Charles Jost Burchell

Charles Jost Burchell, PC (1 July 1876[1] – 12 August 1967[2]) was a Canadian diplomat. He served as Canada's first High Commissioner to Australia from 1939 to 1941 and as Canada's first and last High Commissioner to the Dominion of Newfoundland serving from 1941 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1949.[3]

Charles Jost Burchell
High Commissioner to the Dominion of Newfoundland
In office
1941–1944
In office
1948–1949
High Commissioner to Australia
In office
1939–1941
Personal details
Born(1876-07-01)1 July 1876
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Died12 August 1967(1967-08-12) (aged 91)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Spouse
E. Gertrude Currie
​
(m. 1901)​
Children4
Education
OccupationDiplomat

Burchell also raised the possibility of the island, which was then ruled by a British appointed Commission of Government, might join Canadian Confederation following the war. He "quietly sounded out prominent St. John's citizens on Confederation and quietly encouraged St. John's lawyer John McEvoy to promote publicly Confederation between the two countries." Burchell concluded that the restoration of responsible government by Britain may have to occur before the island would consider joining Canada.[4]

Early life

Charles Jost Burchell was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia on 1 July 1876. He attended Sydney Academy and Dalhousie University, read law, and was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in April 1899.[5]

He married E. Gertrude Currie on 8 May 1901, and they had four children.[5]

A keen curler,[6] Burchell represented Nova Scotia at the 1936 Macdonald Brier, Canada's men's curling championship, on a team skipped by Murray Macneill.[7]

Diplomatic career

Jost's initial term as High Commissioner was from 1941 to 1944 when he was succeeded by James Macdonald. However, he would serve a second sojourn from 1948 to 1949.

The mission remained following the war in order to deal with the withdrawal of American troops, negotiate a 99-year lease for a Canadian military airbase at Goose Bay and, ultimately, to negotiate Newfoundland's entry into Canadian Confederation following the 1948 Newfoundland referendums. Burchell was sent back to Newfoundland in 1948 in order to negotiate the British colony's terms of union with Canada.[8]

The High Commission was closed on 31 March 1949, shortly before Newfoundland officially became a Canadian province. On 1 April 1949, Buchell was named to the King's Privy Council for Canada in recognition of his work as High Commissioner.

Death

Charles Jost Burchell died at his home in Halifax on 14 August 1967.[9]

References
  1. LCol A.L. Normandin (6 March 1943). The Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1943. p. 672. ISBN 1414401418.
  2. Entry on Ancestry.com
  3. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts
  4. Melvin Baker (March 2003). "Falling into the Canadian Lap: The Confederation of Newfoundland and Canada, 1945-1949" (PDF). (Newfoundland and Labrador) Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
  5. Parker, Charles Whately; Greene, Barnet M., eds. (1922). Who's Who in Canada, Volume 16. International Press. p. 1295. Retrieved 19 July 2020 – via Google Books.
  6. "A New Curling Diplomat". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 15 February 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. "Nine Rinks to Compete For Brier Trophy". Winnipeg Tribune. 24 February 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  8. "Description: Canadian High Commission to Newfoundland sous-fonds". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
  9. "Charles Burchell". The Gazette. Halifax. CP. 14 August 1967. p. 41. Retrieved 19 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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