Donald Campbell JamiesonPC (April 30, 1921 – November 19, 1986) was a Canadian politician, diplomat and broadcaster.
Jamieson was born in
St. John's, Newfoundland. His father was a newspaper editor, and his grandfather was a fisherman who settled in Newfoundland from Scotland
.
Early life and Confederation
He worked for Newfoundland's Department of Rural Reconstruction, as a bookkeeper, and as a sales manager for Coca-Cola before starting a career in broadcasting. He was Newfoundland's best known radio and television personality.
In 1945, he became the first Newfoundlander to sit in the
Party for Economic Union with the United States was led by Chesley Crosbie and Jamieson became known as "my father's voice" according to John Crosbie
.
Broadcasting
In 1951, he obtained a licence, in partnership with
CJON-TV. While Stirling was heavily interested in the business aspect, Jamieson became known to Newfoundlanders as the host of the nightly News Cavalcade. The program featured a main news segment, weather and an extended interview that included guests from Howie Meeker to Joey Smallwood. He became president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in 1961, and remained in that position for four years. During his time as president Jamieson traveled the country extensively and also recorded daily 'minute-torials' that were 60 second long commentary broadcasts recorded at CJON which were nationally distributed via the CAB and subsequently syndicated across Canada. Jamieson was also involved in the transition of the Board of Broadcast Governors changing over to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
.
Political life
Jamieson entered politics by successfully contesting a 1966
Secretary of State for External Affairs
.
He was re-elected in the 1979 election that brought down the Liberal government. Jamieson then moved to provincial politics, winning the leadership of the Newfoundland Liberal Party one month before the June 1979 provincial election. Jamieson's Liberals were defeated, and he resigned as provincial party leader in 1980.
In 1983, he was appointed Canada's
High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and served until 1985. "His fund of political anecdotes and Newfoundland stories made him a firm favourite with the Queen," - published in The Daily Telegraph in 1986.[1]
He returned to Newfoundland to run his broadcasting interests before dying of a heart attack in 1986.
Just Himself: the Don Jamieson Story
His grandson, Joshua Jamieson, produced, directed and wrote a documentary titled "Just Himself: the story of Don Jamieson",
