James Smith (Yukon politician)

For other uses, see James Smith (disambiguation).

James M. Smith OC (December 31, 1919 – April 14, 2017) was the longest serving commissioner of Yukon from November 7, 1966 to June 30, 1976.^[2] During his tenure, he was instrumental in the creation of Kluane National Park and Reserve and the designation of the Chilkoot Trail as a National Historic Site of Canada.^{[citation needed]} He was also responsible for creating the Arctic Winter Games along with Northwest Territories commissioner Stuart Hodgson and Alaska governor Walter Joseph Hickel.^[3] He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1976.^[4]

Commissioner James Smith
Member of the Yukon Territorial Council
In office 1958–1961
Preceded by	Jack Hulland
Succeeded by	John Watt
Constituency	Whitehorse West
Commissioner of Yukon
In office November 7, 1966 – July 1, 1976
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Gordon Robertson Cameron
Succeeded by	Arthur MacDonald Pearson
Personal details
Born	(1919-12-31)December 31, 1919 Revelstoke, British Columbia
Died	April 14, 2017(2017-04-14) (aged 97)[1]
Spouse	Dorothy Matson ​ (m. 1947)​
Profession	businessman