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Innis, Harold Adam
1894 - 1952
Innis, against his mother's wishes to become a minister, went on to become one of Canada's outstanding economic historians. Starting his education in a one-room classroom at South Norwich, less than a half mile from the family farm (Oak Ridge) he graduated from McMaster University. He obtained a PhD from the University of Chicago, and in 1920 joined the Department of Political Economy, at the University of Toronto. He subsequently became Department Chairman and Dean of Graduate Studies. His works, such as the monumental "Fur Trade in Canada" (1930) largely interpreted Canadian history as a thrust to control the St. Lawrence trade and connecting traffic route, profoundly influenced Canadian historical writing. His later studies, for example, "Empire and Communication" (1950), investigate the effects of communications technology on cultural values and social institutions, and helped establish international communications theory. Innis College, University of Toronto, is named in his honor.
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