James Burns ("Hamish") McGeachy was born in Kilmacolm, Scotland, in 1899 and emigrated to Canada with his parents in 1913. He attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating at the age of 19 with the Governor-General's Gold Medal. He was also awarded a Rhodes Scholarship but declined it, attending instead the University of Toronto, where he earned a his MA in 1929, and Princeton University, where he was a Proctor Fellow in modern history. He worked for the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix from 1922-1927, then served in various capacities over the next 12 years for the Sifton newspaper chain. During the Second World War he was chief correspondent for the BBC Overseas Service. After his return to Canada at the end of the war, he joined the Globe and Mail as a member of the editorial board, later becoming associate editor. From 1956 until his retirement in 1965, he was on the staff of the Financial Post. J.B. McGeachy died in Toronto on 27 August 1966.