James Mavor
Encyclopedia
James Mavor was a major Canadian
economist
of late 19th – early 20th centuries. He served as a Professor of Political Economy of the University of Toronto
from 1892 to 1923. His influence upon Canadian economic thought is traced to as late as the 1970s. He played a key role in resettling Doukhobor
religious dissidents from the Russian Empire
to Canada. He was also a noted arts promoter.
minister and teacher James Mavor, and Mary Ann Taylor Birdie. He studied in Glasgow University. After that he taught for some time in a Glasgow college and read special courses in Glasgow University and Edinburgh University. He was also an editor for Scottish Art Review.
In 1892, upon the recommendation of University of Toronto Professor William Ashley who was leaving for Harvard University
, he took Ashley's chair of Political Economy and Constitutional History, moving to Toronto
with his family (including daughter Dora
who would later become a major figure in Canada's theatre). After 1892, he spent most of his life in Toronto, leaving only for short trips.
At the start, he caused turmoil when he stated Canada could not serve as the only source of wheat for the British Empire as general ideology of the Empire observed it. To avoid further misunderstanding, he took the economy of Russia as his major scientific specialization. As a professor he also researched the economies of Canada, China, Korea, and Japan.
In 1898 through 1899, he became a key figure in the Doukhobor immigration to Canada. His correspondent at the time was notable Russian scientist and major Anarchist ideologist Kropotkin
, at that time living in the UK, who proposed that Doukhobor peasantry, numbering several thousand people, be settled in Canada. Through several years that followed, he took a keen interest in the Doukhobor cause, siding with them in cases of conflict with Canadian authorities.
James Mavor as an arts activist helped organize several Canadian art venues, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario
and the Royal Ontario Museum
.
He published articles and statistics for the Canadian government regarding immigration, wheat production, and workers' healthcare compensation. In 1914, he published the first edition of his magnum opus, An Economic History of Russia, in two volumes. This publication earned him membership in the Royal Society of Canada
.
After over 30 years of teaching economy, he became professor emeritus and retired in 1923. After he left, the University of Toronto for some time discontinued the tradition of extensive Russian studies he and William Ashley founded.
He died at the age of 71 in Glasgow, Scotland, during a trip to relatives.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
of late 19th – early 20th centuries. He served as a Professor of Political Economy of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
from 1892 to 1923. His influence upon Canadian economic thought is traced to as late as the 1970s. He played a key role in resettling Doukhobor
Doukhobor
The Doukhobors or Dukhobors , earlierDukhobortsy are a group of Russian origin.The Doukhobors were one of the sects - later defined as a religious philosophy, ethnic group, social movement, or simply a "way of life" - known generically as Spiritual Christianity. The origin of the Doukhobors is...
religious dissidents from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
to Canada. He was also a noted arts promoter.
Biography
James Mavor was born to a Free Church of ScotlandFree Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
minister and teacher James Mavor, and Mary Ann Taylor Birdie. He studied in Glasgow University. After that he taught for some time in a Glasgow college and read special courses in Glasgow University and Edinburgh University. He was also an editor for Scottish Art Review.
In 1892, upon the recommendation of University of Toronto Professor William Ashley who was leaving for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, he took Ashley's chair of Political Economy and Constitutional History, moving to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with his family (including daughter Dora
Dora Mavor Moore
Dora Mavor Moore, OC was a Canadian actor, teacher and director who was a pioneer of Canadian theater.- Life :...
who would later become a major figure in Canada's theatre). After 1892, he spent most of his life in Toronto, leaving only for short trips.
At the start, he caused turmoil when he stated Canada could not serve as the only source of wheat for the British Empire as general ideology of the Empire observed it. To avoid further misunderstanding, he took the economy of Russia as his major scientific specialization. As a professor he also researched the economies of Canada, China, Korea, and Japan.
In 1898 through 1899, he became a key figure in the Doukhobor immigration to Canada. His correspondent at the time was notable Russian scientist and major Anarchist ideologist Kropotkin
Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin was a Russian prince and anarchist.Kropotkin may also refer to:*Pyotr Nikolayevich Kropotkin , Soviet/Russian geologist, tectonician, and geophysicist*Mount Kropotkin, a peak in Antarctica...
, at that time living in the UK, who proposed that Doukhobor peasantry, numbering several thousand people, be settled in Canada. Through several years that followed, he took a keen interest in the Doukhobor cause, siding with them in cases of conflict with Canadian authorities.
James Mavor as an arts activist helped organize several Canadian art venues, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
and the Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
.
He published articles and statistics for the Canadian government regarding immigration, wheat production, and workers' healthcare compensation. In 1914, he published the first edition of his magnum opus, An Economic History of Russia, in two volumes. This publication earned him membership in the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
.
After over 30 years of teaching economy, he became professor emeritus and retired in 1923. After he left, the University of Toronto for some time discontinued the tradition of extensive Russian studies he and William Ashley founded.
He died at the age of 71 in Glasgow, Scotland, during a trip to relatives.
Legacy
- In honour of James Mavor, George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
named one of the main characters of his play CandidaCandida (play)Candida, a comedy by playwright George Bernard Shaw, was first published in 1898, as part of his Plays Pleasant. The central characters are clergyman James Morell, his wife Candida and a youthful poet, Eugene Marchbanks, who tries to win Candida's affections. The play questions Victorian notions...
(1898), Rev. James Mavor Morell.
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Volume XV, 1921—1930. Ed. by Réal Bélanger, Ramsay Cook. University of Toronto Press, Canada, 2005. 1266 pages. ISBN 0802090877 (this book at books.google.com) — Стр. 723—725