James Henry Plummer
James Henry Plummer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Mary Tavy, England |
| Died | September 10, 1932 (aged 84) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, industrialist |
| Years active | 1867–1921 |
| Known for | Ownership and expansion of Dominion Iron and Steel Company, Dominion Coal Company, and Dominion Steel Corporation |
James Henry Plummer (February 19, 1848 – September 10, 1932) was a prominent Canadian financier who took ownership of the Dominion Iron and Steel Company in 1903 and expanded it into a significant industrial enterprise before and throughout the First World War.
Biography
Plummer was born in 1848 in Mary Tavy, England, and relocated to British North America in 1859. He received his education at Upper Canada College. His professional journey started in 1867 when he worked as a clerk at the Bank of Montreal's Toronto branch. The following year, he joined the Canadian Bank of Commerce, where he progressed to branch manager by 1878 and was promoted to assistant general manager by 1903.
In 1903, Plummer gained control of the Dominion Iron and Steel Company Ltd. (DISCO) from James Ross, who had acquired it in 1901 from the Boston-based syndicate led by Henry Melville Whitney. The following year, Plummer assumed the presidency of DISCO. By 1910, he had also secured ownership of the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. (DOMCO) from Ross, merging both entities under the Dominion Steel Corporation (DOSCO).
Plummer arranged the sale of DOMCO and DISCO in 1919 to a British investment group headed by Roy M. Wolvin of Montreal. This transaction led to the establishment of the British Empire Steel Company (BESCO) in 1921, which was later replaced by the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation in 1930.
He retired in Toronto, where he passed away at the age of 84 on September 10, 1932. His final resting place is at St. James Cemetery.