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Obituary of John Meisel

Tuesday, October 23rd, 1923 - Sunday, March 30th, 2025

Surrounded by the love of Hanna and her family, John passed away peacefully on March 30th, 2025.

Born in Vienna to Czech parents, John travelled extensively with his family before and during the Second World War. Thanks to the Bata Shoe Company, employers of his father Fryda, the family escaped the Holocaust, living in the Netherlands, Morocco and Haiti before coming to Canada in January 1942. As a young teenager, John attended Ottershaw College in the UK and later Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario. He then studied at the University of Toronto, eventually earning his PhD at the London School of Economics.

For more than five decades John taught political science at Queen’s University, mentoring and inspiring many future politicians, diplomats and journalists. He was a co-founder of the The Canadian Journal of Political Science. His scholarly writing often featured titles reflecting his wicked wit, sense of humour and love of puns. From 1979 to 1983 John served as Chair of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, during a challenging period when technology was beginning to outpace regulation. After returning to Queen’s, he dedicated much of his time to the study of broadcast regulation and cultural policy. In 1989 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1999.

John loved classical music and was an enthusiastic concert-goer. He loved physical activity, bicycled, played tennis, cross-country skied and hiked in the Austrian Alps. He was also an avid photographer and old friends still treasure his exquisite photos on his Christmas cards.

Predeceased by his artist wife Muriel (Kelly), his sister Rose and niece Victoria Wilcox, John is survived by Hanna Dodwell, his partner, caretaker and second wife of many years, his nephew Carl (David) Wilcox and his great-niece Simon Wilcox - along with loyal former students, colleagues and friends.

We express our sincere thanks to the dedicated staff at St. Lawrence Place Retirement Home, Providence Transitional Care Centre, and Providence Manor.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Providence Care () in John’s memory.

A Brief Biography of John Meisel | Department of Political Studies

A professor at Queen’s University beginning in 1949, John Meisel (1923-2025) was a pioneer in research on political behavior in Canada, writing widely on political parties, elections, Quebec politics, broadcasting, and culture policy. Throughout his career, he led 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.

Charming, engaging, optimistic, enthusiastic: as a member of the Queen’s community, John was all of these and more.

He was a wonderful teacher, inspiring generations of students to engage in political and cultural life. As department head, he recruited stellar new faculty, helping to build the department into one of the strongest in the country. He was an enthusiastic mentor, supporting his younger colleagues and drawing them into national and international networks. John was a symbol of the best of the Queen’s tradition.

To learn more about John, we highly recommend his 2012 memoir, (Wintergreen Studios Press), and this brief video, , filmed in 2017.  

The John Meisel Lecture Series will continue his legacy of engagement of faculty, students and the community in ways that would make John proud.