-Sirois Commission
The Rowell-Sirois Commission officially known as the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations was a Canadian Royal Commission looking into the Canadian economy and federal-provincial relations. It was called in 1937 and reported in 1940....
studying federal-provincial relations. Dafoe opposed appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
of Fascist dictators and urged the government to prepare for a major war, which he accurately predicted would begin in 1939.
His son Edwin Dafoe also became an editor of the Free Press and his two nephews became editors of The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
and The Beaver
The Beaver (magazine)
Canada's History is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year, and aims to promote interest in and knowledge of Canadian history. Founded in 1920 as The Beaver by the Hudson's Bay Company , the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994...
.
Works
- LaurierWilfrid LaurierSir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
: A Study in Canadian Politics (1922) - Canada: An American Nation (1935)