Bruce Hutchison
Encyclopedia
William Bruce Hutchison, (5 June 1901 – 14 September 1992) was a Canadian
author and journalist.
Born in Prescott
, Ontario
, Hutchison was educated in public schools in Victoria, British Columbia
. He married Dorothy Kidd McDiarmid in 1925, around the same time that he began his journalism career as a political reporter in Ottawa
. He was associate editor for The Winnipeg Free Press
from 1944 to 1950. Hutchison was also editor of the Victoria Daily Times from 1950 to 1963, for which he had previously worked as a high-school journalist in approximately 1918. In 1963 Hutchison was made the editorial director to The Vancouver Sun
. Hutchison would write for The Vancouver Sun until his death in 1992.
He travelled extensively throughout Canada during his career, and was present at the Imperial Conference of 1937. He was widely considered one of Canada's foremost experts on politics and was known in Washington, D.C.
, as well as Ottawa. He wrote frequently on the subject of current affairs and politics, and also wrote short stories for The Saturday Evening Post
, Collier's Weekly
, Cosmopolitan
, The American Magazine and Liberty
.
Hutchison's first book, The Unknown Country, was published in 1942. Commissioned by a U.S. publisher with the intention of making America's new wartime ally better known to the American public, The Unknown Country was also published in Canada, and enjoyed favourable reviews on both sides of the border. It went on to win the 1942 Governor General's award for creative nonfiction.
In 1961, Hutchison was the first winner of the award from Distinguished Journalism in the Commonwealth, given by the Royal Society of Arts
. In 1967 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
The Jack Webster
Foundation created the Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize people making a lifetime of contribution to the field of journalism in British Columbia.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author and journalist.
Born in Prescott
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Hutchison was educated in public schools in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. He married Dorothy Kidd McDiarmid in 1925, around the same time that he began his journalism career as a political reporter in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. He was associate editor for The Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
from 1944 to 1950. Hutchison was also editor of the Victoria Daily Times from 1950 to 1963, for which he had previously worked as a high-school journalist in approximately 1918. In 1963 Hutchison was made the editorial director to The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
. Hutchison would write for The Vancouver Sun until his death in 1992.
He travelled extensively throughout Canada during his career, and was present at the Imperial Conference of 1937. He was widely considered one of Canada's foremost experts on politics and was known in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, as well as Ottawa. He wrote frequently on the subject of current affairs and politics, and also wrote short stories for The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, The American Magazine and Liberty
Liberty (1924-1950)
Liberty was a weekly, general-interest magazine, originally priced at five cents and subtitled, "A Weekly for Everybody." It was launched in 1924 by McCormick-Patterson, the publisher until 1931, when it was taken over by Bernarr Macfadden until 1942. At one time it was said to be "the second...
.
Hutchison's first book, The Unknown Country, was published in 1942. Commissioned by a U.S. publisher with the intention of making America's new wartime ally better known to the American public, The Unknown Country was also published in Canada, and enjoyed favourable reviews on both sides of the border. It went on to win the 1942 Governor General's award for creative nonfiction.
In 1961, Hutchison was the first winner of the award from Distinguished Journalism in the Commonwealth, given by the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
. In 1967 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
The Jack Webster
Jack Webster
John Edgar "Jack" Webster, CM was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, radio and television personality.-Life in the United Kingdom:...
Foundation created the Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize people making a lifetime of contribution to the field of journalism in British Columbia.
Awards
- Bowater Prize - Details unknown, as reported in The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature
- Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award - The Jack Webster Foundation - 1991 - First recipient; continued in Hutchison's name
- City of Victoria Prize - 1990 - Details unknown, as reported in The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature
- Governor General's Literary Award - 1942 - For The Unknown Country
- Governor General's Literary Award - 1952 - For The Incredible Canadian
- Governor General's Literary Award - 1957 - For Canada: Tomorrow's Giant
- Maclean'sMaclean'sMaclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
Honour Roll - 1989 - National Newspaper Award - Canadian Newspaper AssociationCanadian Newspaper AssociationThe Canadian Newspaper Association is the national organization of daily newspapers in Canada, founded in 1996. It is a non-profit trade association and lobby organization, which represents more than 100 Canadian English and French newspapers...
- Editorial Writing - 1952 - National Newspaper Award - Canadian Newspaper AssociationCanadian Newspaper AssociationThe Canadian Newspaper Association is the national organization of daily newspapers in Canada, founded in 1996. It is a non-profit trade association and lobby organization, which represents more than 100 Canadian English and French newspapers...
- Editorial Writing - 1957 - National Newspaper Award - Canadian Newspaper AssociationCanadian Newspaper AssociationThe Canadian Newspaper Association is the national organization of daily newspapers in Canada, founded in 1996. It is a non-profit trade association and lobby organization, which represents more than 100 Canadian English and French newspapers...
- Staff Corresponding - 1959 - Officer of the Order of Canada - Appointed 1967
- Royal Society of Arts Award for Distinguished Journalism in the Commonwealth - 1961
Selected works
- The Unknown Country: Canada and her People - 1942 (winner of a Governor General's Award1942 Governor General's AwardsIn Canada the 1942 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were the sixth such awards. The awards in this period had no monetary prize and were just an honour for the authors.-Winners:*Fiction: G...
) - The Hollow Men - 1944
- The Fraser - 1950
- The Incredible Canadian: A candid portrait of Mackenzie King, his works, his times, and his nation - 1952 (winner of a Governor General's Award1952 Governor General's AwardsIn Canada, the 1952 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were the sixteenth such awards. The awards in this period had no monetary prize and were just an honour for the authors.-Winners:*Fiction: David Walker, The Pillar....
) - Canada's Lonely Neighbour - 1954
- The Struggle for the Border - 1955
- Canada: Tomorrow's Giant - 1957 (winner of a Governor General's Award1957 Governor General's AwardsThe 1957 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were the twenty-first such awards in Canada. The awards in this period an honour for the authors but had no monetary prize.-Winners:*Fiction: Gabrielle Roy, Street of Riches....
) - Mr. Prime Minister 1867–1964 - 1964
- Macdonald to Pearson: The prime ministers of Canada (Condensation of Mr. Prime Minister) - 1967
- Western Windows (Variant titles referenced; confirmed Western Windows in 1967 edition) - 1967
- Canada: A year of the land - 1967
- The Far Side of the Street - Autobiography - 1976
- Uncle Percy's Wonderful Town - 1981
- A Life in the Country - 1988