Charles Mair

Born on September 21, 1838, in Lanark, Upper Canada, Charles Mair became known as a Canadian poet, journalist, and public figure. He worked in journalism early in life and gained lasting attention for Dreamland and Other Poems, a collection published in the 1860s that helped establish his literary reputation.

Mair was closely associated with the Canada First movement, which promoted a distinct Canadian identity. He spent time in the Red River region and was caught up in the unrest surrounding the Red River Resistance, an experience that shaped some of his later political views and writing. He remained an outspoken nationalist and was also known for his strong opposition to Louis Riel.

He continued writing for decades and is remembered as part of the generation that tried to define a national literature for Canada. Charles Mair died on July 7, 1927, in Victoria, British Columbia.