Edward Wentworth Beatty

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sir Edward Beatty
Sir Robert Laird Borden
Succeeded byMorris Watson Wilson
Personal details
Born(1877-10-16)October 16, 1877
Thorold, Ontario
DiedMarch 23, 1943(1943-03-23) (aged 65)
Montreal, Quebec
ResidenceGolden Square Mile
Alma materOsgoode Hall Law School

Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty

philanthropist, on his death he left half of his estate to charity. He left his home in Montreal's Golden Square Mile
to McGill, and it was known as Beatty Hall for 70 years until its sale in 2016.

Early life

Born at

timber supplies needed for their enterprises at Thorold. In order to ship the timber between their two properties they established the Georgian Bay Transit Company, which Henry Beatty took control of in 1865, and transformed it into the Beatty Line of Steamships which later expanded to operate on the Great Lakes. Henry Beatty was described as "a man of unusual executive ability and vision",[1]
qualities that his son, Edward, inherited in no small dose.

Edward Beatty was educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, earning his law degree from the Osgoode Hall Law School in 1898. For the next three years he articled with the Toronto law firm of McCarthy, Osler, Hoskin & Creelman.

Canadian Pacific Railway, Steamships & Air Lines

Beatty's father's steam line was bought out by the

Canadian Pacific Steamships. Henry Beatty remained as marine advisor to the CPR after his retirement in 1892, and it was through this connection that Edward came to the attention of the CPR and was appointed as their general counsel in 1901. On the retirement of the CPR's Lord Shaughnessy
in 1918, Beatty was chosen to be his successor as president and executive chief of the world's greatest transportation system, just before his 41st birthday. Beatty's lifetime ambition had been to become a judge, and he at first refused the significant promotion. He was the first Canadian-born president of the CPR, a position he held until his death in 1943, and assumed the monumental task of managing the destiny of the great railway and steamship line.

Canadian West, and he was an inspiration to young Canada
.

Contributions to education in Canada

He was best known as chancellor of

Province of Quebec. His home on Pine Avenue in the Golden Square Mile of Montreal was named 'Beatty Hall' shortly after becoming part of McGill University in 1946.[2] He was also an early and enthusiastic supporter and donator to Martha Allan
's Montreal Repertory Theatre.

Honorary degrees were conferred on him by leading universities in Canada, Ireland, Scotland and the United States. Internationally these included Trinity College Dublin, University of St Andrews, Dartmouth College and New York University. In Canada they included: McGill University, University of Toronto, Bishop's University, McMaster University, University of Western Ontario, University of New Brunswick, Queen's University, and University of Alberta.

Contributions to sports in Canada

Amateur Athletic Union of Canada president Jack Hamilton appointed Beatty chairman of the committee to oversee preparations for the Canadian delegation to the 1938 British Empire Games.[3]

World War II

On the outbreak of

Transport Command
.

Death

He died on March 23, 1943, in

Montreal, Quebec
.

Honours

He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St. John of Jerusalem (1934). In 1930, Beatty and his great friend and Chief Counsel to the CPR, F.E. Meredith, were received at the White House as guests of President Herbert Hoover.[4]

In 1937, the

Boy Scouts Association of Canada, for which he had served as president. His interest in youth training had a practical application in the constant support he gave to movements concerned with the reclamation of wayward boys, particularly the Shawbridge Boys' Farm
, for which he also served as president.

In 1943 the "Distinguished Civic Service Award" for 1942 in Montreal was presented posthumously to him by the City Improvement League of Montreal, one of the many projects for city betterment to which Beatty gave so generously and turned his talents towards. The Beatty Lectures occur every year at McGill University in his honour.

References

  1. ^ Professional Engineers of Ontario
  2. ^ "Transfer in April of McGill Offices". Montreal Gazette. 26 February 1947. p. 12.
  3. ^ "Names Of Empire Games Committee Members Known". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. May 6, 1937. p. 17.Free access icon
  4. ^ 'Canadians visit Hoover' - The Pittsburgh Press - March 30, 1930

External links

Business positions
Preceded by
Thomas Shaughnessy
 President of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited
1918 – 1943 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of Queen's University
1918–1923 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chancellor of McGill University
1921–1942 		Succeeded by
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