Awards

Hinson Hill was born in Valleyfield, Quebec on May 12, 1902 the second of three children born to William and Sarah Hill. His father and mother had immigrated to Canada from Lancashire, England. His father worked in the textile mills in Valleyfield until his death.

Hinson Hill attended MacDonald College of Mc Gill University receiving the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) in 1925 and Master of Science (MSc) in 1927. ln 1938 he obtained a Doctorate in Plant Physiology at the University of London, England.

Dr. Hill joined the Canada Department of Agriculture in 1924 as a potato inspector in the Maritimes, based in Prince Edward Island. In 1927 he became Senior Horticulturist in the former Experimental Farm Service and moved to Ottawa where he made his home until his death. In 1955 Dr. Hill was appointed Chief, Horticulture Division, Canada Department of Agriculture, a position that until just before his appointment had the title of Dominion Horticulturist. With the reorganization of the Department of Agriculture in 1959, Dr. Hill was appointed to the position of Associate Director (Horticulture) in the Programme Directorate of the Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture which position he held until his death.

Dr. Hill's specialized field of research was in plant nutrition as applied to horticultural crops and in this specialty he gained international recognition and was a widely published author of research papers (some alone and some in combination with Dr. M. B. Davis, Dr. Fred B. Johnston, Dr. E. P. Grant, Dr. W. A. Roach, Dr. Hugh B. Cannon, Dr. H. B. Heeney, Dr. W. W. Buckmaster, Dr. R. F. Bishop, Dr. A. B. Durkee, Dr. G. N. Ward and Dr. C. A. Eaves). He was an active member of his profession and held the following professional positions: Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (F.A.A.A.S.); Official Correspondent of the Commonwealth Bureau of Horticulture and Plantation Crops; Honorary President, The Western Society for Horticultural Science; Member, American Society for Horticultural Science; Member, Canadian Society for Horticultural Science.

Dr. Hill married Gertrude Bathgate in Ottawa in 1929 and they had one child, David Hinson Hill, born in 1939.

Dr. Hill was killed in a traffic accident in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, in 1959 while on an inspection trip of western research stations of the Department of Agriculture.

Prepared by David. H. Hill, C.M., Q.C., June 2006