Source: August 1918 War Diary.
Family Search: When Major William James McCollum Baxter was born on 2 May 1891, in Windsor, Sandwich Township, Essex, Ontario, Canada, his father, Edmund John Baxter, was 24 and his mother, Nana E McCollum, was 23. He had at least 1 son with Marion St. Clair Leitch. He immigrated to New York City, New York, United States in 1945 and lived in Essex, Ontario, Canada in 1901 and King City, York, Ontario, Canada in 1973. He registered for military service in 1914. In 1914, at the age of 23, his occupation is listed as journalist in Windsor, Sandwich Township, Essex, Ontario, Canada. He died in 1973, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 82, and was buried in King City Cemetery, King City, York, Ontario, Canada.
Obituary
Major James Baxter founded ad agency
Major James Baxter, former president and chairman of McKim Advertising Ltd., died Monday in hospital at the age of 82.
Baxter, retiring in 1956 and two years later, bought the weekly Newmarket Era and became its owner. He was acting as publisher, president and director until 1969, and as a director of Hunter Print and London Ltd from 1968.
Born in Windsor, Baxter entered the newspaper business as a copy reader and city editor of the old Windsor Star in 1912. At the age of 22 he joined the army in 1914 and served overseas during World War 1 with the 18th Battalion, 29th Kootenay Regiment and the 10th Algonquin Regiment, of which he was second-in-command. Mentioned in dispatches, he was awarded the Military Cross in 1918.
After the war he entered the advertising field, becoming advertising manager for the Ford Motor Co. of Canada in 1920. While with Ford he was credited with popularizing the use of dealer advertising, featuring dealers’ names on full pages in metropolitan dailies. He later introduced Fords to eastern Canada with Opera House of France.
He joined the firm of McConnell and Ferguson of London, Ont., in 1922 and left in 1935 to form his own agency, Baxter Advertising which merged with A. Hickert Ltd. in 1945. Baxter became a vice-president of the new firm.
He was named president in 1944 and chairman of the board in 1952.
He was long associated with the late George Drew, former premier of Ontario and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative party. He served as publicity director of the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario in 1945 and 1946.
He was president of the Empire Club of Canada in 1954-55.
In 1917, he was married to Marion St. Clair Leitch, who was driver of a work ambulance in France. At that time Mrs. Baxter was later to become chief recruiting officer for the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service in 1943-44.
Toronto Star. 28 November 1973. Page 12.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in front of Iwuy on 11th October, 1918, when in command of a support company. The enemy, having counter-attacked with tanks, brought our attack to a standstill. He pushed forward with his company, and having use of all his Lewis guns and three captured machine guns, was able to force the tanks to retire, thereby enabling the position to be held, and the advance to continue later. His courage and determination were worthy of high praise.
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 