Dr. Arthur Samuel Kendall, his life and times as a medical doctor, politician and citizen of Cape Breton Island, 1861-1944

Abstract

Dr. Arthur Samuel Kendall was born in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on 25 March 1861 when Sydney was a tranquil market centre and garrison town built on the south-east shore of Sydney harbour. He lived most of his long life in Sydney and he died there in 1944. This thesis applies the biographical study of Kendall's life to the history of Cape Breton in an era which has most often been portrayed in relation to unscrupulous industrialists, militant unions and ambivalent governments.

Beginning in 1893 with the consolidation of ownership and leases in the local coal fields many areas in Cape Breton Island experienced an increase in industry and commerce with the expansion of coal mining and the subsequent establishment of the iron and steel industries. This rapid increase in industry and population not only caused a period of relative prosperity in the industrial area, but also created problems of rural depopulation, disease, overcrowding, hazardous workplaces and industrial unrest. Kendall was active in trying to alleviate many of these social problems as an elected politician, public health official and family doctor.

The study of not only the public areas of Kendall's career, but also the religious, social, cultural, professional and political influences which shaped his ideology and actions provides an insight into Kendall's motivation and his effectiveness as an agent of change. The biographical method, juxtaposed against anecdotal and historical evidence, further combines to enrich the understanding of the history of this period.

The historical significance of Dr. Arthur Samuel Kendall lies in his position as an influential member of the professional middle class, one who had an innate ability to act as a conduit between the working class and the industrialists in order to produce change that would benefit the entire community.