Burton Clare Matthews (December 16, 1926 – January 2, 2004) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
soil scientist and an academic administrator. He was President of the
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
from 1970 to 1981 and the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
from 1983 to 1988.
Early life
Born in
Kerwood,
Middlesex County,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Matthews received a B.S.A. from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...
in 1947, a A.M. from the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...
in 1948, and a Ph.D. from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...
in 1952. From 1961 to 1962, he studied at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
as a
Nuffield Foundation
The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1943 by William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors Ltd. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social pol ...
Post-Doctorate Fellow.
Academic career
Matthews began his academic career at the
Ontario Agricultural College
The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affil ...
as an assistant professor of soil science in 1952 becoming an associate professor in 1956 and a full professor in 1958. From 1962 to 1966, he was the head of the department of soil science.
In 1966, he was appointed Vice-President (Academic) at the University of Guelph. In 1970, he was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo and was reappointed for a second six-year term in 1975. From 1982 to 1984, he was the chairman of the Ontario Council of University Affairs. From 1983 to 1988, he was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph.
Later life
In 1987 Dr. Matthews was appointed to the board of trustees of the International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat and became its Chair in 1990. He was a director of a number of corporations, including Mutual Life of Canada, Mutual Trust, Campbell Soup Company Ltd., John Wiley and Sons (Canada), as well as serving as president of the Canadian Society of Soil Science. He was a member of
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society, a
Freemason, and an
Anglican.
He died in
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the close proximity of the c ...
in 2004 of natural causes.
See also
*
List of University of Waterloo people
The University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is a comprehensive public university that was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles. It has grown into an institution of more than 42,000 students, faculty, and st ...
References
*
Profile at University of Guelph / Ontario Agricultural College
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Burton
1926 births
2004 deaths
Cornell University alumni
People from Middlesex County, Ontario
Presidents of the University of Waterloo
University of Missouri alumni
University of Toronto alumni
Presidents of the University of Guelph
Canadian Freemasons