Peter C. Newman
Peter Charles Newman, CC, CD (born May 10, 1929) is a Canadian journalist and writer.
Peter C. Newman | |
---|---|
Born | Peta Karel Neuman[1] May 10, 1929 Vienna, Austria |
Occupation | journalist, author, newspaper and magazine editor |
Nationality | Canadian |
Period | 1959–present |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Notable works | The Canadian Establishment |
Notable awards | Order of Canada Canadian Forces Decoration |
Spouse | Christina McCall (m. 1959 - divorced before 1977) Camilla Jane Turner (divorced)[1] Alvy Bjorklund |
Life and career
Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His parents were Wanda Maria and Oscar Karel Neumann,[2] a self-made wealthy factory owner. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was a member of Seaton's House, and the University of Toronto. He has been a reporter for the Financial Post, served as editor of the Toronto Star, and was the long-time editor of Maclean's, stewarding its transformation from a general interest magazine to a weekly news magazine. He continues to write a column for the periodical. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to the rank of Companion in 1990.
Newman is widely respected for his intimate knowledge and understanding of Canadian business leaders. His 1975 book, The Canadian Establishment, was widely acclaimed. Newman made his name as an author in the 1960s with the publication of two books: Renegade in Power: The Diefenbaker Years (1963), a study of the government of John George Diefenbaker that some say helped destroy the Tory leader's career, and The Distemper of Our Times (1968), an examination of Canadian politics during the era of Lester Pearson.
On September 12, 2005, Newman announced the publication of The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister, a biography of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, whom he considers a friend. The information released to the press contained several surprising revelations, including an allegation by Mulroney that Pierre Trudeau's contribution "was not to build Canada but to destroy it." Later the same day, Mulroney issued a press release stating he felt "devastated" and "betrayed" by the publication of information he had understood to be confidential. Shortly after the publication of The Secret Mulroney Tapes, both Mulroney and Conrad Black filed suit against Newman.
Newman has been married four times, once to writer Christina McCall. He lives with his fourth wife, Alvy (Bjorklund) Newman, in Belleville, Ontario.[3]
He joined the Royal Canadian Navy reserve in 1947 as an Ordinary Seaman and later reached the rank of Captain, having served in the naval reserve for 50 years. He was appointed Visiting Professor of Distinction at Ryerson University in Toronto in December 2009. In October 2012 he joined the faculty of the Royal Military College of Canada as its first journalist-in-residence. In this role he is involved with RMC's graduate and undergraduate programs and gives lectures on topics relating to business, politics and history.
Bibliography
- 1959 Flame of Power: Intimate Profiles of Canada's Greatest Businessmen
- 1963 Renegade in Power: The Diefenbaker Years
- 1968 The Distemper of Our Times: Canadian Politics in Transition
- 1969 A Nation Divided: Canada and the Coming of Pierre Trudeau
- 1972 Their Turn to Curtsy: Your Turn to Bow
- 1973 Home Country: People, Places, and Power Politics
- 1975 The Canadian Establishment: Volume One: The Old Order
- 1978 Bronfman Dynasty: The Rothschilds of the New World (published in America in 1979 under the different title, King of the Castle: The Making of a Dynasty)
- 1981 The Canadian Establishment: Volume Two: The Acquisitors
- 1982 The Establishment Man: Conrad Black, A Portrait of Power
- 1983 True North, Not Strong and Free: Defending the Peaceable Kingdom in the Nuclear Age
- 1983 Debrett's Illustrated Guide to the Canadian Establishment (editor)
- 1984 Drawn and Quartered: The Trudeau Years
- 1985 A History of the Hudson's Bay Company: Volume One: Company of Adventurers
- 1987 A History of the Hudson's Bay Company: Volume Two: Caesars of the Wilderness
- 1989 Empire of the Bay: An Illustrated History of the Hudson Bay Company
- 1991 A History of the Hudson's Bay Company: Volume Three: Merchant Princes
- 1989 Canada: The Great Lone Land
- 1991 Canada 1892: Portrait of a Promised Land
- 1993 Promise of the Pipeline
- 1995 Nortel, Northern Telecom: Past, Present, Future
- 1995 The Canadian Revolution: From Deference to Defiance
- 1996 Defining Moments: Dispatches from an Unfinished Revolution
- 1996 Vancouver: The Art of Living Well
- 1998 The Canadian Establishment: Volume Three: The Titans
- 1998 Sometimes a Great Nation: Will Canada Belong to the 21st Century?
- 1998 Canada: The Land that Shapes Us
- 2002 Continental Reach
- 2004 Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power (Autobiography)
- 2005 The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister
- 2008 Izzy: The Passionate Life and Turbulent Times of Izzy Asper, Canada's Media Mogul
- 2010 Heroes: Canadian Champions, Dark Horses, and Icons
- 2010 Mavericks: Canadian Rebels, Renegades, and Anti-Heroes
- 2011 When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada (originally titled: Michael Ignatieff: The Man In Full)
References
- Elspeth Cameron (March 4, 2015). "Peter Charles Newman". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- The International who's who, 1996–97 (60th ed.). London: Europa Publications. 1996. p. 1122. ISBN 1857430212.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
- Order of Canada citation
- Peter C. Newman Archive at McMaster University
- Peter C. Newman CBC Life and Times profile.
- Peter C. Newman at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Peter C. Newman on IMDb
- Peter C. Newman at Western Libraries