James R. Gibson

James Ronald Gibson (April 25, 1935 – May 29, 2026) was a Canadian historian and geographer, who wrote and published extensively on Siberia, the Northwest Coast of America and on Alaska's and California's Russian history.

Early life and career Gibson was born on April 25, 1935 in Chilliwack, British Columbia, where he was also raised. He first studied at the University of British Columbia, where he earned a B.A.in 1959. He pursued further studies at the University of Oregon, earning an M.A. there in 1962, and completed his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1967. After his studies, he worked as a professor of historical geography of Russia at York University from 1966 to 1996.

Gibson was a visiting scholar in Japan, where at Hokkaido University there is a 2500-item James R. Gibson Library, and also in New Zealand, and Hawaii. In 1972, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1989, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

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