Theodore Harding Rand
1835-1900

Theodore Harding Rand was born on 8 February 1835 in Canard, Nova Scotia and enrolled in Horton Academy in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1854. He graduated from Acadia College in 1860 with his Bachelor of Arts degree, and went to teach at Horton Academy. In January of 1861 he accepted the position of the Chair of English and Classics. On 29 February 1864, Rand requested that he be given the position of Superintendent of Education. In 1863 Rand graduated with his MA from Acadia and afterwards spent time travelling throughout Nova Scotia visiting schools. In 1866, he published The Journal of Education for Nova Scotia. In September of 1871, Rand moved to Fredericton and became the Superintendent of Education for the Province of New Brunswick. While in New Brunswick, Rand began the publication of the Educational Circular in 1876. In 1874, Acadia University awarded Rand an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree and appointed himhttps://nble.lib.unb.ca/browse/r/theodore-harding-rand to their Board of Governors, and in 1878 he was appointed a member of the University of New Brunswick Senate. In 1883, he took the position of Chair of Principals and Practice of Education at Acadia University. In 1885, Rand moved to Toronto and in 1886, took the position of principal at Woodstock College in Ontario (later McMaster University).  Rand served as the Chancellor of McMaster from 1892 until 1895 when he stepped down due to health concerns. His first poems were published in the McMaster University Monthly (1891). In 1897, Rand published his first collection of poems At Minas Basin and Other Poems and a second collection of his own poems, Song-Waves and Other Poems in 1900.  Rand began the editing of the anthology A Treasury of Canadian Literature: With Brief Biographical Notes (1900).  He died on 29 May 1900 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, only hours before he was to receive an honorary degree from the University of New Brunswick (UNB).

Source

Russell, Holly. “Theodore Harding Rand.” New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia, Spring 2010. Accessed 18 April 2023.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Fredericton

Archival Material

  • Location
    Esther Clark Wrigth Archives, Acadia University
    Retrieval Number
    1900-022-RAN
    Date Range of Material
    1883-[1955]
    Scope and Content Note

    Fonds includes photographs of Theodore Harding Rand and relevant family Bible pages.

Headshot of Theodore Harding Rand
Picture Caption

Theodore Harding Rand

Credit

"Page114 CanadianSingersAndTheirSongs RandTheodore.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. 11 Feb 2022. Accessed 7 Jun 2023.

See the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia entry.

Bibliography Items

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
Rand, Theodore Harding. Semi-annual circular. Fredericton, NB: Education Office, 1875. [ book ]

Rand, Theodore Harding. Inspection of schools : course of instruction for the schools of New Brunswick ... Fredericton, NB: The Board of Education of New Brunswick, 1880, 8 pp. [ book ]

Rand, Theodore Harding. At Minas Basin and other poems. Toronto, ON: W. Briggs, 1897, 173 pp. [ book ]

Rand, Theodore Harding. Song-waves. Toronto, ON: W. Briggs, 1900, 121 pp. [ book ]

Rand, Theodore Harding. A treasury of Canadian verse : with brief biographical notes. Toronto, ON: W. Briggs, 1900, 412 pp. [ book ]