Charles Jost Burchell, (1 July 1876 – 12 August 1967) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
diplomat. He served as Canada's first
High Commissioner to
Australia from 1939 to 1941 and as Canada's first and last High Commissioner to the
Dominion of Newfoundland serving from 1941 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1949.
Burchell also raised the possibility of the island, which was then ruled by a British appointed
Commission of Government
The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion beca ...
, might join
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...
following the war. He "quietly sounded out prominent St. John's citizens on Confederation and quietly encouraged St. John's lawyer John McEvoy to promote publicly Confederation between the two countries." Burchell concluded that the restoration of
responsible government by Britain may have to occur before the island would consider joining Canada.
Early life
Charles Jost Burchell was born in
Sydney, Nova Scotia on 1 July 1876. He attended
Sydney Academy and
Dalhousie University,
read law, and was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in April 1899.
He married E. Gertrude Currie on 8 May 1901, and they had four children.
A keen
curler, Burchell represented Nova Scotia at the
1936 Macdonald Brier, Canada's men's curling championship, on a team
skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidi ...
ped by
Murray Macneill
Murray Macneill (also spelled MacNeill) (January 7, 1877 – February 16, 1951) was a curler from Nova Scotia. He is the first skip to win the Brier, back in 1927. He began curling in his back yard while he was a boy in Saint John, New Brunswick. ...
.
Diplomatic career
Jost's initial term as High Commissioner was from 1941 to 1944 when he was succeeded by
James Macdonald. However, he would serve a second sojourn from 1948 to 1949.
The mission remained following the war in order to deal with the withdrawal of American troops, negotiate a 99-year lease for a Canadian military airbase at
Goose Bay and, ultimately, to negotiate Newfoundland's entry into
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...
following the
1948 Newfoundland referendums
The Newfoundland referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the c ...
. Burchell was sent back to Newfoundland in 1948 in order to negotiate the British colony's terms of union with
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
The High Commission was closed on 31 March 1949, shortly before Newfoundland officially became a Canadian province. On 1 April 1949, Buchell was named to the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...
in recognition of his work as High Commissioner.
Death
Charles Jost Burchell died at his home in
Halifax on 14 August 1967.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchell, Charles
1876 births
1967 deaths
Dalhousie University alumni
High Commissioners of Canada to Australia
High Commissioners of Canada to the Dominion of Newfoundland
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Curlers from Nova Scotia
People from Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sportspeople from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality