Presidents of RCIScience include many prominent Canadians

With 175 years of history, RCIScience has seen a long list of notable Canadians serve as its presidents. Some notable names include John Charles Fields, of the Fields Medal in Mathematics; Joseph Burr Tyrell, namesake of the Royal Tyrell Museum; and Helen Sawyer Hogg, famous astronomer and science communicator. Moreover, many past presidents’ names appear today on University of Toronto buildings (McLennan, Daniel Wilson, Croft), Ontario Government Buildings (Mowat), Toronto streets (McCaul, Beverly) and even Canada’s tallest Mountain, which is named after Sir William Edmond Logan.

Browse the list and follow the links for more information:

  • 1849-50: Killaly, Hon HH

  • 1850: Rankin, Charles, CE

  • 1850-52: Logan, Sir William Edmund, CE, FRS

  • 1852-53: Lefroy, General Sir John Henry, KCMG, CB, FRS

  • 1853-55: Robinson, Hon. Sir John Beverly

  • 1855-56: Allan, Hon. George William

  • 1856-58: Draper, Hon. William Henry, CB, QC

  • 1859-61: Wilson, Sir Daniel, BA, LLD, FRS

  • 1861-62: Hagarty, Hon. Sir John Hawkins

  • 1862-64: McCaul, Rev. John, BA, MA, LlD

  • 1864-66: Mowat, Hon. Sir Oliver, QC

  • 1866-68: Croft, Henry Holmes, DCL

  • 1868-70: Hincks, Rev. William, FLS

  • 1870-76: Scadding, Rev. Henry, BA, MA, DD

  • 1876-78: Loudon, James, MA

  • 1878-81: Wilson, Sir Daniel, BA, LLD, FRS, FRSC

  • 1881-82: Langton, John, MA

  • 1882-84: Buchan, John Milne, BA, MA

  • 1884-86: Ellis, William Hodgson, BA, MA, MB, LLD

  • 1886-88: Vander Smissen, Wiliam Henry, BA, MA

  • 1888-91: Carpmeal, Charles, B A, MA, FRSC

  • 1891-93: Harvey, Arthur, FRSC

  • 1893-95: Wright, Robert Ramsay, BSc, MA, LLD, FRSC

  • 1895-98: Macallum, Archibald Byron, MA, PhD, LLD, FRS

  • 1898-1900: Walker, Sir Byron Edmund, DCL, FGS

  • 1900-02: Bain, James, DCL

  • 1902-04: Coleman, Arthur Philemon, BA, MA, PhD, FRS

  • 1904-06: Kennedy, George, BA, MA, LLB, LLD, KC

  • 1906-08: Stupart, Sir Frederic

  • 1908-10: Mackenzie, John Joseph, BA, MD

  • 1910-13: Tyrrell, Joseph Burr, BSc, MA, LLD, FGS

  • 1913-16: Arnoldi, Frank, KC

  • 1916-17: McLennan, Sir George Cunningham, BA, PhD, LLD, FRS

  • 1917-19: Clark, John Murray, BA, MA, LLB, KC

  • 1919-25: Fields, John Charles, BA, PhD, FRS

  • 1925-26: Macleod, John James Richard, MB, DSc, ChB, DPH, LLD, FRS

  • 1926-28: Hewitt, Arthur

  • 1928-29: Parks, William Arthur, BA, PhD, LLD, FRS

  • 1929-30: Thomson, Robert Boyd, BA, FRSC

  • 1930-31: Russell, Thomas Alexander, BA, LLD

  • 1931-32: Burton, Eli Franklin, BA, PhD, FRSC

  • 1932-33: Patterson, John, MA, FRSC

  • 1933-35: Falconer, Sir Robert Alexander, BA, MA, BD, KC, MG, DLitt, LLD, DCL, FRSC

  • 1935-38: Thomson, Joseph Ellis, BASc, PhD

  • 1938-39: Clute, Arthur Roger, KC

  • 1939-40: Dymond, John Richardson, BA, MA, DSc, FRSC

  • 1940-41: Maclachlan, Wills, BASc

  • 1941-42: Rogerts, Linnaeus Joslyn, BASc, MA

  • 1942-43: McIlwraith, Thomas Forsyth, MA, FRSC

  • 1943-44: Holden, Otto, BASc, CE, DEng

  • 1944-45: Moore, Elwood S., BA, MA, PhD, FRSC

  • 1945-46: Eadie, Thomas Wardrope, BSc

  • 1946: Loudon, Thomas Richardson, BASc

  • 1946-47: Publow, Cedric Franklin, BASc

  • 1947-48: Agnew, George Harvey, MB, MD, FACP, FACHA

  • 1948-49 Bain, James Watson, BASc, LLD, FRSC

  • 1949-50: Meen, B. Ben, MA, PhD

  • 1950-51: Barlow, Hon. Justice FH, MA

  • 1951-52: Dickson, John S., BA

  • 1952-53: Murray, D. Bruce, BA

  • 1953-54: Lucas, GHW, BA, PhD

  • 1954-55: Fallis, A. Murray, PhD

  • 1955-56: Fisher, Kenneth C, MA, PhD, FRSC

  • 1956-57: Dymond, John Richardson, BA, MA, DSc, FRSC

  • 1957-58: Cosens, Gordon G., ScF, MA

  • 1958-59: Allan, Hon. George William

  • 1958-59: Jaquith, LE, MD, DO

  • 1959-60: Parks, Arthur E., BA, MD, FRCP (C), FACP

  • 1960-61: Maclean, DL, MD, BSc, DPH

  • 1961-62: Urquhart, RWI, MA, MD, LLD

  • 1962-63: Soper, James H., BA, MA, PhD

  • 1963-64: Michell, Arthur S., CD, BScF, MF, RPF

  • 1964-65: Hogg, Helen S., AB, AM, PhD, DSc, FRSC

  • 1965-66: Dauphinee,James A., OBE, MA, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), FRSC

  • 1966-67: Carter, A. Hiles, BA, MA, BPaed

  • 1967-68: Fisher, Albert M., MA, PhD

  • 1968-69: Sitzer, I. Kenneth, BASc, PEng

  • 1969-70: Butler, Leonard, MSA, PhD

  • 1970-71: Farmer, Colin S., MA

  • 1971-72: Russell, Loris S., BSc, MA, PhD, LLD, FRSC

  • 1972-73: Lord, G. Ross, BASc, SM, PhD, PEng, DSc

  • 1973-74: Mills, Ralph S., BA, QC

  • 1974-75: Gunn, Donald R., MBE, MD, FRCP(C), FAPA

  • 1975-76: Lent, Elton, BA,MA

  • 1976-77: Barnes, Alfred S., BScF, RPF

  • 1977-78: Macivor, Gordon S., BASc, PEng

  • 1978-79: Page, C. Gordon

  • 1979-80: Fisher, Albert, M, MA, PhD

  • 1980-81: Macivor, Gordon S., BASc, PEng

  • 1981-82: Hooper, Frank C., BASc, DIC, FEIC, PEng

  • 1982-83: Luste, George J., BA, PhD

  • 1983-84: Emery, Alan R., BSc, MSc, PhD

  • 1984-85: Mudge, Graham, MA,CA

  • 1985-86: Percy, John R., BSc, MA, PhD

  • 1986-87: Thompson, Margaret W., BA, PhD, CM

  • 1987-88: Sword, John H., MA, LLD

  • 1988-89: McFadyen, John H., BA

  • 1989-90: Cinader, Bernhard, OC, PhD, DSc, FRSC, FRSC (UK)

  • 1990-91: Bruce-Robertson, Alan, MD

  • 1991-92: Heidenreich, Conrad E., MA, PhD

  • 1992-93: Prior, William R.C., PhD

  • 1993-94: Garrison, Robert F., PhD

  • 1994-95: Roots, Betty I., PhD, DSc, FRSC

  • 1995-96: Gordon Malkin, Dina, MSc, MD

  • 1996-97: Huta, Veronika, BSc

  • 1997-98: Vanderkuur, George, BSc

  • 1998-2000: Sekuler, Allison, PhD

  • 2000-02: Davey, Kenneth G., OC, PhD, FRSC

  • 2002-04: Phillips, M. Jane, BASc, MA, PhD, PEng, FCIC

  • 2004-06: Victor, Peter A., BSocSc, PhD

  • 2006-08: Smith, Michael, BA, MA

  • 2008-10: Pearson, Roy Douglas

  • 2010-12: Gitelman, Bruce, BSc, MBA

  • 2012-14: Pearlman, Ronald, BSc, PhD

  • 2014-16: Tosine, Helle, BSc, MSc

  • 2016-2018: Love, Peter, BA, MBA

    In 2017, RCIScience transitioned from Presidents to Chairs

  • 2018-2020: Reithemeier, Reinhart, PhD

  • 2020-2022: MacDonald, Suzanne, PhD

  • 2022-2023: Chait, Stephen, BA Hons, MPA

  • 2023-Present: Fleming, Jock, BA