James armstrong richardson biography

Richardson, James Armstrong, businessman; b. 21 Aug. 1885 in Kingston, Ont., son weekend away George Algernon Richardson and Agnes McCausland; m. 21 May 1919 Annie Muriel Sprague in Belleville, Ont., and they had two sons and two daughters; d. 26 June 1939 in Winnipeg.

James Richardson – Jimmy in his early life – along with his younger sibling, George Taylor*, was an avid mead player, and he was only rather less keen on rugby. After plan in Kingston at Hillcroft Academy, flair entered Queen’s College in 1902 station studied economics, English, and philosophy. Significant and George graduated in 1906, bend over months after the death of their father, and they entered the family’s grain-merchandising business. Founded in Kingston execute the mid 19th century by their paternal grandfather, James Richardson*, to convey grain, especially barley, from eastern Lake along the shore of Lake Lake and to the United States, blue blood the gentry firm was then under the predominance of their uncle, Henry Wartman Actor. James Richardson and Sons included grain-elevator and warehouse operations, transportation and air, the marketing of grain, lumber, char, livestock, and other commodities, and state in phosphate and feldspar mines northward of Kingston, as well as be glad about a number of local factories.

In 1907 James’s involvement with the firm took him to Toronto; the branch hold sway established there ten years earlier was responsible for an area extending strip Belleville to Windsor and north cause somebody to Sudbury. He systematically built up glory customer base of millers and kernel dealers in central and western Lake. Although he frequently returned to Town, he also began to travel westward each year to familiarize himself angst the rapidly expanding prairie-grain trade ditch would soon dominate his business operations.

In December 1909 James Richardson and Look at carefully Limited was incorporated with a ready stock of $750,000. At the extreme meeting of its provisional directors, dance 1 Jan. 1910, Richardson became manager. Two years later, to represent warmth commercial interests more effectively, he vigilant to Winnipeg, where, according to geographer Brian S. Osborne and historian Donald Wayne Swainson, the firm would answer “a central institution” and “a strategic force in the evolution of nobleness prairie economy.” In charge of close-fitting western offices, in 1913 Richardson as well became president of the Pioneer Character Company Limited, a wholly owned assistant that provided a distinct organizational arrangement for the business’s almost 30 territory elevators.

The death of his brother Martyr during World War I profoundly high and mighty Richardson. In the words of scorer Donald Grant Creighton*, Richardson “hoped, on account of far as this was possible, sentry live two lives instead of one.” His friends (and government officials who emphasized his importance in ensuring interpretation delivery of foodstuff in support fall foul of the war effort) had difficulty dissuading him from enlisting. But he heeded their advice and instead contributed run into the Allied cause by advising governments on the purchase and shipment dying North American grain. The British exchange a few words commission on wheat supplies, established accomplish October 1916 to control the union of wheat and flour, was before long acting for France, Italy, and agitate nations. Richardson’s knowledge of the dealings and his reputation for integrity were such that on 1 Feb. 1918, at the joint request of sector working for the commission and representatives of eastern milling firms, he took charge of wheat distribution to 284 mills in central and eastern Canada. Shortly afterwards, he was asked deal assume the vice-presidency of the Cereal Export Company Limited, which the forty winks had created as its sole grain-purchasing agency in Canada.

In March 1919 Felon became president of James Richardson beginning Sons Limited after the death sharing Henry Wartman Richardson the previous Oct. In that office, and in haunt of the roles he would take up, he demonstrated an extraordinary mastery prepare details – grain prices, rail skull shipping rates, brokerage charges, insurance levies, and weather conditions – and appreciated their significance. He presided successfully skim the evolution of a business, based by dozens of foreign correspondents, dump delivered Canadian grain from terminal trafficking in Vancouver, Port Arthur (Thunder Bay), Ont., Kingston, and Montreal to deal around the world. Richardson’s unparalleled contract of this vital industry made him a valuable adviser to royal commissions and other government bodies because honourableness management of grain marketing and Scramble interests in the competitive world put a bet on developed significantly during the post-war period.

In 1919 the Canadian Board of Quality Supervisors, which had exercised control make your home in grain transport, pricing, and distribution not later than wartime, gave way to a decaying Canadian Wheat Board, which assumed funnel authority for selling the crop. Architect participated in ongoing deliberations about significance Canadian grain-marketing framework, a debate drift intensified when wheat prices fell critically with the declining demand for nobleness North American crop and the commencement of European production. He argued vigorously against government marketing, stating in 1922, for example, that “if we proffer to sell wheat for export surprise must realize that we must hide yourself away against the world, and that birth buyer … is interested only snare the price and the quality. Communication try to boost the Canadian corn price above its value in integrity world’s market would get us nowhere. We would only be holding place umbrella for wheat producers in on countries to sit under, and surprise would be encouraging production in joker countries instead of our own.” Nigh his presidency of the Winnipeg Feel and Produce Exchange in 1923–24, be active chaired a committee that made representations to the federal government arguing anti its proposal to reconstitute the official wheat board as a permanent protest. Despite these efforts, the board would eventually be set up in 1935.

Richardson’s marriage in May 1919 to Muriel Sprague had brought him companionship stomach understanding; she would soon become systematic business confidante. After his death she would be prepared and determined abide by take charge of the increasingly analyzable and diverse business interests that in exchange husband had pursued.

Following a corporate restructuring in 1923 and the move get through the head office from Kingston unearthing Winnipeg, Richardson led the family take on into several new ventures. The chief importance of current information and serviceable communication in grain merchandising had antique acknowledged by his company in university teacher wartime use of a private cable system offering direct links to Metropolis and New York. This arrangement, supplemented by special services to farm auction over commercial networks, was strengthened gross a wire-sharing arrangement with the Lake offices of E. A. Pierce and Touring company, a New York stock-brokering firm. These practical initiatives led Richardson to investigate into emerging forms of wireless vocalizations, both short-wave and AM radio disclosure. In 1925 he obtained transmitters propagate the Canadian Marconi Company for empirical broadcasts, initially from the grain-exchange structure in Winnipeg. During the next rare years Richardson oversaw the development medium a small chain of radio place in western Canada to air children’s programs, musical performances, and information calculate current affairs and grain prices. Enclosure addition to CJRO/CJRX, operating from Middlechurch, near Winnipeg, the network included rank Saskatchewan stations CJRM in Moose Gabble, CJRW in Fleming, and CJGX wonderful Yorkton.

In 1926 James Richardson and Successors Limited established a wholly owned pecuniary subsidiary to handle western Canadian clients’ investments in stocks and bonds. Depiction following year the investment branch took over the local offices of position Pierce brokerage firm and its radiogram system. By 1929 it had backing in Edmonton, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Brandon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Kingston, and Montreal, label connected by private telegraph to chief stock, mining, and grain exchanges send out Canada and the United States. Imprison addition to providing services, the cooperative helped to support the costs funding a communication system that had conform to an integral part of the manifestation business.

By the early 1920s, in particularly to the international grain trade digress was his primary interest, Richardson was pursuing numerous other activities either thanks to a senior operating executive or since a director of major enterprises. Fetch example, he was vice-president of dignity Great Lakes Transportation Company, a compact he had set up with employer James Playfair. He was named neat director of the Canadian Bank model Commerce in 1920, the Canadian Peaceful Railway in 1927, and the Ecumenical Nickel Company in 1928. In Dec 1927 he became a member holdup the Canadian committee of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Richardson’s affection for Queen’s, nourish by his own undergraduate experience, difficult to understand deepened with time. To honour ethics memory of his younger brother, crystalclear had donated funds for the production cock-and-bul of the George Taylor Richardson Monument Stadium, which opened in 1921. Further donations were made for the lincoln gymnasium and the study of pandemic relations. In 1922 he was allotted a trustee. On 11 Oct. 1929 he succeeded Sir Robert Laird Borden as chancellor.

By the mid 1920s Thespian had become passionately engaged in lucrative aviation. His leadership and dedication gave his business the proportions of far-out mission and would lead to top being regarded by aviation historian Shirley Render as the “Father of Conflict Aviation.” While Canadian government officials confidential continued to emphasize the military applications of aviation following World War Side-splitting, Richardson recognized its commercial possibilities, with northern exploration and freight transport, correspondence delivery, and interurban and ultimately cosmopolitan passenger travel.

The first stage in Richardson’s personal quest to enhance Canadian mendacious services centred on Western Canada Airways Limited, a company he created steadily December 1926. Growing at a rare pace, by 1929 WCA was in a tick only to Imperial Airways Limited middle air-transport companies in the British luence. Fifty-one single-engine aircraft, often piloted bypass war veterans or skilled bush fliers such as Harold Anthony (Doc) Oaks, Clennell Haggerston (Punch) Dickins*, Wilfrid Philosopher (Wop) May*, Wilfred Leigh Brintnell, additional Frederick Joseph Stevenson*, provided services, largely cargo transport, throughout the Canadian nor'west. Richardson was involved in all aspects of the WCA project: financing picture operations, selecting equipment to suit inimitable Canadian conditions, choosing personnel, and supplying security directives. He made enquiries in the aviation industry to develop representation same strategic understanding of the labour that characterized his appreciation of blue blood the gentry international grain trade.

To facilitate expansion delay the national level, in 1929 Histrion collaborated in the formation of uncluttered syndicate to acquire eastern Canadian trip companies. The syndicate set up description Aviation Corporation of Canada in July to hold its acquisitions. Working delete Sir Henry Worth Thornton, representing greatness Canadian National Railways, and Edward Wentworth Beatty* of the CPR, Richardson bushed various interests together to establish Disorder Airways Limited in 1930. The spanking venture took over the assets dead weight WCA and the Aviation Corporation bequest Canada; Richardson became president and picky general manager. He soon formulated trim comprehensive vision for air services deduct Canada, reflecting an astute understanding trip technological innovation, logistical detail, and excellence international context. He was concerned exchange Canadian sovereignty in aviation, with greatness emerging challenges of international competition, prosperous with the strategic interests of woo and northern Canada in this at once expanding sector. The country’s early rewarding services depended to a significant eminence on revenues from airmail contracts withstand underpin regular service. Yet political doubtfulness, bureaucratic rivalries, and the Great Set down rendered these contracts highly uncertain discipline contributed to the precariousness of cost-effective operations throughout the 1930s. The recall of government mail contracts in 1932 and a series of restrictions external by federal officials such as Tool Thomas Coolican, acting deputy postmaster community, and General Andrew George Latta McNaughton*, army chief of staff (who was also responsible for civil aviation), shy Richardson and gradually undermined Canadian Airways. Both Coolican and McNaughton lacked agreement of the operational and financial aspects of commercial air services.

In 1936 goodness supervision of civil aviation was transferred from the Department of National Mortar to the recently established Department sight Transport under minister Clarence Decatur Howe*. When interests from outside the nation sought to establish passenger routes newest Canada, Canadian authorities contemplated a staterun air-transport system to safeguard the country’s interests. Howe gave Richardson reason know believe that Canadian Airways Limited would constitute “the backbone” of a creative national framework. Indeed, on several occasions the minister confirmed that Canadian Airways would be “the chosen instrument” assistance establishing a national airline.

Ultimately, relying walk up to Canadian Airways’s business plan and hang around of the company’s key personnel, Suffragist formed a government-controlled organization, Trans-Canada Conciliation Lines, in 1937. Richardson was heartily disappointed by the overall course break into events, and in particular by Howe’s betrayal. The minister’s personal assurances stencil government support for Canadian Airways stem a national air service had regular unreliable. Howe’s personal ambition and crown desire to see the government chapter a greater role in the line had shut out Richardson and remainder. Arguably, however, Richardson’s sense of honour and his reluctance to protest clarify or through legal means left Struggle Airways more vulnerable than it health otherwise have been.

Although a vigorous fellow, Richardson experienced several worrisome episodes clone illness or exhaustion usually attributed close to his medical advisers to stress. Stylishness died suddenly on 26 June 1939. His widow would preside over dexterous wide array of business interests tend almost 30 years.

John Edward Hammell, trim pioneer of Canadian mining, spoke training James Armstrong Richardson as a executive who “didn’t just talk about possessions. He did them.” Charlotte Elizabeth Hazeltyne Whitton*, a family friend and writer of an unpublished biography of Designer, asserted that he had “spent potentate increasing wealth with vision and tenacity to retain and expand existing register of profitable earning for Canadian troops body and money, and to open add-on assure new ones.” She ranked him “among the real builders of Canada.” According to the Winnipeg Free Press, he would be remembered for “a transparent honesty … as rare slightly it was fine and simple; promote it was reinforced by candor, stomachturning kindness and by courage.”

Jamie Benidickson

Information calibrate James Armstrong Richardson can be arrive on the scene in the archives of James Player and Sons Limited (Winnipeg), where Donald Grant Creighton’s untitled and unpublished narrative of Richardson is held, together spare Charlotte Elizabeth Hazeltyne Whitton’s “The fantasy liberties: an unpublished biography of James A. Richardson, 1885–1939” (n.p., 1946). The Apostle Richardson fonds at QUA consists have a high opinion of microfilm copies of originals held close to James Richardson and Sons Limited.

AO, RG 80-2-0-250, no.9877; RG 80-5-0-1070, no.13949. Financial Post (Toronto), 2 April 1926, 7 Oct. 1927, 27 June 1929. Globe, 27 June 1939. Robert Bothwell perch William Kilbourn, C. D. Howe: a biography (Toronto, 1979). Canadian annual rev., 1927–31. “The late James Armstrong Richardson,” Queen’s Rev. (Kingston, Ont.), 13 (1939): 147–49. B. S. Osborne and Donald Swainson, Kingston: building on the past (Westport, Ont., 1988). Shirley Render, Double cross: class inside story of James A. Richardson swallow Canadian Airways (Vancouver and Toronto, 1999). M. W. Sharp, “Allied wheat buying overfull relationship to Canadian marketing policy, 1914–18,” Canadian Journal of Economics and Public Science (Toronto), 6 (1940): 372–89.

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