George Alexander Drummond
Sir George Alexander Drummond | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 2 February 1910 (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1854–1910 |
| Known for | Canadian Senate member, President of Bank of Montreal, philanthropist |
Sir George Alexander Drummond (11 October 1829 – 2 February 1910) was a prominent Scottish-Canadian entrepreneur and member of the Canadian Senate.
Life and career
Drummond was born in Edinburgh in 1829 to George Drummond, a building contractor who also served as a city councillor. He pursued studies in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh before relocating to Montreal in 1854 to work with Redpath Sugar, the company owned by his brother-in-law, John Redpath.
He entered into marriage with John Redpath's daughter and took on the role of co-director within the family enterprise, collaborating closely with Peter Redpath. Following the passing of his first wife in 1884, he married Grace Parker, widow of Reverend George Hamilton. Lady Drummond was distinguished for her leadership in organizations such as the Montreal National Council of Women of Canada and the Women's Canadian Club, in addition to her involvement with the Red Cross.
In 1888, Drummond was appointed to represent Kennebec, Quebec, in the Senate of Canada, a position he held until his death in 1910. His banking career included serving as vice-president of the Bank of Montreal from 1887 to 1896; he then acted as its unofficial president starting in 1897 before formally assuming the presidency in 1905.
His philanthropic efforts included founding St. Margaret's Home for Incurables in 1894 and presiding over the Royal Edward Institute, a dispensary dedicated to tuberculosis prevention established in 1909. Additionally, he was the inaugural president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association in 1895 and held leadership at the Art Association of Montreal.
Drummond received knighthood as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1904 and was named Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1908. The Drummond family resided on Sherbrooke Street within Montreal’s Golden Square Mile and maintained summer residences and estates at Cacouna and Beaconsfield, Quebec. Sir George Alexander Drummond passed away in 1910 and was laid to rest at Mount Royal Cemetery.
References
External links
- Photograph: George A. Drummond, 1864 - McCord Museum
- Photograph: George A. Drummond, 1868 - McCord Museum
- Photograph: George A. Drummond, 1874 - McCord Museum
- Photograph: George A. Drummond, 1891 - McCord Museum
- Photograph: Senator Sir George Drummond, 1900 - McCord Museum
- Photograph: George Drummond's House on Sherbrooke Street, Montreal, 1891 - McCord Museum