F. Cyril James The same month he began toiling at McGill, war broke out in Europe. Fate acted quickly. The University's American-born principal, Lewis Douglas, decided to return to the States. The invitation to become his successor was put to James by then chancellor Edward Beatty in less than complimentary terms. "In normal circumstances," James was told, "McGill would search for a really distinguished successor in Canada
and in the United Kingdom, but at the present time all such people are being absorbed into the war effort. The Board of Governors would therefore like you to take on the job." James agreed to let his name be put forward, and on January 1, 1940, four months after his official arrival on campus, he became McGill's eleventh Principal -- a post he was to occupy for the next 22 years.
The "war effort" segued into a "postwar effort." James was solicited by Prime Minister Mackenzie King to chair the Committee on Postwar Reconstruction, optimistically convened in 1941, to ensure that the social chaos following the end of the first Great War would not be repeated. In this capacity, he contributed to the foundation of Canada's national welfare system.
By the '60s, James's career in Montreal was winding down. His health waning and his political allies in the University fewer, he left the principalship in June 1962, although he continued to lead the IAU until the end of 1965. Finally, retirement: James returned to his native England and began the slow task of autobiography. Alas, it was to remain unfinished. The former principal died of a heart attack on May 3, 1973.
But his immense legacy to the University might be glimpsed even in his inaugural speech: "All of us who are part of the great McGill community must assume the responsibility of applying our efforts, our energies, and our abilities, not only to raise the prestige of the University as an end in itself, but to be sure that McGill gives to Canada, and to the world, intellectual integrity, sound knowledge, wise judgement, and all the service that can be offered toward the solution of the problems that urgently demand the attention of our generation." Certainly, Cyril James met his own lofty standards.
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