James Sutherland Thomson FRSC (April 30, 1892 – November 18, 1972) was a Canadian academic and Christian minister, a president of the University of Saskatchewan, and the 17th Moderator of the United Church of Canada.

James Sutherland Thomson
President of the University of Saskatchewan
In office
1937–1949
Preceded byWalter Charles Murray
Succeeded byWalter P. Thompson
17th Moderator of the United Church of Canada
In office
1956–1958
Preceded byGeorge Dorey
Succeeded byAngus J. MacQueen
Personal details
Born(1892-04-30)April 30, 1892
Stirling, Scotland
DiedNovember 18, 1972(1972-11-18) (aged 80)
Montreal, Quebec

Biography

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Born in Stirling, Scotland, Thomson was educated at the University of Glasgow. He studied theology at Trinity College, Glasgow, and was ordained in the Church of Scotland in 1920. Upon moving to Canada in 1930, he accepted an appointment as professor of systematic theology and philosophy of religion at Pine Hill Divinity Hall (now part of the Atlantic School of Theology) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. From 1937 to 1949, he was the second president of the University of Saskatchewan. During World War II, he was general manager of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1942 to 1943.[1]

In 1949, he became dean of the newly formed Faculty of Divinity at McGill University and also served there as professor of religious studies. He retired as dean in 1957. From 1956 to 1958, he served as Moderator of the United Church of Canada, elected by the 17th General Council at their meeting in Windsor, Ontario.[2][3] He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1942.[4] In 1967 the Ryerson Press published The Church in the Modern World, a collection of essays in his honour.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Presidents: James S. Thomson (1937-1949)". University Archives and Special Collections. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "Historical Timeline: 1950s". The United Church of Canada. United Church of Canada. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  3. ^ *Fairweather, E.R. (1968), "James Sutherland Thomson" (PDF), Canadian Journal of Theology, vol. XIV, no. 1, pp. 1–2
  4. ^ "James S. Thomson (1937-1949) - Obituary". University Archives and Special Collections. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Johnston, George; Roth, Wolfgang, eds. (1967). The Church in the Modern World: Essays in Honour of James Sutherland Thomson. The Ryerson Press. ASIN B000FH6L4C.
Religious titles
Preceded by Moderator of the United Church of Canada
1956–1958
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by President of the University of Saskatchewan
1937–1949
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dean of Divinity at McGill University
1949–1957
Succeeded by