Charles W. (Charles William) Colby

Born in Stanstead, Quebec, in 1867, he studied at McGill University and then at Harvard, where he earned graduate degrees before returning to McGill as a young historian. He went on to become a long-serving professor there and was known not only as a scholar but also as a financier.

His books often focused on major figures and turning points in the history of New France and the British Empire. Works such as The Founder of New France: A Chronicle of Champlain and The Fighting Governor: A Chronicle of Frontenac helped bring Canadian history to a broad readership in a clear, accessible style.

He died in 1955. Today he is remembered mainly for his writing on Canadian history and for his place in McGill's academic life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.