Berton, Pierre (1920-2004), was a Canadian author and television personality. Berton’s books and other works reflect his interest in a wide variety of subjects.
Berton was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, on July 12, 1920, and graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1941. He worked for newspapers in Vancouver, British Columbia, and then for Maclean’s magazine from 1947 to 1959 and in 1962 and 1963.
Berton became widely known for a four-volume series of historical books on the opening of the Canadian Northwest. He began the series with Klondike Fever (1958), which describes the gold rush in Yukon during the late 1890’s. He traced the construction of Canada’s first transcontinental railroad in The National Dream (1970) and The Last Spike (1971). The Promised Land (1984) covered settlement from 1896 to 1914. Berton also wrote Why We Act Like Canadians (1982) and The Klondike Quest: A Photographic Essay, 1897-1899 (1983). He also wrote children’s books, a cookbook, and books about religious and social issues.
Berton’s TV career began in 1946. He became a regular panelist on “Front Page Challenge,” Canada’s longest-running TV program, when it started in 1957. Berton also hosted various radio programs. He died on Nov. 30, 2004.
