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History
Kenneth William Kirkpatrick McNaught was born in Toronto on November 10, 1918, the son of William Carlton McNaught and Eleanor Sanderson. Both his father, a graduate of University of Toronto (BA, 1911) and mother were writers. Carlton McNaught worked for a number of years with newspapers in Toronto and with the Calgary Herald, was a writer and account executive for an advertising firm, and later did editorial work for the Ryerson Press in Toronto. Eleanor Sanderson, “the clever young Canadian writer”, was one of the first women reporters for the Toronto Star. His grandfather was Colonel W. K. McNaught, a member of the Ontario Legislature (ca 1910) and member of the Hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario (ca 1916).
Kenneth McNaught attended Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941, Master of Arts degree in 1946 and Ph.D. in 1950. His doctoral dissertation “James Shaver Woodsworth: 1874-1921. From Social Gospel to Social Democracy” reflected his life long belief in social democracy and participation in public life. Frank Underhill, his thesis supervisor, became his mentor and “academic model”. His thesis led to the publication of his first book, a biography of Woodsworth in 1959 entitled A prophet in politics.
Prof. McNaught joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1959 following his resignation in protest over the firing of a colleague, Prof. Harry Crowe at United College, Winnipeg (now the University of Winnipeg). His involvement in the “Harry Crowe Case” was early evidence of his strong feelings towards academic freedom and justice. He was awarded tenure in 1962 and elevated to the rank of professor. During these 25 years, he taught predominately Canadian history, and influenced such future historians as Michael Bliss and Ramsay Cook. He retired in 1984 as professor emeritus. A few months before his death on June 2, 1997, he received the Order of Canada. Michael Valpy, columnist for the Globe and Mail, in commemorating his life described him as a “Red Tory” “that uniquely Canadian political persona compounded of collectivism, conservatism, and monarchism”.
“ He was modestly delighted to be the Red Tory icon of a younger generation”.