The Archives of James Aitchison: A Guide
Collection Number: MS-2-666Fonds-level description created and electronic version prepared by Laurena Fredette, October 2006
Collection Level Description
Title: James Aitchison fonds
Dates: 1931-1994
Extent: ca. 5.7 m of textual records. - 1 microfilm
James (Jim) Hermiston Aitchison was born 22 January 1908 to James C. and Elizabeth Aitchison in Innerleithen, Scotland. He came to Canada at age four and was raised and educated in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Aitchison received a B.A. (1928) and B.Ed. (1929) from the University of Saskatchewan and a B.Sc. from the London School of Economics (1935). While in London, Aitchison married wife Oriole, with whom he had one daughter, Elizabeth. In 1953 he received a PhD from the University of Toronto.
Aitchison’s career as an educator began in 1929. He taught high school from 1929 until 1933; lectured at Brandon College (1935-1938), the University of Toronto (1938-1939), and McMaster (1939-1941); and then became an associate professor at Victoria College (1946-1948). During this period Aitchison also served with the Canadian Army, from 1942 thru 1946, where he reached the rank of major.
Aitchison came to Dalhousie in 1949 and served as head or chairman of the Department of Political Science until 1973. His research centred on Canadian politics and government and he wrote profusely on the topic. He also edited The Political Process in Canada: Essays in Honour of R. MacGregor Dawson in 1963. Aitchison was active in the Dalhousie community and served as the first president of the Dalhousie Faculty Association in 1951. Even after his retirement, Aitchison maintained a close connection with Dalhousie’s Department of Political Science, continuing to work in his office as late as 1993 at age eighty-five. He was also active in a number of professional organizations, including the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Social Science Research Council of Canada, where he served as president and chairman respectively.
In the 1960s Aitchison was also involved with the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party, serving as chairman of the committee for the party from 1961-1962; party president from 1962-1964; president and acting leader 1964-1966; and leader 1966-1968. He also ran unsuccessfully for election in the 1962 and 1965 federal elections, and in the 1967 provincial election.
In 1993 Aitchison’s contributions to his field were honoured by the Atlantic Provinces Political Science Association. He died in Halifax on 12 July 1994.
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LeBlanc, Susan. “Reluctant Politician.”
Halifax Chronicle Herald. 3 Dec. 1993: C1.
“Professor Emeritus Jim Aitchison Dies.”
Dalhousie News. 20 July 1994: 3.
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The materials in this fonds were donated by Jim Aitchison’s wife, Oriole, and daughter, Elizabeth Mantey. The materials were received in six accessions from 1994 thru 1999.
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This fonds consists primarily of documents related to James Aitchison’s scholarly research or teaching. The fonds includes correspondence; course files; subject files; addresses; papers, including some written by students; notes and notebooks; newspaper clippings; off-prints; printed materials; reports; and a variety of miscellaneous records.
Detailed inventory available onsite.
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See also the James Aitchison reference file: MS1-Ref: 61.10.
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Some of the correspondence accessioned in 1998 is closed.
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[Identification of item], James Aitchison fonds, MS-2-666, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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