William Dawson LeSueur

William Dawson LeSueur (February 19, 1840 – September 23, 1917) was a Canadian civil servant and author.[1]

William Dawson LeSueur
Born(1840-02-19)February 19, 1840
Quebec City, Quebec
DiedSeptember 23, 1917(1917-09-23) (aged 77)
Ottawa, Ontario
Resting placeBeechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario
OccupationCivil Servant, author
LanguageEnglish
CitizenshipBritish subject
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
SpouseAnne Jane Foster

Biography

Born in Quebec City, the son of Peter LeSueur and Barbara Dawson, LeSueur studied Latin and Greek at the High School of Montreal. 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 and studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School 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 Gazette, and the Ottawa Citizen.

In 1906, he published a biography of Louis de Buade de Frontenac. LeSueur was asked by Messrs. Morang and Co. to write a biography of William Lyon Mackenzie 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.[2] Mackenzie's grandson William Lyon Mackenzie King pressured Morang into rejecting the manuscript,[3] although Morang stated he didn't publish it because he wanted a more positive portrayal of Mackenzie's life.[3]

In 1903, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada 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.

Selected publications

Notes
  1. "William Dawson Lesueur," Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, Vol. XII, 1919, pp. iv–vi.
  2. Gates, Lilian F. (1996-07-25). After the Rebellion: The later years of William Lyon Mackenzie. Toronto: Dundurn. p. 321. ISBN 978-1-55488-069-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. Holland, Clifford G. (1998). "LeSueur, William Dawson". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 2020-10-12.

References

Further reading
  • William Dawson LeSueur, A. B. McKillop (1977). A Critical Spirit: The Thought of William Dawson LeSueur. McClelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-9802-2.
  • Clifford G. Holland (1993). William Dawson LeSueur, 1840-1917, a Canadian man of letters: the sage of Ottawa. Mellen Research University Press.
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