Albert William Trueman, OC, FRSC (January 17, 1902 – June 29, 1988) was an American-born Canadian teacher, professor, cultural and university administrator.

Early life

Trueman was born in the United States, where his New Brunswick-born father John Main Trueman taught at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

between 1907 and 1913. The family lived in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia after 1913, where his father taught at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Trueman attended high school in

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

and graduated from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

in 1927. He finished his Master of Arts degree in English Literature at Exeter College,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

in 1932.

Career

Trueman was a high school teacher, and then became school superintendent in Saint John, New Brunswick. He later worked a university administrator, serving as President of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

between 1945 and 1948, and President of the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

from 1948 until 1953. He was principal and dean of University College at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

from 1965 until 1967. He was

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the University of Western Ontario from 1967 until 1971. He returned to academic life and had an extended term as visiting professor of English at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, 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 se ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

from 1967 to 1981. Trueman acted as Government Film Commissioner and Chairman of the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

from 1953 to 1957, and then as the first Director of the newly created

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), 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 is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, serving from 1957 to 1965. In these positions, he made contributions to Canadian cultural policies, primarily by promoting the roles and influence of both agencies. He also served on the Board of Governors of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

(CBC). Trueman was given many honorary degrees. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

since 1964, and was invested as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1974. Trueman wrote and edited several books, including ''A Second View of Things: A Memoir'' in 1982.Judy Creighton, "Trueman Loves Leisure", Windsor, ON: ''Windsor Star'', Thursday, July 30, 1992, p. C9. His son Peter Trueman, was a well-known television journalist.

Publications

* Trueman, A. W. (1946). ''The Story of the United Empire Loyalists'', Toronto, ON: Copp Clark Co. * MacNutt, W. Stewart (1952), edited by A.W. Trueman. ''New Brunswick and Its People: The Biography of a Canadian Province '', Fredericton, NB: New Brunswick Travel Bureau * Trueman, A. W. (1952). ''Canada's University of New Brunswick: Its History and Its Development'', New York & Montreal: Newcomen Society in North America. * Trueman, A. W., Canadian Editor, with Wright, E.H. and Wright, M. H. (1957). ''Richards Topical Encyclopedia'', New York, NY: Richards Company. * Trueman, A. W., Davies, Robertson, Berton, Pierre; edited by D.C. Williams (1962). ''The Arts as Communication'', Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. * Trueman, A. W. (1963). ''The Canada Council and the Culture of the Country'', Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria * Trueman, Albert (1982). ''A Second View of Things: A Memoir'', Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.

Films

* ''The Maritimes: Traditions and Transitions'' ( NFB short, 1959) on-screen presenter and narrator

References

External links