Donat Marc LeBourdais (1887 - November 8, 1964) was a Canadian non-fiction writer and political activist. He wrote eight books during his lifetime, including six on Canada's

economic history Economic history is the study of history using methodological tools from economics or with a special attention to economic phenomena. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the Applied economics ...

, a financial investment guide and a biography of explorer

Vilhjalmur Stefansson Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879 – August 26, 1962) was an Arctic explorer and ethnologist. He was born in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and education Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Arnes, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. ...

. Born in

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and raised in

Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...

, he worked for the Yukon Telegraph Service before moving to

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 ...

in 1919. He founded the shortlived journal ''Canadian Nation'', before joining a press syndicate to report on Stefansson's expedition to

Wrangel Island Wrangel Island (, ; , , ) is an island of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the List of islands by area, 92nd-largest island in the world and roughly the size of Crete. Located in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and East Si ...

. He moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1926, and began to write for periodicals including the ''

Canadian Geographical Journal ''Canadian Geographic'' is a magazine published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, (RCGS) based in Ottawa, Ontario. History and profile After the Society was founded in 1929, the magazine was established the next year in May 1930 under ...

'', ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'', ''Empire Review'', ''

Saturday Night Saturday Night may refer to: Film, television and theatre Film * ''Saturday Night'' (1922 film), a 1922 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille * ''Saturday Nights'' (film), a 1933 Swedish film directed by Schamyl Bauman * ''Saturday Night'' (1950 fil ...

'' and '' The Beaver''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was also employed as an administrator with the

Wartime Prices and Trade Board The Wartime Prices and Trade Board is a former Canadian government agency, established on September 3, 1939, by the Mackenzie King government, under the authority of the ''War Measures Act'', in the Department of Labour responsible for price contro ...

. As an activist he was the founding executive secretary of the National Railway League, an organization formed to defend public ownership of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

, and served on the boards of the National Committee on Mental Hygiene and the Mental Patients Welfare Association. He ran for election to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

in the 1935 federal election as a

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...

candidate in the electoral district of

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

, but lost to

Alexander James Anderson Alexander James Anderson (July 1, 1863 – June 3, 1946) was a Canadian politician, barrister and lawyer. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the historical Conservative Party in 1925 representing Toronto—High Park ...

. He married journalist

Isabel LeBourdais Isabel LeBourdais born Isabel Russel Erichsen-Brown (15 April 1909 – 2003) was a Canadian journalist and writer."ISABEL LeBOURDAIS 1909-2003: Her book said Truscott trial wrong". ''The Globe and Mail'', 14 April 2003. She is best known as the a ...

in 1942. Isabel was noted for her 1966 book ''

The Trial of Steven Truscott ''The Trial of Steven Truscott'' is a book written by Isabel LeBourdais, published in 1966, on the trial and conviction of Steven Truscott for the murder of Lynne Harper in 1959. The book "attacked the rapid police investigation and trial, calling ...

''. They raised four children. Their grandchildren include Mark LeBourdais, a musician who was associated with the band

King Apparatus King Apparatus was a Canadian third wave ska band, active in the early 1990s."King Apparatus: They're back" ...

in the 1990s.

Works

*''Northward on the New Frontier'' (1931) *''Canada's Century'' (1951) *''Why Be a Sucker? Invest in Canada'' (1952) *''Nation of the North: Canada Since Confederation'' (1953) *''Sudbury Basin: The Story of Nickel'' (1953) *''Metals and Men: The Story of Canadian Mining'' (1957) *''Canada and the Atomic Revolution'' (1959) *''Stefansson: Ambassador of the North'' (1963)"Stefansson: Ambassador of the North by D.M. LeBourdais". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...

'', December 7, 1963.

References

External links

Donat LeBourdais papers on Stefansson biography
at Dartmouth College Library
Sigrid Galbraith Letters and Memoranda
at Dartmouth College Library {{DEFAULTSORT:LeBourdais, D. M, 1887 births 1964 deaths 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian magazine journalists Canadian economics writers 20th-century Canadian historians Writers from British Columbia Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Canadian activists People from the Cariboo Regional District Franco-Columbian people 20th-century Canadian biographers Canadian male biographers Co-operative Commonwealth Federation candidates for the Canadian House of Commons