Sir Arthur George Doughty (22 March 1860 – 1 December 1936) was a Canadian civil servant and
Dominion Archivist
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
and Keeper of the Public Records.
Life
Born in
Maidenhead,
Berkshire,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the son of William Doughty, Doughty was educated at the public schools in Maidenhead, at Lord Eldon School in London, and at
New Inn Hall, Oxford. He emigrated to Canada in 1886 settling in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. He was appointed to a position in the revenue department of the government of Quebec and in 1897 became private secretary to the Minister of Public Works. In 1900, he was named joint librarian of the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec and in May 1904 was appointed as the second Dominion Archivist and Keeper of the Records. He served in this post until 1935.
Under his leadership, the Public Archives of Canada undertook to locate and list important archival material in different areas of Canada. He wrote or edited a number of books, on topics such as the Siege of Quebec and the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...
, 1759; Canadian constitutional documents, and the 23-volume work Canada and its Provinces, which Doughty edited with
Adam Shortt
Adam Shortt (1859–1931) was an economic historian in Ontario. He was the first full-time employed academic in the field at a Canadian university ( Queen's University).
Biography
Shortt was born in Kilworth, Ontario, on 24 November 1859 to Ge ...
. He wrote the article on
Samuel de Champlain for the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.
In 1900, he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Historical Society. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In 1927, he was awarded the
Royal Society of Canada's
Flavelle Medal
The Flavelle Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "for an outstanding contribution to biological science during the preceding ten years or for significant additions to a previous outstanding contribution to biological science". It is n ...
. In 1905 he was created a Companion of the
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
.
He was created a Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
.
He encouraged the creation of archives by the provincial governments and served on the Board of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia when it was reconstituted in 1929.
Across the world, one of the most quoted statements made by Sir Arthur George Doughty in 1924 concerned the essential value of keeping and maintaining good and full records in an organised national archive when he said:
''"Of all national assets, archives are the most precious, they are the gifts of one generation to another, and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilisation. As a rule the papers of a given generation are seldom required after their reception and primary use; but when all personal touch with that period has ceased, then these records assume a startling importance, for they replace hands that have vanished and lips that are sealed."''
Following his death, a statue of Sir Arthur was erected in front of the
National Archives of Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
, then located on
Sussex Drive
Sussex Drive (french: Promenade Sussex), also known as Ottawa Regional Road93, is an arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada. It is one of the city's main ceremonial and institutional routes. Travelling roughly parallel to the Ot ...
in Ottawa. This is one of only two statues of civil servants erected in Ottawa, both at the instigation of Prime Minister
MacKenzie King. In the 1960s, the statue was moved behind the new National Archives building on
Wellington Street.
Works
Under the lily & the rose : a short history of Canada for children - Vol. 1Under the lily & the rose : a short history of Canada for children - Vol. 2A daughter of New France : being a story of the life and times of Magdelaine de Verchères, 1665-1692The cradle of New France : a story of the city founded by ChamplainThe probable site of the battle of the Plains of AbrahamThe siege of Quebec and the battle of the Plains of AbrahamBibliography of the Siege of Quebec in three partsQuebec under two flags : a brief history of the city from its foundation until the present timeThe fortress of Quebec, 1608-1903 : with illustrationsThe King's book of Quebec, Vol. 1The King's book of Quebec, Vol. 2The Acadian exiles : a chronicle of the land of EvangelineThe Canadian archives and its activitiesDocuments relating to the constitutional history of Canada, 1759-1791Documents relating to the constitutional history of Canada, 1791-1818* ''Canada and its provinces; a history of the Canadian people and their institutions by one hundred associates''
*
Index and dictionary of Canadian history*
Vol. 01*
Vol. 02*
Vol. 03*
Vol. 04*
Vol. 05*
Vol. 06*
Vol. 07*
Vol. 08*
Vol. 09*
Vol. 10*
Vol. 11*
Vol. 12*
Vol. 13*
Vol. 14*
Vol. 15*
Vol. 16*
Vol. 17*
Vol. 18*
Vol. 19*
Vol. 20*
Vol. 21*
Vol. 22*
Vol. 23Nugae canorae
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Doughty, Arthur
1860 births
1936 deaths
Alumni of New Inn Hall, Oxford
Canadian archivists
Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
English emigrants to Canada
Fellows of the Royal Historical Society
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
People from Maidenhead
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
19th-century Canadian civil servants
20th-century Canadian civil servants
Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia
Presidents of the Canadian Historical Association