Frank Underhill

Frank Hawkins Underhill (November 26 1885 – September 16 1971) was a Canadian historian, social critic and political thinker.

He was educated University of Toronto and Oxford University where he was a member of the Fabian Society. He taught history at the University of Saskatchewan from 1914 until 1927 with a long interruption during World War I when he served as an officer. He also taught from 1927 until 1955 at the University of Toronto.

During the Great Depression, Underhill joined several other left wing academics in forming the League for Social Reconstruction. He was also a founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and helped write its Regina Manifesto in 1933. He joined the editorial staff of the leftist Canadian Forum in 1927.

During World War II, Underhill moved away from socialism and became a left-wing liberal, continentalist. He remained a committed anti-imperialist and was almost dismissed from the University of Toronto in 1941 for suggesting that Canada would drift away from the British Empire and draw closer to the United States. His struggle with the university became a landmark in the history of academic freedom in Canada.

Underhill was a strong supporter of the United States during the Cold War. He also became a supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, particularly once his long time friend, Lester Pearson joined the government.