Stephen Leacock(1869-1944)

A man of seemingly inexhaustible talents, Stephen Butler Leacock (born December 30, 1869) easily juggled being a humorist, essayist, teacher, political economist, lecturer, and historian. He received many awards and honorary degrees, among them the Lorne Pierce Medal; the Leacock Medal for Humour was established in his honor and has been awarded annually since 1947 to the best humorous book by a Canadian author. At the height of his career from 1915 through 1925, Leacock was undeniably the English-speaking world's best-known humorist. His parents, Peter Leacock and Agnes Emma Butler, had been secretly married; Agnes was three years older than her new husband. When Leacock was about 7, his large family (ultimately ten brothers and sisters) moved to Canada and settled on a 100-acre farm. Despite living a hard life on the farm, and having a charming but shiftless alcoholic father, Leacock was fortunate in that his mother believed strongly in a good education. With her devoted support and guidance, he did well in school, and graduated in 1887 as Head Boy from Upper Canada College. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1891. During this time, he wrote humorous articles for magazines for extra income. In 1900, he married Beatrix Hamilton, daughter of a well-to-do Toronto businessman. Her death from breast cancer in 1925 grieved him greatly, but he kept his anguish private, and spearheaded fundraisers to aid cancer research. Among his professional accomplishments, Leacock was appointed to full professor at McGill University in 1908. He was also appointed William Dow Professor of Political Economy and chair of the Department of Economics and Political Science, a position he held for 30 years until his forced retirement at age 65. Leacock's prolific written observations--sharp, funny, and timely--were critically applauded and loved by the public. He published what many consider his literary masterpiece, "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town," in 1912. Leacock wrote two excellent biographies: "Mark Twain," published in 1932, and "Charles Dickens, His Life and Work," in 1933. In 1935, he published "Humour: Its Theory and Technique." He died of throat cancer in 1944, leaving his autobiography, "The Boy I Left Behind Me," unfinished. It was published in 1946. But death did not sweep him from Canada's cherished memory. To mark the 100th anniversary of Leacock's birth, the government of Canada issued a six-cent stamp in his honor in 1969. Leacock's former homes were declared historic sites, more awards were heaped upon him posthumously, and in 1970, a mountain in the Yukon's Saint Elias range was named after him.