Peter Busby Waite (July 12, 1922 – August 24, 2020) was a Canadian historian and Dalhousie University professor. Waite was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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in July 1922 and attended high school in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

. He obtained B.A. and M.A. degrees from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

, and a PhD degree from 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 ...

. He served with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

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 ...

, attaining the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. Waite began his association in 1951 with Dalhousie University in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. He taught at Dalhousie first as a lecturer in history (1951–1955), then assistant professor (1955–1960) and finally Thomas McCulloch Professor of History from 1960 until his retirement. Latterly, he was a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

and lived in Halifax. Waite was an elegant writer, known especially for his analysis of the events leading to Confederation and the subsequent 30 years from 1867 to 1896. His ''Arduous Destiny,'' a history of Canada from 1874 to 1896, was part of The Canadian Centenary Series, a multi-volume project which was commissioned for the centenary of Canadian

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

in 1967. He published biographies of three Conservative Canadian Prime Ministers (Macdonald, Thompson, Bennett). His 1985 biography of Sir

John Sparrow David Thompson Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (November 10, 1845 – December 12, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Canada from 1892 until his death. He had previously been fifth premier of Nova Sco ...

, some ten years in the making, remains a thorough and fundamental resource on Thompson. He was made an Officer 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 ...

on October 27, 1993. Waite died in August 2020 at the age of 98.

Publications

Peter Busby Waite's main works include: * ''The Life and times of Confederation 1864-1867'', 1962, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 3rd ed. Toronto: Robin Brass Studio, . * ''The Confederation Debates in the Province of Canada'', 1963, Ottawa: Carleton University library. 2nd ed. 2006, Montreal, McGill-Queens University Press, . * ''Canada 1874-1896: Arduous Destiny'', 1971, Toronto:

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

, . * ''Macdonald: His Life and World'', 1975, Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., . * ''The Man from Halifax: Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister'', 1985, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, . * ''Lord of Point Grey: Larry MacKenzie of UBC'', 1987, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, . * ''Canadian History'', Ottawa 1988, Department of the Secretary of State of Canada, Canadian Studies Directorate (Canadian Studies Resource Guides series), . * ''Loner: Three Sketches of the Personal Life and Ideas of R.B. Bennett, 1870-1947'', 1992. * ''The Lives of Dalhousie University, Volume I'', 1994, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. * ''The Lives of Dalhousie University, Volume II'', 1998, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. * ''John A. Macdonald'' (Abridged ed. for students), 1999, Markham: Fitzhenry and Whiteside. * ''In Search of R.B. Bennett'', 2012, Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waite, Peter Busby 1922 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Dalhousie University faculty Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Historians of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada University of British Columbia alumni University of Toronto alumni Writers from Toronto Presidents of the Canadian Historical Association Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II 21st-century Canadian historians