Edmund Boyd Osler (Ontario politician)

Sir Edmund Boyd Osler
Edmund Boyd Osler (1896)
Born	Edmund Boyd Osler (1845-11-20)20 November 1845 Tecumseh Township, Simcoe County, Canada West
Died	4 August 1924(1924-08-04) (aged 78) Toronto, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Conservative

Sir Edmund Boyd Osler (20 November 1845 – August 4, 1924) was a Canadian businessman, politician, and philanthropist. Osler was a founder and benefactor of the Royal Ontario Museum

Osler was born at Bond Head, Upper Canada near Tecumseh Township, Simcoe County, Canada West in 1845. He was the fourth son of Featherstone Lake Osler, a former lieutenant in the Royal Navy turned Anglican Reverend, and Ellen Free Pickton. Osler attended grammar school in Dundas, Upper Canada. Unlike his elder brothers he did not attend university.

In the late 1850s, Osler began his career as a clerk at the Bank of Upper Canada. The bank failed in 1866. Osler became business partners with his colleague Henry Pellat and together they launched their own firm specializing in stockbroking, investment, and insurance services. Osler often served as a financier in numerous business ventures. Throughout the 1880s to 1890s, Osler greatly increased his financial influence through a combination of investments, westward railway expansions, and western land grants. Osler was an early shareholder of the Dominion Bank and gained a directorship with the bank in 1881. He would become the bank’s president in 1901.

Beginning in the 1880s, Osler began working in the transportation industry through railways. Osler was the founder and managing director of the Ontario and Qu'Appelle Land Company Limited. His business expertise and connections led to his presidency of the Ontario and Quebec Railway followed by a directorship with the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1896, Osler became the president of the Board of Trade. Osler was also the president of the Toronto Ferry Company.

Due to his financial success, many believed that Osler should enter politics. Osler began his political career in the 1892 mayoralty race. He lost to R.J. Fleming despite having the support of the Toronto establishment. Osler ran in the 1896 federal election and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Conservative representative of West Toronto. He served as a MP until 1917. Osler was knighted in 1912.