Richard Colebrook Harris (July 4, 1936 – September 26, 2022), better known as Cole Harris, was a Canadian

historical geographer Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. In its modern form, it is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with histor ...

and university professor.

Education

Harris received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree (1958) from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, followed by a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree (1962) and a Ph.D. (1964) from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

supervised by historical geographer Andrew Clark.

Career

In 1964 Harris joined the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

as an assistant professor, and became an associate professor in 1971. Later that year he joined the University of British Columbia as an associate professor, and became a professor at that university in 1973. He published books on Canadian historical geography, including "Historical Atlas of Canada, Volume 1" with maps and articles on Canada's history up to 1800.

Personal life and death

Harris married Muriel Watney in 1964. He died at home on September 26, 2022, at the age of 86. He left Muriel, their three children and their partners, and eight grandchildren.

Awards

Harris was made 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 ...

in 1982. The

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization. It has dedicated itself to spreading a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada, i ...

awarded Harris a Gold Medal in 1988, and awarded him the Massey Medal in 2003. Harris was made 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 2004.

Selected publications

*''The Seigneurial System in Early Canada: A Geographical Study'' - 1966 *''Canada Before Confederation: A Study in Historical Geography'' - 1974 (edited with John Warkentin) *''Letters from Windermere, 1912-1914'' - 1984 (edited with Elizabeth Phillips) *''Historical Atlas of Canada, vol. I: From the Beginning to 1800'' - 1987 *''The Resettlement of British Columbia: Essays on Colonialism and Geographical Change'' - 1997 *''Making Native Space: Colonialism, Resistance, and Reserves in British Columbia'' - 2003 (nominated for the

Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize The Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize, established in 1985, is awarded annually as the BC Book Prize for the best non-fiction book by a resident of British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories ...

) *''The Reluctant Land: Society, Space, and Environment in Canada before Confederation'' - 2009

References

1936 births 2022 deaths Canadian geographers Historical geographers Canadian non-fiction writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada University of British Columbia alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Academic staff of the University of Toronto University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Writers from Vancouver Massey Medal recipients {{Canada-scientist-stub