Molson family

The Molson family of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was founded by John Molson, who immigrated to Canada in 1782 from his home in Lincolnshire, England.

John Molson's success saw him and his offspring build Canada's largest brewery (Molson Brewery), finance its first steamboat and build the first railroad. His sons established Molson's Bank, which printed its own currency, and in the city of Montreal that was overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, they financed the construction of a Protestant church.

The three Molson family mausoleums, built by Irish-born architect George Browne, are among the Mount-Royal cemetery's prestigious funerary monuments.

Hartland Molson, a businessman and statesman, expanded the family's brewing operations nationwide, co-purchased the Canadian Arena, which included the Montreal Forum and the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club (1957-1964), and co-sponsored Hockey Night in Canada with his brother, Thomas Henry Pentland Molson. He also served as a Governor of McGill University, and he was a senator for 38 years.

Canadian Business magazine estimated the Molson family net worth in December 2015 to be US$1.63 billion.

As major contributors to the economy, Hartland Molson and his brother Thomas Henry Pentland Molson gave back by creating the Molson Foundation in 1958, which awarded annual grants for outstanding achievement in the arts by Canadian citizens (renamed the Molson Family Foundation in 1981). The Thomas Henry Pentland Molson Prize for the Arts is awarded by The Canada Council for the Arts annually, to distinguished individuals in the arts, in the social sciences and humanities, and is intended to encourage continuing contribution to the cultural and intellectual heritage of Canada. The Thomas Henry Pentland Prize for general excellence is offered annually at Selwyn House School, which he attended in 1911. The Thomas Henry Pentland Molson Family Scholarship is offered annually at the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific.

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