Peter C. Newman

Peter C. Newman (May 10, 1929–September 7, 2023) was an Austrian-born Canadian journalist, editor, historian, and author whose reporting and books examined Canadian political and business power. He became a prominent interpreter of the country’s public life through a career that joined magazine journalism, newspaper editing, biography, and narrative history.

Newman began in journalism at the Financial Post, later becoming editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star and, from 1975 to 1982, of Maclean’s. At Maclean’s, he helped remake the publication as a widely read newsweekly. His Renegade in Power brought an insider-oriented approach to political reporting, while The Canadian Establishment investigated the networks of influence surrounding Canadian business. His historical writing also included Caesars of the Wilderness, the second volume of his history of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Newman’s later work included the memoir Here Be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power. He received the Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize for that book, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978 before being promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 1990. The Governor General’s citation recognized his popular histories and biographies, as well as his sustained commentary on Canadian business and politics.