E. P. Taylor | |
---|---|
Born |
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
January 29, 1901
Died | May 14, 1989 Lyford Cay, Bahamas |
(aged 88)
Residence |
North York, Ontario, Canada Lyford Cay, Bahamas |
Education |
Ashbury College McGill University |
Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist Racehorse owner/breeder |
Known for | Argus Corporation, Windfields Farm, Northern Dancer |
Board member of | Argus Corporation, Canadian Breweries Ltd., Massey Ferguson Ltd., B.C. Forest Products Ltd., Dominion Tar & Chemical Co., Honey Dew Co., Ontario Jockey Club, Trust Corporation of the Bahamas, Lyford Cay Development Corp. |
Spouse(s) | Winnifred Thornton Duguid |
Children | Judith, Louise, Charles |
Parent(s) | Plunket Bourchier Taylor Florence Magee |
Awards | Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1974), Sovereign Award for Outstanding Breeder (1976, 1985), Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder (1977, 1983) |
Edward Plunket Taylor (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadian business tycoon, investor, and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. Known to his friends as "Eddie", he is universally recorded as "E. P. Taylor".
Born in Ottawa, Ontario into a wealthy family, Taylor attended Ashbury College and graduated from Montreal's McGill University in 1922 with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he worked for the investment brokerage firm McLeod Young and Weir (now ScotiaMcLeod).
Starting with a brewery business (Brading Brewery) inherited from his grandfather, Taylor merged more than 20 other small breweries to create Canadian Breweries Limited, which grew to be the world's largest brewing company.
During World War II, he was a volunteer executive in the Canadian government's war effort. He was appointed by C. D. Howe to the executive committee of the Department of Munitions and Supply and would be appointed by Winston Churchill to run the British Supply Council in North America. He came close to losing his life when, in December 1940, the ship he was on was torpedoed while crossing the Atlantic. He and others on the sinking ship were rescued by a captain who broke regulations to pick them up.
Through his war-time service, Taylor became connected to top businessmen from across Canada and around the world. At war's end, he founded Argus Corporation, becoming the investment company's majority shareholder by rolling Canadian Breweries stock into the new entity. Over the years, he gained control or had significant positions in many of his country's largest companies such as Canadian Food Products, Massey-Harris, Orange Crush Ltd., Standard Chemical, Dominion Stores, British Columbia Forest Products Limited, Dominion Tar & Chemical Co., Standard Broadcasting, and Hollinger Mines Limited. During the highest point of his career, he was one of Canada's richest businessmen.