Smith, Wilfred I, 1919- : Wilfred I. Smith was born in Port La Tour, Nova Scotia on 20 May, 1919. He married Joan Eileen Capstick on 27 November 1946 in Minnesota. W.I. Smith studied at the Nova Scotia Normal College in 1937, then at Acadia University where he completed his Bachelor of Arts (1943) and Master's of Arts (1946). In 1946, W.I. Smith enrolled in the PhD history programme at the University of Minnesota. He completed his thesis and received his PhD in 1968.
He began his career as a Nova Scotia grade school teacher in 1938. Dr. Smith lectured in history at the University of Minnesota (1948), and at the University of Saskatchewan (1948-1950). He joined the Public Archives of Canada in Ottawa in 1950. From 1963 to 1968, Smith held various managerial positions within the Archives: chief of the Manuscript Division (1963-1964), director of the Historical Branch (1964-1965), Assistant Dominion Archivist (1965-1968) and Acting Dominion Archivist (1968-1970). In 1970, he was appointed Dominion Archivist, a position he held until his retirement in 1984. In this position, Dr. Smith served as a member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board (1969-1984), the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographic Names (1968-1984) and the National Library Advisory Board (1968-1984).
Dr. Smith has been active in numerous professional associations such as the Society of American Archivists (President 1972-1973), the Association of Canadian Archivists (honorary life member), the International Council on Archives (Secretary General 1982-1984 and honorary life member), the Society of Archivists (U.K.), and the British Records Association. He is also an honorary member of the Canadian Historical Association (Chairman of Archives section 1968-1969), the American Antiquarian Society, the Canadian Heraldry Society and the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada. Smith has written numerous articles published in archival and historical journals.
Aside from Dr. Smith's professional career, he served in the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps and as a CANLOAN officer with the Wiltshire Regiment, 43rd Division, in the U.K. and N.W. Europe (1944-1945). His military career also included participation in the Governor General's Foot Guards (1951-1959). Member of the CANLOAN Association, Dr. Smith has published a book Code Word CANLOAN on the history of the programme and the experiences of officers who participated in this scheme during World War II.
Dr. Smith is an Officer of the Order of Canada (1985), a recipient of the Confederation, Jubilee and Royal Society of Canada Medals, as well as the Public Service of Canada Outstanding Achievement Award (1983). He received an Honorary degree from Acadia University in 1975.
