Sir Arthur George Doughty (22 March 1860 – 1 December 1936) was a Canadian civil servant and Dominion Archivist and Keeper of the Public Records.

Life

Born in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, 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 New Inn Hall was one of the earliest medieval halls of the University of Oxford. It was located in New Inn Hall Street, Oxford. History Trilleck's Inn The original building on the site was Trilleck's Inn, a medieval hall or hostel for st ...

. He emigrated to Canada in 1886 settling in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. 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 A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

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 (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

, 1759; Canadian constitutional documents, and the 23-volume work Canada and its Provinces, which Doughty edited with Adam Shortt. He wrote the article on

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

for the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. In 1900, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1927, he was awarded 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 ...

's Flavelle Medal. 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

. 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. Th ...

, then located on

Sussex Drive Sussex Drive (), 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 Ottawa River, Sussex Drive ...

in Ottawa. This is one of only two statues of civil servants erected in Ottawa, both at the instigation of Prime Minister

MacKenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

. 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. 1

Under the lily & the rose : a short history of Canada for children - Vol. 2

A daughter of New France : being a story of the life and times of Magdelaine de Verchères, 1665-1692

The cradle of New France : a story of the city founded by Champlain

The probable site of the battle of the Plains of Abraham

The siege of Quebec and the battle of the Plains of Abraham

Bibliography of the Siege of Quebec in three parts

Quebec under two flags : a brief history of the city from its foundation until the present time

The fortress of Quebec, 1608-1903 : with illustrations

The King's book of Quebec, Vol. 1

The King's book of Quebec, Vol. 2

The Acadian exiles : a chronicle of the land of Evangeline

The Canadian archives and its activities

Documents relating to the constitutional history of Canada, 1759-1791

Documents 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
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Nugae canorae

References

External links

* * * * {{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 Librarians and Archivists of Canada