The fonds consists of the personal papers of Gilbert Edward Jackson, a former professor of economics at the University of Toronto. Compiled from inventories of three accessions, the fonds documents Mr. Jackson’s career, participation and achievements as an economist, consultant and professor in Canada and England, during the early 1920s to late 1950s, with the greatest emphasis being on the mid 1930s to early 1950s. Arranged chronologically by function, the fond is divided into ten series. They include: Personal material, related to various activities, accomplishments and events that occurred in Mr. Jackson’s private life; Teaching activities; Manuscripts written by Mr. Jackson; the Canadian Tariff Board; the National War Labour Board; the National Selective Service Advisory Board; Other Federal Government research and reports; the Bank of England; his consulting firm, Gilbert Jackson & Associates; and Photographs.
Within the fonds, a cross over among these series exists as the research Mr. Jackson completed for himself was also utilized for assignments produced for other consulting economists and firms. For instance, the research that was completed to write submissions to the Canadian Tariff Board (Series 4) was also utilized to publish articles located in Series 3 (Manuscripts) and Series 9 (Gilbert Jackson & Associates). Related topics can also be found in Series 5 (National War Labour Board) through Series 7 (Other Federal Government research and reports, as they document the extensiveness of Mr. Jackson’s involvement and research completed for the Federal Government of Canada between the late 1920s to 1950s. Although the material within the series are for different Boards, this cross over among the series documents Mr. Jackson’s involvement and active role within the world of Canadian economics during the mid twentieth century.
Although Mr. Jackson taught at the University of Toronto for roughly 15 years, only a small amount of records exist in the fonds that document his teaching career. The records that do exist in Series 2, (Teaching activities) provide a brief overview of the themes covered and issues addressed during his lectures delivered in the 1950’s. However, additional documents related to Mr. Jackson’s academic career at the University of Toronto can be found in Series 3 (Manuscripts), the correspondence in Series 8 (Bank of England), and Series 9 (Gilbert Jackson & Associates) as the records within the files highlight his relationships, activities, teaching and mentoring of graduate students who attended the University of Toronto.
This fonds will be of great interest to researchers studying the financial condition of Canada and England during the Great Depression and First and Second World Wars. An individual who sharpened the minds of the youth at the time, Gilbert Jackson’s fonds documents the ideologies that shaped the economic world of today, as “it has been said that half the leading economists in Canada today studied under him” [1]
NOTES
- “Gilbert Edward Jackson”. Wed. 17 Jun. 1959. Newspaper clipping in case file B2004-0026.