Percy James Robinson (October 18, 1873 – June 19, 1953) was a Canadian professor of classical literature. He was also an historian, a translator of French literature and an amateur painter of some repute.

Biography

Robinson was born in

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Region in Ontario, Canada. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax, Ontario, Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of D ...

but spent most of his life in

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 ...

. He attended 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 ...

where he obtained his BA in 1897 and MA in 1902. In 1899 he joined the staff of

St. Andrew's College, Aurora St. Andrew's College (SAC) is an independent boarding and day school founded in 1899 and located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a university-preparatory school for boys in grades 5 to 12, with a focus on academic achievement, athletics, and l ...

as a professor teaching Latin and Greek. He stayed at the college until his retirement in 1946. He studied languages relating to the indigenous tribes of Ontario and which led him to further research and the publication of ''Toronto During the French Régime'' in 1934. He also translated the French Jesuit François Du Creux's Historiae Canadensis (1664) in 1951. He was elected 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 1937. In 1934 the University of Toronto conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. In addition to his literary pursuits, Robinson was also an accomplished painter. In 1922 an opening occurred in the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...

and he was invited to participate in an exhibition at the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

. In 1905 he married Esther de Beauregard. They had one son, Gilbert. Robinson died in Toronto in 1953. He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Works

* ''The Group of Seven'', 1923 * ''Toronto During the French Régime - 1615-1793'', 1934 and 1965 (University of Toronto Press) * ''The history of Canada or New France'', 1951-1952 ranslation of François Du Creux's Historiae Canadensis, 1664* ''The Georgian Bay'', 1966 Source: Internet Archive, University of Toronto Libraries

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Percy James 1873 births 1953 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Historians of Canada University of Toronto alumni Writers from Toronto