William Arthur Irwin, OC, often credited as W. Arthur Irwin (May 27, 1898 – August 9, 1999), was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

journalist and diplomat. He is best known for his work on '' Maclean's'', a magazine with which he held various positions across a quarter of a century. He also served as the Commissioner of the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB), and as Canadian high commissioner or ambassador.

Life and career

Irwin was born in Ayr, Ontario, on 27 May 1898 to Reverend Alexander J. Irwin and Amelia (Hassard). During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served abroad, before returning to Canada after the end of the conflict to attend 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 ...

. He became a journalist while still a student, working at '' The Mail and Empire'' for $30 a week. He subsequently moved on to '' The Globe'', for which he worked until 1925 when he resigned following criticism from the newspaper's owner about a piece he had written during the 1925 federal election. The same year, he began working for ''Maclean's''. He was initially the magazine's associate editor, becoming the full editor in 1945, although even before this point he was regarded as being the driving force behind the publication. He is credited with having brought a new generation of Canadian artists and writers to prominence at ''Maclean's'', including Pierre Berton, June Callwood, Trent Frayne and Clyde Gilmour. Irwin was a Canadian nationalist who believed his job at ''Maclean's'' was "interpreting Canada to Canadians." In addition to his journalistic career in this period, during the 1930s he worked with the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. In the 1940s he also began working for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, an organisation with which he continued to be associated through to the 1960s. In 1948 he suffered a personal loss when his wife Jean, whom he had married shortly after leaving university, died of

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. Irwin left ''Maclean's'' in February 1950 when he became the Government Film Commissioner, in charge of the National Film Board. He had been recruited to try to restore the Board's public image and combat the perceived threat of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

within the organisation. Some NFB staff were concerned about Irwin's appointment, both because of his complete lack of any experience in the film industry and because ''Maclean's'' sister publication, the '' Financial Post'', had made damaging revelations about

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

elements in the NFB. However, Irwin made important changes that helped to revive the fortunes of the NFB. He re-wrote the National Film Act, making the organisation independent of government control. He also decided to move the NFB's headquarters from

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 ...

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 ...

, believing it would benefit from being away from the capital. It was also at the NFB that Irwin met his second wife, the writer and poet P. K. Page. She was working as a scriptwriter at the NFB when he arrived there in 1950. She had decided to leave the NFB, and Irwin had initially invited her to dinner to try to persuade her to stay, from which had blossomed a friendship which turned to romance, and they married later the same year. Page later commented that her success as a poet would not have been possible without Irwin's support. Irwin left the National Film Board in 1953, to take up work for the Department of External Affairs. He served as High Commissioner to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and then as Ambassador to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and finally

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

before retiring from diplomatic service in 1964. He then worked as publisher of the '' Times'' newspaper in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

until his retirement in 1971. A biography of Irwin was published in 1993, as well as a lengthy interview at his hundredth birthday in May 1998.Robert Fulford, "Witness to a Century," ''The Globe and Mail'', 23 May 1998, pp. C-1, C-8. He died in Victoria in 1999, at the age of 101. He was survived by Page and by his three children from his first marriage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, William Arthur 1898 births 1999 deaths University of Toronto alumni Canadian magazine journalists Government Film Commissioners and Chairpersons of the National Film Board of Canada Writers from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Canadian men centenarians High commissioners of Canada to Australia Ambassadors of Canada to Brazil Ambassadors of Canada to Mexico Ambassadors of Canada to Guatemala Maclean's writers and editors Officers of the Order of Canada