Doughty, Arthur George (1860 -1936)

Arthur George Doughty was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, the son of William Doughty. He was educated at Lord Eldon School in London, and at New Inn Hall, Oxford. He emigrated to Canada in 1886 settling in Montreal. Beginning in business, he quickly became an active figure in Montreal literary circles, publishing several works on Tennyson, together with handsome volumes of his own poetry, and establishing himself as a drama critic. He joined the Québec public service in 1897, and in 1901 was named joint legislative librarian of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and in May 1904 was appointed as the first Dominion Archivist and Keeper of the Records. He served in this post until 1935. In 1900, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Throughout his career he vigorously encouraged the creation of archives by the provincial governments. Following his death, a statue of Sir Arthur was erected behind the National Archives of Canada, overlooking the Ottawa River in Ottawa.