Michael Harrington (1916–1999) was a

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

educator, writer, historian and broadcaster. He served as editor-in-chief at ''

The Telegram ''The Telegram'' is a daily newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays (as ''The Weekend Telegram'') in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. History ''The Evening Telegram'' was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herd ...

'' for the period 1959–1982. Harrington was born in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

. He attended Memorial University College, where he founded the first student newspaper. He became the first graduate of

Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and i ...

(B.A., 1951) after its elevation to a degree-granting institution. In addition to working variously in publishing, writing and broadcasting, Harrington briefly entered politics. He was elected to the 1946

Newfoundland National Convention The Newfoundland National Convention of 1946 to 1948 was a forum established to decide the constitutional future of Newfoundland. Nominations On 11 December 1945 the British Government announced that there would be an election to a national c ...

, and then ran for the Conservatives in the first general election held after confederation. Although he was not elected, he continued to be active in public life throughout his career, volunteering with many heritage and educational organizations in Newfoundland. Harrington was honoured with many awards, including the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

, and an honorary doctorate from

Books by Michael Harrington

*"Prime Ministers of Newfoundland" Cuff Publications (1991) *"Goin' to the ice: Offbeat history of the Newfoundland sealfishery" Cuff Publications (1986) *"Newfoundland Tapestry" Dallas: Kaleidograph Press (1943) *"The Newfoundland National Convention, 1946-1948: Debates, Reports and Papers" James Hiller, Michael Harrington, Published for Memorial University of Newfoundland by McGill-Queen's University Press (1995)

References

Article by Aaron Peach, 2006, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site
1916 births 1999 deaths Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Newfoundland National Convention members Candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador provincial elections Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador politicians Canadian newspaper editors Members of the Order of Canada {{Canada-writer-stub