Peter Busby Waite
Encyclopedia
Peter Busby Waite, is a Canadian historian
, and a retired Dalhousie University
professor
.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, he attended high school in Saint John, New Brunswick
. He obtained B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of British Columbia
, and a PhD
degree from the University of Toronto
. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy
during World War II
, attaining the rank of Lieutenant
.
Popularly known as P.B. Waite, Dr. Waite began his association in 1951 with Dalhousie University
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
. He taught at Dalhousie first as a lecturer in history (1951 - 55), then assistant professor (1955 - 1960) and finally Thomas McCulloch Professor of History from 1960 until his retirement. He is currently a professor emeritus and lives in Halifax. His Arduous Destiny, a history of Canada from 1874 to 1896, was part of The Canadian Centenary Series
, a multi-volume project which was commissioned for the centenary of Canadian Confederation
in 1967.
He has published biographies of three Canadian Prime Ministers, including his 1985 biography of Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, some ten years in the making, which remains a thorough and fundamental resource on Thompson.
Waite is very close to completing his biography of R.B. Bennett.
He was made a Officer of the Order of Canada
on October 27, 1993.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and a retired Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, he attended high school in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
. He obtained B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, attaining the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
Popularly known as P.B. Waite, Dr. Waite began his association in 1951 with Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. He taught at Dalhousie first as a lecturer in history (1951 - 55), then assistant professor (1955 - 1960) and finally Thomas McCulloch Professor of History from 1960 until his retirement. He is currently a professor emeritus and lives in Halifax. His Arduous Destiny, a history of Canada from 1874 to 1896, was part of The Canadian Centenary Series
The Canadian Centenary Series
The Canadian Centenary Series is a nineteen volume authoritative history of Canada published between 1963 and 1986 as an extended Canadian Centennial project. The collection resulted from the initiative of W. L. Morton and D. G. Creighton....
, a multi-volume project which was commissioned for the centenary of Canadian Confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
in 1967.
He has published biographies of three Canadian Prime Ministers, including his 1985 biography of Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, some ten years in the making, which remains a thorough and fundamental resource on Thompson.
Waite is very close to completing his biography of R.B. Bennett.
He was made a Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
on October 27, 1993.
Publications
Peter Busby Waite's main works include:- The Confederation debates in the province of Canada, 1963, Ottawa: Carleton University library.
- Canada 1874-1896: Arduous Destiny, 1971, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, ISBN 0-7710-8800-0.
- Macdonald: His Life and World, 1975, Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., ISBN 0-07-082301-4.
- The Man from Halifax: Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister, 1985, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0-8020-5659-8.
- Lord of Point Grey: Larry MacKenzie of UBC, 1987, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, ISBN 0-7748-0285-5.
- Canadian History, Ottawa 1988, Department of the Secretary of State of Canada, Canadian Studies Directorate (Canadian Studies Resource Guides series), ISBN 0-662-56136-8.
- Loner: Three Sketches of the Personal Life and Ideas of R.B. Bennett, 1870-1947, 1992.
- The Lives of Dalhousie University, Volume I, 1994, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
- The Lives of Dalhousie University, Volume II, 1998, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
- John A. Macdonald (revised edition), 1999, Markham: Fitzhenry and Whiteside.