author
Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
b. 1880
A quiet but influential scholar of economics and politics, he spent much of his career at McGill University and is best remembered today for his detailed 1912 study The History of the British Post Office. His work blends economic thinking with clear-eyed historical research, making a specialized subject feel surprisingly alive.
1 Audiobook
The History of the British Post Office
by Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
About the author
Born in Nova Scotia in either 1879 or 1880, according to the sources available here, he studied at Acadia University, later became a Ricardo Fellow at Harvard, and earned a PhD in economics in 1906. Before and after his doctoral work, he taught in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and at the University of Illinois.
He joined McGill University in 1907 and remained associated with its Department of Economics and Political Science for nearly four decades. A memorial published after his death says he worked closely with Stephen Leacock for many years and later succeeded him as head of the department. The same source describes him as shy, analytical, skeptical, and deeply committed to teaching rather than public attention.
His best-known book, The History of the British Post Office (1912), grew out of his doctoral thesis and reflects his interest in public institutions, labor, and politics. He died on December 27, 1963, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, after retiring near his birthplace.