James Wreford Watson
James Wreford Watson
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James Wreford Watson

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James Wreford Watson

Prof James Wreford Watson FRSE FRSC IBG LLD (February 8, 1915 – September 18, 1990) was a Scottish Canadian geographer and cartographer, who served as the Chief Geographer of Canada and the first president of the Canadian Association of Geographers. He was also a poet who wrote under the name James Wreford and was the recipient of Canada's top literary honor, the Governor General's Award, for his poetry.

James Wreford Watson was born in Shaanxi in China on 8 February 1915, the son of Rev. James Watson, a missionary, and his wife, Evelyn Russell.

Watson was home-schooled in China, then the family returned to Edinburgh in Scotland, where he was then educated at George Watson's College. He then studied sciences at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a BA in 1936. In 1937, he began lecturing in Geography at the University of Sheffield.

In 1939, Watson married Jessie W. Black (d.1989), a University of Edinburgh professor of education. Together they had two children, Margaret and James. The couple moved to Canada the same year.

Watson took a position at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, as the university's first regular appointment in geography. He lectured at McMaster from 1939 to 1949. In 1945 he received a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.

In 1949 Watson moved to Ottawa to become chief geographer for the Government of Canada, a position he held until 1954. He held a concurrent appointment at Ottawa's Carleton University from 1951 to 1954.

Watson became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1953. In 1954, though, he returned to Scotland, to take the University of Edinburgh's chair of geography.

He taught at the University of Edinburgh from 1954 to 1975. From 1975 to 1982 he was the director of the Centre for Canadian Studies, in Edinburgh. During that time he was also visiting professor at Queen's University (1959–1960, 1963, 1978), University of Manitoba (1969–1970), University of British Columbia (1971), Simon Fraser University (1976–1977), and the University of Calgary (1980–1981 and 1983).

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