R. G. Collingwood
Creighton's two most important works are "The Commercial Empire of the St. Lawrence" (1937) and his two-volume biography of Sir John A. Macdonald, entitled "Young Politician" and "Old Chieftain". Creighton's biography of Macdonald is often considered to be an example of idealist history as developed by R. G. Collingwood, who was a major influence on Creighton. Both volumes won the Governor General's Award for best non-fiction book in 1952 and 1955, were major best-sellers, and were credited with creating a major reassessment of Macdonald's role in Canadian history. In Creighton's view, Macdonald sought Confederation as a way of bringing to life the political St. Lawrence empire.