author
C. C. (Charles Canniff) James
1863–1916
A Canadian educator and public servant, he wrote about farming, history, and literature with the practical energy of someone deeply involved in Ontario’s public life. His work reflects a strong belief that learning and better agriculture could help communities thrive.
1 Audiobook
History of Farming in Ontario
by C. C. (Charles Canniff) James
About the author
Born in Napanee, Ontario, in 1863, Charles Canniff James built a varied career as an academic, civil servant, book collector, and writer with a strong interest in Canadian history and literature. He studied at Victoria University, where he earned distinction in natural science, and later taught chemistry at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph.
James is especially remembered for his long service as Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a post he held from 1891 until 1916. During those years he promoted improved farming methods and helped shape agricultural education and outreach in the province, while also publishing works on agriculture and the history of farming in Ontario.
Alongside his public work, he was known as an authority on Canadian bibliography and literary history. He died in 1916, leaving behind a record of service that connected scholarship, practical education, and rural reform.