Please excuse cross-postings.
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Dear archival colleagues, on behalf of the Clara Thomas Archives at York 
University, I am sorry to pass along the following sad news.

Suzanne Dubeau

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York University lost one of its founders when Professor Hartwell 
Bowsfield died in Toronto on Sunday, Aug. 10.

Born in Toronto in 1922, he received his BA from the University of 
Manitoba in 1948. Prof. Bowsfield served as the provincial archivist for 
the Province of Manitoba from 1952 to 1967. He was also the secretary of 
Manitoba’s Historic Sites Advisory Board.

Prof. Bowsfield left the provincial archives to pursue his doctorate, a 
degree conferred by the University of Toronto in 1977. He made 
significant contributions to the history of Western Canada, including 
his edition of The James Wickes Taylor Papers, 1859-1870 (1968), two 
books on Louis Riel (1969 and 1971), numerous articles and three volumes 
for the Hudson’s Bay Record Society (he was also the society’s general 
editor). His studies were interrupted in 1970, when he was recruited by 
Dean John Saywell to become York’s first University archivist, as well 
as lecturer (1970-1973) and later associate professor (1973-1978) with 
the Department of History.

When not busy with the pursuit of major acquisitions for the York 
University Archives – such as the correspondence of Lady Victoria Welby 
he acquired in 1970, which still attracts researchers from the United 
Kingdom and Europe – he continued to write on the Canadian West, and 
lectured on archives administration at the University of Toronto.

Prof. Bowsfield chaired the Archives Section of the Canadian Historical 
Association and was an active member of the Toronto Area Archivists 
Group. He retired from York University in 1988, and was inducted into 
its Founders Society in Nov. 1999. He donated his books and papers to 
York University in 2003 and remained a supporter of the Clara Thomas 
Archives until his death.

Prof. Bowsfield’s lengthy career as York’s first University archivist 
created a solid foundation of research collections for the benefit of 
future generations of faculty and students, which, along with his many 
important contributions to historical scholarship, will remain his 
enduring legacy to Canadian society.

For more information on his many published works, visit the Manitoba 
Historical Society Web page at
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/bowsfield_h.shtml