John Kenneth Galbraith

   I realized a while back that John Kenneth Galbraith died twenty years ago and that his name is not mentioned as much as it should be. So, on a fine summer day a few weeks ago, my wife and I drove the short distance from London to the Iona Station area where he was born over 100 years ago. For now, I will just focus on that trip and his local connection. When the weather is not so fine, I plan to write more about what he wrote.

The Trip to Dutton
   The library in Dutton is named after Galbraith and is located not too far from his homestead. The librarian on duty was helpful and offered me directions to it and the library has a good collection of his books.

  In 1993, Galbraith returned to the area to help raise funds for the construction of the library. Although he was Scottish, he donated his lecture fee to the cause. Apparently he once asked about the local reaction to his book, The Scotch, and learned that there were two of them: 1) those mentioned in the book and didn't like it, and 2) those not mentioned who didn't like it. Port Glasgow, by the way, is close by.

The photo above is found in Western News, April 15, 1993

  The map indicates where the field is located, in front of which are two plaques and an appropriately tall inukshuk.

  It is likely that the site honouring Galbraith is passed by without notice and it is on a dirt road not heavily travelled. Back in 2014, there is a letter found in the London Free Press, indicating that more should be done to improve the site. See, "GALBRAITH SITE OVERLOOKED" - Southwest of London, the municipality of Dutton-Dunwich, and specifically Iona Station, are known as the birthplace of world renowned economist (and Order of Canada recipient) John Kenneth Galbraith. The Galbraith farm is marked by two bronze plaques and a stone inukshuk honouring the Canadian roots of one of the world's most influential economists and advisor to several U.S. Presidents. Apparently people visit the site from many places about the world." C. Lloyd Brown-John, Aug. 30, 2014.

  There are good reasons for honouring Galbraith and I hope to post about them when the weather is worse.

Sources:
   This link to The Dutton Advance from April 14,1993 provides three pieces about the Dutton Library and Galbraith's visit in 1993.

   Galbraith has visited the area on other occasions. In 1978, for example as this photo indicates. "And in London, Ontario, the largest gathering of academics in the world comes to Western to unravel the issues of the day and share their scholarly insight. The year was 1978, the last time Western played host to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Western was celebrating its 100th birthday at the time..."Looking Back at Congress, 1978," Dahlia Reich, Western News, May 26, 2005.
   On March 26, 2022, the London Free Press reprinted a piece originally done in 2003: "In a Wide-ranging Interview, John Kenneth Galbraith Spoke About His Hometown, About Canada, the War in Iraq and the Fate of Liberal Economics in the United States," Randy Richmond, LFP, Oct. 11, 2003: CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – As he approached his 95th birthday, Dutton-born John Kenneth Galbraith – world-renowned economist, former adviser to four presidents and U.S. ambassador to India – met with Randy Richmond of The London Free Press at his home in Massachusetts. Galbraith, who would die at age 98, opened up in a wide-ranging Q-and-A that was first published in our print editions on Saturday Oct. 11, 2003."