Allan Fotheringham

Allan Fotheringham (August 31, 1932 – August 19, 2020) was a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He styled himself Dr. Foth and "the Great Gatheringfroth".

Early life Fotheringham was born in Hearne, Saskatchewan, on August 31, 1932. He attended Chilliwack Secondary School, where he was active in student leadership and wrote for the school's paper, as well as the Chilliwack Progress. He was best known as a columnist, originally at the Ubyssey, a student newspaper. He was hired straight out of university by the Vancouver Sun in the late 1960s, and covered the final years of WAC Bennett's Socred government provincially and the advent of Pierre Trudeau federally. Fotheringham's columns and commentaries brought him national attention as well as wider syndication and a broader subject base. He was one of the leading specialists in explaining the world of British Columbia politics during his time at the Sun.

Career Fotheringham wrote for Maclean's starting in October 1975. His column appeared on the back page of the magazine for 27 years, and was so widely read and so influential that he is said to have made Maclean's the magazine people read "from back to front". He is credited with coining the terms "Natural Governing Party" for the federal Liberals, and the "Holy Mother Corporation" for the CBC in the course of writing his column. His columns occasionally opened with the exclamation "Zowie, Dr. Foth!"

Fotheringham was a regular panelist for a decade in the latter years of the CBC Television program Front Page Challenge, having replaced the deceased Gordon Sinclair in 1984. He also wrote columns for the Toronto Sun for fourteen years until 2000. In 2001, Maclean's underwent an editorial revamp, and Fotheringham's column was moved to an inside page to make room for a guest column. Soon afterward, Fotheringham left Maclean's, and became a columnist for The Globe and Mail. He had a national syndicated column that was in 20 newspapers, but he retired from regular contributions in 2007, after life-threatening complications from a colonoscopy led to his hospitalization for five months. Fotheringham continued to write occasionally for the Globe and for the National Post, He died on August 19, 2020, at his home in Toronto.

In a 1988 article about the British explorer Ranulph Fiennes, he wrote that "Prince Charles always supports him, claiming great results for British exports, but no one has ever been able to demonstrate that any scientific or historical benefits have resulted." A London jury awarded £75,000 in damages against Fotheringham and his publishers.

Awards Source: Southam Fellowship in Journalism, 1964 National Magazine Award for Humor, 1980 National Newspaper Award for Column Writing, 1980 (first recipient) Inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame, 1999 Bruce Hutchinson Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002