James George Eayrs, OC, FRSC (13 October 1926 – 6 February 2021) was a Canadian political scientist and journalist. [1][2]

James Eayrs
Eayrs in 1972
Born
James George Eayrs

(1926-10-13)October 13, 1926
London, England
DiedFebruary 6, 2021(2021-02-06) (aged 94)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
SpouseElizabeth Eayrs
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
DisciplinePolitical science
Institutions

Biography

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Eayrs won the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 1965 Governor General's Awards for his book In Defence of Canada: From the Great War to the Great Depression.[3] The book, which examined Canadian military and defence policy during the period between the First World War and the Great Depression,[4] was the first in a multi-volume series on Canadian military history and was followed by In Defence of Canada, Vol. 2: Appeasement and Rearmament (1965),[5] In Defence of Canada: Peacemaking and Deterrence (1972),[6] In Defence of Canada: Growing Up Allied (1980)[7] and In Defence of Canada: Indochina, Roots of Complicity (1983).[8][9]

A professor of political economy at the University of Toronto[2] and later of political science at Dalhousie University, he was awarded the Canada Council Molson Prize in 1984[10] and was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.[11] In 1985, he was appointed to the Order of Canada.[12]

Eayrs was also active as a journalist, writing a weekly public affairs column for the Montreal Star and later the Toronto Star.[1] As a broadcaster, he wrote for the CTV series Here Come the Seventies and then cohosted with Charlotte Gobeil the CBC television program, Weekend.[1]

His wife, Elizabeth Eayrs, sat on Toronto City Council from 1972 to 1978.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "James Eayrs: Obituary". The Globe and Mail. 13 February 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hillmer, Norman (19 October 2021). "James George Eayrs". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Council Names 5 for Awards". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Canadian Press. 1 April 1966. p. 14.
  4. ^ Foulkes, Charles (28 November 1964). "Between the Wars, the Services Fought On". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A13.
  5. ^ Underhill, Frank H. (1 January 1966). "Was King Innocent or Statesman?". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A13.
  6. ^ Cook, Ramsay (14 October 1972). "Eayrs the Rational Scholar". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 33.
  7. ^ Cook, Ramsay (8 March 1980). "The Origin and Growth of NATO from the Prima Ballerina of Foreign Policy Scholarship". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. E15.
  8. ^ Kirton, John (20 August 1983). "Thankless Tasks in the Far East". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. E12.
  9. ^ "Annual John W. Holmes Issue on Canadian Foreign Policy: A Tribute to James Eayrs". International Journal: Canada's Journal of Global Policy Analysis. 62 (2). June 2007.
  10. ^ Cherry, Zena (20 November 1984). "Prof. James Eayrs Wins Prize". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. F16.
  11. ^ Fraser, Matthew (20 November 1984). "Eayrs, Dube Win $50,000 Prizes". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. M9.
  12. ^ "Order of Canada: Mr. James G. Eayrs". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  13. ^ Lind, Loren (12 November 1974). "In the Basements, a Campaign Is Born". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 5.
  14. ^ "Elizabeth Eayrs: Obituary". The Globe and Mail. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
Awards
Preceded by Governor General's Award for
English-language non-fiction

1965
Succeeded by
Preceded by Molson Prize
1984
With: Marcel Dubé
Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by