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James Hossack Woods, one of
the representative newspaper men of Canada, has devoted the greater part
of his life to journalism and for the past fifteen years has been editor
and managing director of the Calgary Daily Herald. He was born in the
city of Quebec, Canada, July 12, 1867, and his parents, Alexander and
Elizabeth Woods, were representatives of old and prominent families of
that place. For many years the father was chairman of the finance
committee of Quebec and he also held other public offices of trust and
responsibility. He was a member of the Dominion Board of Trade and was
the first commissioner sent by Canada to Australia to promote trade
relations between the two countries.
James Hossack Woods
obtained his early education in private schools of Quebec, where he also
attended high school and he was a student at Morrin College. Later he
entered Manitoba University and also completed a course in McGill
University at Montreal, which conferred upon him the degree of Associate
in Arts. As a young man he went to British Columbia, where for a time he
engaged in prospecting and mining, but his attention has since been
concentrated upon the profession of journalism, and he has been very
successful in this field of activity. He was city editor of the Toronto
Mail & Empire and later become editor of the Montreal Herald. He also
acted as business manager of the Toronto News and likewise established
the Woods-Norris Advertising Agency of that city. Since 1907 he has been
editor and managing director of the Calgary Daily Herald, which ranks
with the leading newspapers of western Canada, and under his able
management it has become both the leader and mirror of public opinion.
It is carefully edited and well organized not only in the department of
business management but also in its corps of writers and in its
mechanical department. His standing in newspaper circles of the Dominion
is indicated in the fact that he has been honored with the presidency of
the Canadian Press Association and he is now director for Alberta of the
Canadian Press in its various branches of activity. He was also chairman
of the party of representative newspaper men of Canada who visited Great
Britain and the front in 1918, at the invitation of the British
government.
Mr. Woods was married at
Toronto, June 7, 1900, to Miss Leonora Christine Eby, a daughter of J.
F. Eby, the owner of one of the large wholesale mercantile
establishments of that city, and they have become the parents of a
daughter, Eleanor Carson, Mr. Woods is independent in his political
views, standing for principle and for clean politics rather than for the
blind following of party leaders, and he has never entered public life
except in connection with hospital work. He is a member of the Knox
Presbyterian church, in the work of which he is deeply interested, and
he has been chairman of its board of managers, also filling other
offices in connection therewith. Fraternally he is identified with the
Masonic order and his appreciation of the social amenities of life finds
expression in his membership in the Ranchmen's Club of Calgary, the
Calgary Golf & Country Club, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club of Toronto,
the Edmonton Club of Edmonton and various other organizations of a
similar nature. He takes an intelligent interest in public affairs and
never uses his influence to ssupport an unworthy cause. He bases his
support of Calgary upon a comprehensive knowledge of its opportunities
and resources and has made his paper the champion of every movement
calculated to upbuild the city and promote the development of the
surrounding district. |
