A native of Prescott, Ont., who moved to Victoria with his family as an infant, Hutchison began his 75-year career in journalism when he went to work as sports reporter for the Victoria Daily Times in 1918, when he was 16.
He gained national fame as the author of 15 books, including The Unknown Country, his portrait of Canada that won the Governor General’s award for non-fiction in 1943. He also cultivated extensive contacts among politicians in Ottawa and Washington and for many years reported authoritatively from both capitals.
Hutchison served as editor of the Times from 1951 to 1963, and was editorial director of the Vancouver Sun until 1979. While working for the Sun he refused to leave Vancouver Island, and directed the Sun’s editorial pages from his home in Saanich and a cottage on Shawnigan Lake.