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Fonds - John Wilson McConnell | McCord Museum
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John Wilson McConnell

Fonds

John Wilson McConnell
Date 1915-1960
Dimensions294 cm of textual records. - 3,970 photographs : 2,411 prints, 1,268 negatives, 291 slides
Object NumberP607
CollectionMcCord
CreditGift of Mrs. Peter M. Laing
Biographical Sketch

Born in rural Ontario (Muskoka) on July 1, 1877, John Wilson McConnell was given a Methodist upbringing. After working in retailing in Toronto for a time, he moved to Montreal at the turn of the 20th century to take up the position of local office manager of the Standard Chemical Company. In 1905 he married Lily Griffith, the daughter of a Methodist preacher, and they had four children: Wilson (born in 1908), John G. (1910), Kathleen (1918) and David (1923). McConnell worked as a stockbroker from 1909 to 1912. In 1912 he purchased the St. Lawrence Sugar Refineries and was closely involved in the establishment of the Canada Light and Power Company and Goodwins Department Store. In 1928 he became the owner of the Montreal Star newspaper.

He was very active in fund-raising in both world wars. He was appointed Director of Licences of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, a position he filled as a volunteer. He also made a $1 million donation to the Wings for Britain campaign (also known as the Spitfire Fund) set up to train and send pilots to Great Britain. A squadron was later named in his honour.

John Wilson McConnell sat on several boards of directors, including those of the Bank of Montreal, Canadian Pacific, the Sun Life Insurance Company, the International Nickel Company, Dominion Bridge, Holt Renfrew and Dominion Rubber. He also sat on the boards of a number of Montreal institutions, such as Montreal General Hospital from 1922 to 1937, McGill University from 1927 and the Royal Victoria Hospital the following year.

But Mr. McConnell was known above all for his philanthropic work and his great generosity. He took an active role in raising funds for a variety of organizations, including the YMCA, for which he raised $320,000 in a single 12-day campaign. He also made a donation to the United Church for purchasing land and erecting buildings and contributed to the establishment of several chapters of the Boys and Girls Club, besides making substantial donations to institutions such as McGill University (over $15 million toward the construction of the Engineering Building and the Montreal Neurological Institute) and the Jewish General, Notre Dame and Hôtel Dieu hospitals. He also gave generously to relief funds for victims of flooding in Manitoba and along the Fraser River in British Columbia.

When he died in 1963 at the age of 87, The Gazette referred to him as "one of the world's great philanthropists" and a person who had "played a key role in building the institutions of this city" [Montreal]. Many distinguished people, including prime minister Lester B. Pearson and former prime minister John Diefenbaker, remarked on his passing.

A biographical piece published several years after his death reads: "Although a rich man, he realizes that wealth is a responsibility and gives the possessor of it an opportunity of helping his fellow men and contributing to their happiness, as well as that of the nation of which they are citizens." (Source: Mel James, Canada Heirloom Series)


Scope and Content

The documents in this fonds chiefly concern purchases and expenditures of the family of John Wilson McConnell between 1920 and 1960. The main series contains a large number of financial documents (receipts, invoices, etc.) related to the McConnells' daily activities. These documents bear witness to the affluent life style enjoyed by this Montreal family and to the donations they made to various causes. In addition to the invoices and receipts, there is a short series of letters and messages.

Another, smaller series contains archives on expenditures related to the family's four houses, including the decorating of them. A sampling of the Christmas cards received by the McConnells has also been kept as evidence of the family's personal and professional relations (the cards are from individuals as well as from companies). The fonds also contains a caricature of John Wilson McConnell done by Ernest LeMessurier, along with photographs documenting the social milieu in which the family members moved, places they frequented, their travels over the years, receptions they attended, dignitaries they knew, houses they lived in, and more intimate, relaxed moments of their domestic life. The series of photographs contains a few distinctive items, such as prints of the Montreal photographer Rice, whose artistic work was destroyed.


Classification Scheme

P607 John Wilson McConnell fonds
     P607/A Invoices and general expenditures
          P607/A01 1920-1925
          P607/A02 1925-1930
          P607/A03 1930-1940
          P607/A04 1940-1950
          P607/A05 1950-1960
          P607/A06 Invoice-related correspondence
     P607/B McConnell family homes
          P607/B01 Invoices and expenditures related to McConnell family homes
          P607/B02 Documentation and information on decorating of various homes
     P607/C Christmas cards
     P607/D Drawings
     P607/E Photographs
          P607/E01 Business
          P607/E02 Governors General
          P607/E03 Early photographs
          P607/E04 Events
          P607/E05 Leisure activities
          P607/E06 Distinguished guests and friends
          P607/E07 Portraits
          P607/E08 Residences
          P607/E09 Travels
          P607/E10 Miscellaneous


Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.

Information about rights and reproductions is available here.

Online Collections | McCord Museum - Montreal Social History Museum
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This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.