Charles W. (Charles William) Colby

Born in Stanstead, Quebec, in 1867, he studied at McGill University and then at Harvard before building a career as both a historian and a financier. McGill’s archival records describe him as a historian and financier, and they note that he was the son of a prominent businessman and politician.

He is best remembered for writing popular history books that brought major figures and turning points of Canadian and imperial history to a broad audience. Among the works associated with him are The Founder of New France, on Samuel de Champlain, as well as books on Frontenac, England, and Europe after 1815.

His writing has an old-fashioned narrative charm, with a strong interest in nation-building, exploration, and political change. For listeners who enjoy concise historical storytelling from the early twentieth century, his work offers a window into how Canadian history was being interpreted for general readers in his own time.