Claude Thomas Bissell (February 10, 1916 – June 21, 2000) 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 ...

author and educator.

Biography

He was the eighth president of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

from 1958 to 1971. He played a major part in the expansion of the University of Toronto, tripling the size of the university during his tenure. He was born in Meaford,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, the youngest of nine children. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1936 and received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree in English literature in 1937. He earned his PhD in English Literature from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

where he won the Luana L. Messenger Prize for Graduate Research in 1940. He served in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 1952 he was made assistant professor at the University of Toronto. From 1956 to 1958 he was president of Carleton College (now

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

) returning to the University of Toronto in 1958 to become president. He was the chair of the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the fede ...

from 1960 to 1962. The Claude T. Bissell Building at the University of Toronto, which houses the

Faculty of Information Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warrant ...

, is named after him. He married Christine and they had one daughter, Deirdre MacDonald. Because of his education, he was an officer in World War II, attaining the rank of captain in the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), or A & SH of C, is a Primary Reserve Scottish regiment, Highland infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces, based at John Weir Foote, John W. Foote VC Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario ...

and worked in the intelligence section.

Honours

*In 1957, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. *In 1969 he was made a Companion of 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 ...

. *In 1976 he received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

from

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Quotes

*"The Social Sciences are good at accounting for disasters once they have taken place." *Referring to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, his regiment in World War II, "a happy regiment and a formidable one in action." *"Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible."

Selected bibliography

* ''University College: A Portrait'' - 1953 * ''Halfway Up Parnassus: A Personal Account of the University of Toronto 1932-71'' - 1974 * ''A Brief Biography:

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada after ...

, 1887-1967'' - 1981 * ''The Imperial Canadian: Vincent Massey in Office'' -1986 * '' Ernest Buckler Remembered'' - 1989

References

* * *

External links

Claude Bissell archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Record Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bissell, Claude 1916 births 2000 deaths Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian literary critics Companions of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Members of the United Church of Canada Writers from Ontario People from Grey County Presidents of the University of Toronto Canadian Army personnel of World War II University of Toronto alumni Presidents of Carleton University 20th-century Canadian historians Cornell University alumni Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) officers