Thomas Worrall Kent
Encyclopedia
Thomas Worrall Kent, (April 3, 1922 – November 15, 2011) was a Canadian
economist
, journalist
, editor, public servant, and industrialist.
Born in Stafford
, England
, Kent graduated from Oxford University, and worked as a journalist for The Manchester Guardian
and The Economist
. In 1954 he immigrated to Canada to become editor of the Winnipeg Free Press
. He later served as a key advisor to Primer Minister Lester Pearson, and was the architect of the federal Liberal revival of the 1960s. He was a leading thinker behind the socio-economic strategies of the 1970s, and served as deputy minister of immigration in the government of Lester Pearson. Kent served as president of the Cape Breton Development Corporation, and later of the Sydney Steel Corp. In 1980 he was appointed to chair the Royal Commission on Newspapers
, which would become known as the Kent Commission.
In 1979, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
and was promoted to Companion in 2001.
In his later years, Kent was a Fellow with Queen's University
's School of Policy Studies.
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...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, editor, public servant, and industrialist.
Born in Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Kent graduated from Oxford University, and worked as a journalist for The Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. In 1954 he immigrated to Canada to become editor of the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
. He later served as a key advisor to Primer Minister Lester Pearson, and was the architect of the federal Liberal revival of the 1960s. He was a leading thinker behind the socio-economic strategies of the 1970s, and served as deputy minister of immigration in the government of Lester Pearson. Kent served as president of the Cape Breton Development Corporation, and later of the Sydney Steel Corp. In 1980 he was appointed to chair the Royal Commission on Newspapers
Royal Commission on Newspapers
The Royal Commission on Newspapers, popularly known as the Kent Commission, was a Canadian Royal Commission chaired by Tom Kent. It was created in 1980 in response to growing concerns over concentration of media ownership in Canada...
, which would become known as the Kent Commission.
In 1979, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and was promoted to Companion in 2001.
In his later years, Kent was a Fellow with Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
's School of Policy Studies.
External links
- Thomas Worrall Kent at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...