William Christopher Macdonald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir William Macdonald
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| 4th Chancellor of McGill University | |
| In office 1914–1917 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 February 1831 Glenaladale, Prince Edward Island |
| Died | 9 June 1917 (aged 86) Montreal, Quebec |
| Education | Central Academy (later Prince of Wales College) |
| Occupation | merchant, tobacco manufacturer, and philanthropist |
Sir William Christopher Macdonald (1831–1917) was a Canadian businessman. He made a lot of money from selling tobacco. He then became a very important philanthropist (someone who gives money to good causes), especially for education in Canada. He was born on Prince Edward Island, but many also see him as a Scots-Quebecer.
Contents
Early Life and First Businesses
William Christopher Macdonald was born in 1831 on Prince Edward Island. His family had moved there from Scotland. When he was 16, he decided to leave his family's church. At 18, he left home and moved to Boston, USA.
In Boston, he started a business with his brother, Augustine. They worked as brokers, helping to ship American goods to stores on Prince Edward Island. However, their business faced big problems when a ship carrying their goods sank in a storm. After this, Macdonald closed the business and left Boston.
Tobacco Business and the American Civil War
The Macdonald brothers then moved to Montreal, which was in the Province of Canada at the time. Montreal was growing fast. In 1858, they started their own company, McDonald Brothers and Co. They made tobacco products like pipe tobacco and chewing tobacco. They bought tobacco leaves from the southern United States.
The American Civil War (1861-1865) helped their company grow a lot. Most tobacco farms were in the southern states, which were fighting against the northern states. This meant the northern states had a huge shortage of tobacco. Because Macdonald's company was in Canada, he could still buy tobacco from the South. He would bring it to Montreal, process it, and then sell the finished products to the northern United States. This made his company the biggest tobacco company in Canada.
Even though he made a fortune from tobacco, Macdonald often said he was ashamed of his business. He thought smoking was a "filthy and disgusting habit." He even asked people not to smoke around him. This feeling of shame was a big reason why he gave so much money to charity. His company's slogan was "Tobacco with a heart."
Helping Others: Macdonald's Philanthropy
After the Civil War, Macdonald's company continued to do very well. By the early 1870s, it had over 500 employees. Macdonald bought out his brother's share of the company. He then started using his great wealth to help others.
Supporting McGill University
Macdonald gave a lot of money to McGill University in Montreal. He was good friends with John William Dawson, who was the head of the university. Macdonald never had his own family, so he became very fond of the Dawson family. He even built a building at McGill, the Macdonald-Harrington building, named after Dawson's daughter and her husband.
- In 1870, he started funding scholarships for students at McGill. This program still exists today.
- He paid for new buildings for the chemistry and physics departments.
- He also helped pay for the engineering building. For a while, he even paid the salaries for teachers in these new departments because the government didn't have enough money.
- When the engineering building burned down, Macdonald paid to rebuild it. This building was named after him.
- His generosity helped McGill become a famous university. Scientists like Ernest Rutherford, who won a Nobel Prize, came to teach and do research there.
Macdonald also bought land near McGill University to protect it. He bought 25 acres (about 100,000 square meters) north of the main campus. This land became the home for Molson Stadium, the gym, and student residences. This stopped other businesses from building too close to the university and allowed McGill to grow.
Creating Agricultural Schools
Macdonald loved nature and country life. He worked with Dr. James W. Robertson, who was in charge of agriculture for the Canadian government. Together, they started new types of special schools. These schools were built in Quebec, the Maritime Provinces, and Ontario. They taught young people who wanted to work in farming. The lessons included hands-on training, home economics, and gardening.
Macdonald's biggest gift was creating Macdonald College. In 1904, he bought three farms on Montreal Island. On this land, he planned and built Macdonald College, an agriculture training school. It was built between 1905 and 1906 and opened in 1907. Macdonald paid for all the construction and furniture. He also gave $2 million to help the college run. In his will, he left another $1 million for the college. Today, Macdonald College is part of McGill University. It teaches about farming, environmental science, and nutrition.
Other Contributions
Macdonald was also a major owner of the Bank of Montreal. He gave a lot of money to the Montreal General Hospital. He also volunteered for the Montreal Parks and Playgrounds Association, showing his care for the city. In 1914, he became the President and Chancellor of McGill University. He also helped fund the McGill University College of British Columbia, which later became the University of British Columbia.
Legacy and Lasting Impact
Sir William Macdonald died in 1917 and was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. He believed in having two main languages in Canada (English and French). In his will, he set up special funds for law students from McGill University. This money helped English-speaking lawyers from Quebec study French and French law in France.
Macdonald gave more money to charity than almost anyone else in Canadian history. Even with all his wealth and good deeds, he was a humble man who avoided attention. He was very proud of his Scottish background. For nearly a century, a picture of a Scottish girl was on his tobacco product packaging. However, Macdonald personally disliked tobacco and felt ashamed of his business. Five years after he died, his company started making cigarettes in large amounts.
Macdonald never married or had children. He left his tobacco company to Walter and Howard Stewart, the sons of his company manager. The company stayed in the Stewart family until 1973. Then, David M. Stewart sold it and used the money to create the Macdonald Stewart Foundation. This foundation continues to support good causes today.
Many places at McGill University are named after Macdonald or were funded by him and the Macdonald Stewart Foundation:
- Macdonald Campus (formerly Macdonald College)
- Macdonald Engineering Building
- Macdonald-Harrington Building
- Macdonald-Stewart Library Building
- Stewart Biological Sciences Building
- Macdonald Park (land for Molson Stadium, gym, and residences)
- Two special teaching positions (Chairs) in the Law Faculty
Macdonald also founded and funded the Macdonald Institute (around 1903) at the University of Guelph. He also funded Macdonald Hall, a women's residence there, which is now a main building for a business school.
Images for kids
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Sir William Christopher Macdonald
