John Willis

Biography

John Willis is a historian at the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) and is an adjunct research professor in the History Department at Carleton University. He began working at the CMH in 1991 specializing in the social history of postal communication in Canada. He has argued in favour of the postal perspective both on the national and the international scene, lecturing before scholarly audiences and the general public. He maintains an ongoing interest in the spatial contours of the past. Willis has recently branched out into the field of economic history. He served as curator for the exhibition commemorating the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914: Canada’s Titanic. And more recently he has embarked on a research project documenting the history of the Canadian American border. M. Willis est bilingue et est familier avec l’historiographie québécoise et canadienne-anglaise, entre-autres.

Research Interest

Communication and postal history: les correspondances, mail-order, rural post, industrial relations within the Post Office Public history, especially museums Economic history: immigration, ocean liners, depression of 1929 Canadian-American border: the drawing of the line, the era of American prohibition, the Department of Customs, the evolving Can-Am relationship The Lower St. Lawrence region Material culture: pocket watches, mail order catalogues, vintage advertising