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The Queen’s community is remembering Professor Emeritus John Meisel, who died on March 30, 2025. Born in 1923, he earned his PhD at the London School of Economics and began teaching political studies at Queen’s in 1949. He was a pioneer in research on political behaviour in Canada, writing widely on political parties, elections, Quebec politics, broadcasting, and culture policy. Throughout his career, he was a leader in the broader scholarly community, serving as the founding editor of both the Canadian Journal of Political Science and the International Political Science Review, as well as the president of the Royal Society of Canada.

Professor Meisel was also a public intellectual, contributing to public debates over major controversies. During the political battles over the constitution, he worked hard at maintaining intellectual linkages between Quebec and the rest of Canada. A strong supporter of Canadian culture and the arts, he was appointed as chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), overseeing the introduction of pay TV in the country. His contributions to Canada were recognized in 1989 when he was made an officer of the Order of Canada, and again in 1999, when he was promoted to Companion, the highest grade in the Order.

"While his wit and charm could disarm anyone he met, it was his boundless curiosity that stood out for me," says Jonathan Rose, Professor and Head of the Department of Political Studies. "As the title of his autobiography – published when he was 90 – attests, John had A Life of Learning. His enduring curiosity, intellectual humility, and desire to make meaningful personal and scholarly connections made him a true public intellectual – long before that term was fashionable. His achievements matched the breadth of his intellectual pursuits, but all that pales to what I think is his most important legacy: the role he played as a mentor to generations of professors, public servants, journalists, and students in a language that was accessible."

Queen’s recognized Meisel’s contributions to the university in recent years by naming a lecture series and a campus landmark in his honour.