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{{Short description|Canadian historian (1937–2019)}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
| name = Desmond Morton
{{Infobox person
| image = <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] -->
| name = Desmond Morton
| rank = Captain / Honorary Colonel 8 Wing Trenton
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|CD|FRSC|size=100%}}
| branch = [[Canadian Army]]
| image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| commands =
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| battles =
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| family = General Sir [[William Dillon Otter]]
| nicknamecaption =
| birth_name = Desmond Dillon Paul Morton
| allegiance = Canada
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|9|10}}
|birth_name=Desmond Dillon Paul Morton
| birth_place = [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1937}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|9|4|1937|9|10}}
| birth_place = [[Calgary, Alberta]], Canada
| death_place = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada
| party = [[New Democratic Party]]
| serviceyears = 1954–1964
| spouse = {{ubl | {{marriage|Janet Smith|1967|1990|end=died}} | {{marriage|Gael Eakin|1999}}}}
| laterwork = Professor of Canadian History
| partner =
| awards = [[Order of Canada]]
| module = {{Infobox academic |child=yes
| alma_mater = {{ubl | [[Royal Military College of Canada]] | [[Keble College, Oxford]] | [[London School of Economics]]}}
| thesis_title = Authority and Policy in the Canadian Militia, 1868–1904
| thesis_year = 1968
| school_tradition =
| doctoral_advisor = [[Kenneth Bourne]]
| academic_advisors =
| influences = <!--must be referenced from a third-party source-->
| era =
| discipline = History
| sub_discipline = {{hlist | [[Canadian history]] | [[military history]] | [[political history]]}}
| workplaces = {{ubl | [[University of Toronto Mississauga|Erindale College, Toronto]] | [[McGill University]]}}
| doctoral_students = <!--only those with WP articles-->
| notable_students = <!--only those with WP articles-->
| main_interests =
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas =
| influenced = <!--must be referenced from a third-party source-->
}}
| module2 = {{Infobox military person |embed=yes
'''Desmond Dillon Paul Morton''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|CD|FRSC}} (born 1937) is a Canadian [[historian]] who specializes in the history of the [[Canadian military]], as well as the history of Canadian political and industrial relations.
| branch = [[Canadian Army]]
 
| branch_label = Service
Born in [[Calgary]], Alberta, Morton is the son of a Brigadier General, and the grandson of General Sir [[William Dillon Otter]]. He is a graduate of the [[Collège militaire royal de St-Jean]], the [[Royal Military College of Canada]], a [[Rhodes Scholar]], the [[University of Oxford]] (where he received his PhD), and the [[London School of Economics]].<ref name="MISC Bio">{{cite web|title=MISC Instructurors: Desmond Morton |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/misc/undergraduate/cans/lecturers/ |work=McGill Institute for the Study of Canada |publisher=[[McGill University]] |accessdate=2011-10-30 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/62pmUmHnW?url=http://www.mcgill.ca/misc/undergraduate/cans/lecturers/ |archivedate=2011-10-31 |location=Montreal |year=2011 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> He spent ten years in the [[Canadian Army]] (1954&ndash;1964 retiring as a Captain) prior to beginning his teaching career.<ref name="MISC Bio"/> He was named [[Honorary Colonel]] of 8 Wing of the Canadian Air Force at [[CFB Trenton]] in 2002. He received the [[Canadian Forces Decoration]] in 2004 for 12 years total military service.<ref name="MISC Bio"/>
| serviceyears = 1954–1964
| rank = [[Captain (armed forces)|Captain]] / Honorary [[Colonel (title)|Colonel]]
| unit =
| commands =
| battles =
| battles_label =
}}
| signature =
| signature_alt =
}}
'''Desmond Dillon Paul Morton''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|CD|FRSC}} (1937–2019) was a Canadian [[historian]] and political advisor who specialized in the history of the [[Canadian military]], as well as the history of Canadian political and industrial relations.
 
== Life and career ==
Morton is the [[Hiram Mills]] professor of History at [[McGill University]], as well as the past director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, in [[Montreal]], Quebec.<ref name="McGill Bio">{{cite web|title=Desmond Morton |url=https://www.mcgill.ca/history/faculty/staff/retired/morton |work=History and Classical Studies |publisher=McGill University |accessdate=2011-10-30 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/62pm0BfK5?url=http://www.mcgill.ca/history/faculty/staff/retired/morton |archivedate=2011-10-31 |location=Montreal |year=2011 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> As of fall 2011, he continues to serve at McGill as a [[professor emeritus]].<ref name="McGill Bio"/> Prior to that, he was Principal of [[University of Toronto Mississauga|Erindale College]], [[University of Toronto]], from 1986 to 1994.
Born on September 10, 1937,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phIQbS5U-TkC&q=Desmond+Morton+September+10,++1937|title=Contemporary Authors|isbn=9780810300354|last1=Evory|first1=Ann|date=April 1978}}</ref> in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Morton was the son of a Brigadier General, and the grandson of General [[William Dillon Otter|Sir William Dillon Otter]]. A [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]] at [[Keble College, Oxford]], Morton was a graduate of the [[Collège militaire royal de St-Jean]], the [[Royal Military College of Canada]], and the [[London School of Economics]].<ref name="MISC Bio">{{cite web|year=2011|title=MISC Instructors: Desmond Morton|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/misc/undergraduate/cans/lecturers/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20111031013824/http://www.mcgill.ca/misc/undergraduate/cans/lecturers/|archive-date=2011-10-31|access-date=2011-10-30|work=McGill Institute for the Study of Canada|publisher=McGill University|location=Montreal}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Preston|first=Richard A.|title=To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College Since the Second World War|publisher=University of Ottawa Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0-7766-0327-8|location=Oxford|page=65}}</ref> He received his doctorate from the [[University of London]].<ref name="McGill Bio">{{cite web|year=2011|title=Desmond Morton|url=https://www.mcgill.ca/history/faculty/staff/retired/morton|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814232405/http://www.mcgill.ca/history/faculty/staff/retired/morton|archive-date=2014-08-14|access-date=2011-10-30|work=History and Classical Studies|publisher=McGill University|location=Montreal}}</ref> He spent ten years in the [[Canadian Army]] (1954&ndash;1964 retiring as a Captain) prior to beginning his teaching career.<ref name="MISC Bio" /> He was named [[Colonel (Canada)#Honorary_ranks_and_appointments|Honorary Colonel]] of 8 Wing of the Canadian Air Force at [[CFB Trenton]] in 2002. He received the [[Canadian Forces' Decoration]] in 2004 for 12 years total military service.<ref name="MISC Bio" />
 
Morton was the [[Hiram Mills]] Professor of History at [[McGill University]], as well as the founding director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, established in 1994, in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]].<ref name="McGill Bio" /> Following his retirement, he continued to serve at McGill as a [[professor emeritus]].<ref name="McGill Bio" /> Prior to that, he was Principal of [[University of Toronto Mississauga|Erindale College]], [[University of Toronto]], from 1986 to 1994. He served as president of the [[Canadian Historical Association]] from 1978-1979.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CHA Presidents and Presidential Addresses|url=https://cha-shc.ca/english/about-the-cha/cha-presidential-addresses.html|access-date=2020-07-24|website=cha-shc.ca|language=en}}</ref>
Before beginning his teaching career, Morton served as an advisor to [[Tommy Douglas]] of the [[New Democratic Party of Canada|New Democratic Party]]. From 1964 to 1966, he served as assistant secretary of the [[Ontario New Democratic Party]]. After the success of the famous 1964 NDP [[Riverdale, Toronto##Provincial politics|Riverdale by-election]], Morton wrote and published ''The Riverdale Story'', which detailed how the party's organizing and canvassing changed the way campaigns in Canada are run. In the 1970s he worked with [[David Lewis (politician)|David Lewis]], [[Stephen Lewis]] and other party leaders to oppose [[The Waffle]], a left wing faction within the NDP.<ref name="Unity">
{{Cite news
| last = Ottawa Bureau
| title = NDP 'unity' group is out to crush party's Wafflers
| newspaper = [[The Toronto Star]]
| location = Toronto
| page = 10
| date = 1971-04-21}}</ref> In the 1980s he informally advised [[Brian Mulroney]] of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservatives]].
 
Before beginning his teaching career, Morton served as an advisor to [[Tommy Douglas]] of the [[New Democratic Party of Canada|New Democratic Party]]. From 1964 to 1966, he served as assistant secretary of the [[Ontario New Democratic Party]]. After the success of the famous 1964 NDP [[Riverdale, Toronto##Provincial politics|Riverdale by-election]], Morton wrote and published ''The Riverdale Story'', which detailed how the party's organizing and canvassing changed the way campaigns in Canada are run. In the 1970s he worked with [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]], [[Stephen Lewis]], and other party leaders to oppose [[The Waffle]], a left-wing faction within the NDP.<ref name="Unity">
Morton received his doctorate from the [[University of London]].<ref name="McGill Bio"/> He is the author of over thirty-five books on Canada, including the popular ''A Short History of Canada''.
{{Cite news|date=1971-04-21|title=NDP 'Unity' Group Is Out to Crush Party's Waffler|page=10|newspaper=The Toronto Star}}</ref> In the 1980s he informally advised [[Brian Mulroney]] of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservatives]].{{cn|date=March 2021}}
 
Morton was the author of over thirty-five books on Canada, including the popular ''A Short History of Canada''. In 1994 he won the [[C.P. Stacey Prize]] for his history of Canadian soldiers during the [[First World War]], ''When Your Number's Up''. He wrote prolifically about the First World War, considering it of great importance in Canadian history. He once wrote: "For Canadians, [[Vimy Ridge]] was a nation-building experience. For some, then and later, it symbolized the fact that the Great War was also Canada's war of independence".<ref>Desmond Morton, ''A Military History of Canada: From Champlain to Kosovo'', Canada, McClelland and Stewart, 1999 (1985), p.145.</ref>
In 1996, he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref name="gg">{{cite web
| title = Desmond D.P. Morton, O.C., C.D., Ph.D. , F.R.S.C.| work = It's an Honour, Order of Canada
| publisher = [[Governor General of Canada]]
| year = 2011
| url = http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2117
| accessdate = 2011-10-30}}</ref> He has been a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Canada]] since 1985.<ref name="McGill Bio"/>
 
In 1996, he was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref name="gg">{{cite web|year=2011|title=Desmond D.P. Morton, O.C., C.D., Ph.D. , F.R.S.C.|url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2117|access-date=2011-10-30|work=It's an Honour, Order of Canada|publisher=Governor General of Canada}}</ref> Morton was elected a [[fellow of the Royal Society of Canada]] in 1985.<ref name="McGill Bio" />
==Views on Canadians' social memory of the First World War==
 
Morton's widow Gael Eakin, to whom he was married for 20 years, announced that he died on September 4, 2019, six days short of his 82nd birthday.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/desmond-morton-historian-1.5271672 Desmond Morton, historian and McGill University professor, dead at 81]</ref>
Morton has addressed the issue of whether the [[First World War]] was indeed a war of independence of Canada. He once wrote: "For Canadians, [[Vimy Ridge]] was a nation building experience. For some, then and later, it symbolized the fact that the Great War was also Canada's war of independence".<ref>Desmond Morton, ''A Military History of Canada. From Champlain to Kosovo'', Canada, McClelland and Stewart, 1999 (1985), p.145.</ref>
 
==McGill Institute for the Study of Canada==
{{main|McGill Institute for the Study of Canada}}
Morton was the Founding Director of the Motreal-based [[McGill Institute for the Study of Canada]] (MISC) which was established in 1994 with the support of McGill University and the [[Bronfman family]].
 
==Published works==
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* ''Victory 1945: Canadians from War to Peace'', {{ISBN|0-00-255069-5}}, (1996) (with [[J. L. Granatstein]])
* ''Wheels:The Car in Canada'', {{ISBN|1-895642-03-5}}, (1998)
* ''Who Speaks for Canada?'', {{ISBN|0-7710-6502-7}}, (1998) ''(2nd Ed. 2001)'' (with [[Morton Weinfeld]])
* ''Working People: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Labour Movement'' (1998)
* ''Canada: A Millennium Portrait'', {{ISBN|0-88866-647-0}}, (1999)
* ''Understanding Canadian Defence'' (2000)
* ''A Short History of Canada'', {{ISBN|0-7710-6509-4}},(2001)
* ''Bloody Victory : Canadians Andand Thethe D-Day Campaign 1944'', {{ISBN|1-895555-56-6}}, (2002)
* ''They Were So Young: Montrealers Remember WWII'' (2002)
* ''Canada and the Two World Wars'', {{ISBN|1-55263-509-0}}, (2003) (with [[J.L. Granatstein]])
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* ''The Mystery of Frankenberg's Canadian Airman'', {{ISBN|1-55028-884-9}}, (2005)
* ''Billet Pour le Front'' ''(Ticket for the Front)'', {{ISBN|2-922865-40-1}}, (2005) (French)
* "Is History Another Word for Experience?: Morton’sMorton's Confessions," ''The Canadian Historical Review'' Volume 92, Number 4, December 2011 [http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/canadian_historical_review/v092/92.4.morton.html in Project MUSE]
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
== External links ==
{{Archival records|title=Desmond Morton fonds}}
* [https://discoverarchives.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/desmond-morton-fonds Desmond Morton archival papers] held at the [https://utarms.library.utoronto.ca/ University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services]
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Desmond}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living2019 peopledeaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:Canadian Anglicans]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian historians]]
[[Category:Canadian military historians]]
[[Category:Canadian male non-fiction writers]]
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[[Category:Canadian socialists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada]]
[[Category:Academic staff of McGill University faculty]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Royal Military College of Canada alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Toronto faculty]]
[[Category:Royal Military College Saint-Jean alumni]]
[[Category:Historians of Canada]]
[[Category:Writers from Calgary]]
[[Category:Canadian Army officers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Calgary]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Canadian Historical Association]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian historians]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian military personnel]]
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