Izaak Walton Killam
| Izaak Walton Killam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 23, 1885 Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | August 5, 1955 (aged 70) Grand-Cascapedia, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Financier Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Brooks Johnston |
Izaak Walton Killam (July 23, 1885 – August 5, 1955) was one of Canada's most eminent financiers.
Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Killam rose from paper boy in Yarmouth to become one of Canada's wealthiest individuals.
As a young banker with the Union Bank of Halifax, Killam became close friends with John F. Stairs and Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) who put Killam in charge of his Royal Securities. In 1919, Killam bought out Aitken and took full control of the company. Killam's business dealings primarily involved the financing of large pulp and paper and hydro-electric projects throughout Canada and Latin America. Killam was believed to be the richest man in Canada at the time. One of his larger projects in his native province was the creation of the Mersey Paper Company Ltd. and its related electrical generating stations and shipping fleet.
In 1922 he married Dorothy Brooks Johnston. Notwithstanding his prodigious financial accomplishments, Killam was a very reserved man who eschewed publicity and was virtually unknown outside a small circle of close acquaintances. Killam died in 1955 at his Quebec fishing lodge. By then he was considered to be the richest man in Canada.
Having no children, Killam and his wife devoted the greater part of their wealth to higher education in Canada. The Killam Trusts, established in the will of Mrs. Killam, are held by five Canadian universities: the University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Dalhousie University and McGill University. The current market value of the Killam endowment is approximately $400 million Canadian dollars and it is used to fund scientific research and artistic ventures across Canada.
...
Wikipedia