Canada's entrepreneurs : from the fur trade to the 1929 stock market crash : portraits from the Dictionary of Canadian biography under the direction of John English and Réal Bélanger

Molson. Redpath. Desjardins. Labatt. Massey. Eaton. These names are as much a part of our national identity as our hockey teams and our literature, but few of us know much about the people behind them - the individuals who have energized this country's economic life for over four centuries, and whose entrepreneurialism has shaped the face of Canadian business as we know it. This captivating collection of biographies profiles Canada's most prominent and innovative business people from the early 1600s through the first quarter of the twentieth century. Beginning with an accessible overview of the rise of entrepreneurialism in Canada, it features portraits of 61 individuals organized thematically. Here, readers will meet a variety of seminal characters: the merchants of the first trading posts and the commercial empire of the St. Lawrence; the industrialists of the Maritimes, Central Canada, and the West; the railway builders and urban developers; and everyone in between. Bringing to the fore new Dictionary of Canadian Biography research on the rise of Canadian entrepreneurialism - one of the least explored yet most important themes in our history - this book showcases Canada's long-running tradition of business innovation and growth. Molson. Redpath. Desjardins. Labatt. Massey. Eaton. These names are as much a part of our national identity as our hockey teams and our literature, but few of us know much about the people behind them - the individuals who have energized this countryetapos;s economic life for over four centuries, and whose entrepreneurialism has shaped the face of Canadian business as we know it.This captivating collection of biographies profiles Canadaetapos;s most prominent and innovative business people from the early 1600s through the first quarter of the twentieth century. Beginning with an accessible overview of the rise of entrepreneurialism in Canada, it features portraits of 61 individuals organized thematically. Here, readers will meet a variety of seminal characters: the merchants of the first trading posts and the commercial empire of the St. Lawrence; the industrialists of the Maritimes, Central Canada, and the West; the railway builders and urban developers; and everyone in between.Bringing to the fore new Dictionary of Canadian Biography research on the rise of Canadian entrepreneurialism - one of the least explored yet most important themes in our history - this book showcases Canadaetapos;s long-running tradition of business innovation and growth Contents 5 Preface 9 Notes on the Biographies 13 Acknowledgements 15 Introduction 17 Section 1: Doing Business in the New World 27 Section 2: The Commercial Empire of the St Lawrence after 1763 85 Section 3: Maritime Enterprise 183 Section 4: The Industrial Heartland 239 Section 5: Railwaymen and Network Creators 329 Section 6: Brand Names and Big Business 431 Section 7: The West Booms 521 Contributors 557 Illustration Credits 565 Index 567