William Dawson LeSueur (February 19, 1840 – September 23, 1917) 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 ...
civil servant and author.
"William Dawson Lesueur,"
''Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada,'' Vol. XII, 1919, pp. iv–vi.
Biography
Born in Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, the son of Peter LeSueur and Barbara Dawson, LeSueur studied Latin and Greek at the High School of Montreal
The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...
. In 1856, he joined the provincial Post Office Department after moving to Toronto. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1863 from the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
and studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...
but never practiced. He continued to work as a clerk for the post office eventually becoming chief secretary in 1888. He retired in 1902.
A writer, LeSueur published over 80 articles on a wide variety of topics. He was a freelance journalist for the ''Montreal Daily Star
''The Montreal Star'' was an English-language Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It closed in 1979 in the wake of an eight-month pressmen's strike.
It was Canada's largest newspaper until the 1950s and remained the dominan ...
'', the ''Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'', and the ''Ottawa Citizen
The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
History
Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
''.
In 1906, he published a biography of Louis de Buade de Frontenac
Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau (; 22 May 162228 November 1698) was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France in North America from 1672 to 1682, and again from 1689 to his death in 1698. He established a nu ...
. LeSueur was asked by Messrs. Morang and Co. to write a biography of William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify elite members of Upper Canada. He represented Yor ...
for their "Makers of Canada Series". The biography stated that Mackenzie's actions held back the cause of reform in Canada and that he was inconsequential to the history of Canada in the 1850s.William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...
pressured Morang into rejecting the manuscript,Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
and served as its president from 1912 to 1913. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Queen's College in 1900.
He died in Ottawa in 1917 and is buried in Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery, located in the former city of Vanier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 82,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor Genera ...
.
Selected publications
* (1879)
"A Few Words on Criticism,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. III, pp. 323–328.
* (1879)
"The Scientific Spirit,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. III, pp. 437–441.
* (1880)
"The Future of Morality,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. IV, pp. 74–82.
* (1880)
"Morality and Religion,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. IV, pp. 166–171.
* (1880)
"Morality and Religion Again – A Word to My Critics,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. IV, pp. 642–655.
* (1880)
"Morality without Theology,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. V, pp. 522–528.
* (1880)
"A Vindication of Scientific Ethics,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XVII, pp. 324–337.
* (1881)
"'Progress and Poverty' and the Doctrine of Evolution,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. VI, pp. 287–296.
* (1881)
"Carlyle and Comte,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. VI, pp. 639–642.
* (1882)
"The True Idea of Canadian Loyalty,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. VIII, pp. 1–11.
* (1882)
"Physics and Metaphysics,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. VIII, pp. 352–360.
* (1882)
"Free Thought and Responsible Thought,"
''The Canadian Monthly and National Review,'' Vol. VIII, pp. 614–620.
* (1882)
"Materialism and Positivism,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XX, pp. 615–621.
* (1882)
"Mr. Goldwin Smith on the Data of Ethics,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXII, pp. 145–156.
* (1883)
"The Anarchy of Modern Politics,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXIII, pp. 444–453.
* (1884)
"A Defense of Modern Thought,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXIV, pp. 780–793.
* (1885)
"Evolution and the Destiny of Man,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXVI, pp. 456–468.
* (1886)
"Evolution Bounded by Theology,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXIX, pp. 145–153.
* (1886)
"Ex-President Porter on Evolution,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXIX, pp. 577–594.
* (1887)
"Creation or Evolution?,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXXI, pp. 29–39.
* (1889)
"Mr. Mallock on Optimism,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXXV, pp. 531–541.
* (1889)
"Science and its Accusers,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XXXIV, pp. 367–379.
* (1893)
"State Education and 'Isms',"
''The Canadian Magazine,'' Vol. II, No. 1, pp. 3–7.
* (1895)
"Kidd on 'Social Revolution',"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XLVII, pp. 38–48.
* (1896)
"War and Civilization,"
''The Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. XLVIII, pp. 758–771.
Notes
References
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Further reading
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External links
* William Dawson Le Sueur
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesueur, William Dawson
1840 births
1917 deaths
19th-century Canadian civil servants
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
High School of Montreal alumni
Journalists from Quebec
University of Toronto alumni