George Albertus Cox
Encyclopedia
George Albertus Cox was a very prominent Canadian
businessman and a member of the Canadian Senate
.
He was born in Colborne, Upper Canada
in 1840. He began work as a telegraph operator for the Montreal Telegraph Company and became their agent in Peterborough, Ontario
. In 1861, he became an agent for the Canada Life Assurance Company. He served 7 years as mayor of Peterborough and accumulated much real estate in the Peterborough area. In 1878, he became president of the Midland Railway of Canada
, later leasing it to the Grand Trunk Railway
. In 1884, he founded the Central Canada Loan and Savings Company. He moved to Toronto
in 1888 and became president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce
in 1890.
During the 1890s, he was involved in the purchase of the Toronto Globe
and the Toronto Evening Star
. In 1896, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Sir Wilfrid Laurier
. In 1898 Cox and Edward Rogers Wood
incorporated the National Trust Company in Toronto that became the Scotia Trust in 1997 and part of the Bank of Nova Scotia. In 1900, he became president and general manager of Canada Life Assurance. In 1901 Cox and Edward Rogers Wood
established investment dealer Dominion Securities Corporation Limited, today a part of the Royal Bank of Canada
.
By this time, he controlled many of the important Canadian companies in the insurance and finance sectors. His companies helped finance the Canadian Northern Railway
, the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company and a major utility company in Brazil
. Cox was one of the few Canadian millionaires of his era. A number of the young men who got their start in Cox companies, such as William Thomas White
, James Henry Gundy
, Edward Robert Peacock
, and Frank Porter Wood
(20 year younger brother of Edward Rogers Wood
).
He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Victorian Order of Nurses
, a founding member of the Canadian Red Cross
and an active member of the Methodist Church
.
He died in Toronto
in 1914 and was buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman and a member of the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
.
He was born in Colborne, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1840. He began work as a telegraph operator for the Montreal Telegraph Company and became their agent in Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
. In 1861, he became an agent for the Canada Life Assurance Company. He served 7 years as mayor of Peterborough and accumulated much real estate in the Peterborough area. In 1878, he became president of the Midland Railway of Canada
Midland Railway of Canada
The Midland Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway which ran from Port Hope, Ontario to Midland on Georgian Bay.-Early days:This railway was originally conceived as a rail link between Port Hope and Peterborough and the company was originally named The Peterborough and Port Hope...
, later leasing it to the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
. In 1884, he founded the Central Canada Loan and Savings Company. He moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1888 and became president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce
Canadian Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was a Canadian bank cofounded in 1867 by William McMaster. The Canadian Bank of Commerce opened in Toronto with a charter in 1866 that it purchased from the defunct Bank of Canada, which folded in 1858....
in 1890.
During the 1890s, he was involved in the purchase of the Toronto Globe
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
and the Toronto Evening Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
. In 1896, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
. In 1898 Cox and Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood was a prominent financier in Canadian business, notable for his role in the development of the Brazilian Traction, Light and Power Company Limited and for his links with the “Peterborough Methodist Mafia” of George Albertus Cox...
incorporated the National Trust Company in Toronto that became the Scotia Trust in 1997 and part of the Bank of Nova Scotia. In 1900, he became president and general manager of Canada Life Assurance. In 1901 Cox and Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood was a prominent financier in Canadian business, notable for his role in the development of the Brazilian Traction, Light and Power Company Limited and for his links with the “Peterborough Methodist Mafia” of George Albertus Cox...
established investment dealer Dominion Securities Corporation Limited, today a part of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
.
By this time, he controlled many of the important Canadian companies in the insurance and finance sectors. His companies helped finance the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
, the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company and a major utility company in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Cox was one of the few Canadian millionaires of his era. A number of the young men who got their start in Cox companies, such as William Thomas White
William Thomas White
Sir William Thomas White, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician and Cabinet minister.-Biography:White worked as a reporter for the Toronto Evening Telegram in 1890, and subsequently worked for Toronto's Assessment Department...
, James Henry Gundy
James Henry Gundy
James Henry Gundy was a Canadian businessman who co-founded Wood Gundy and Company, stockbrokerage in Toronto, Ontario in 1905....
, Edward Robert Peacock
Edward Robert Peacock
Sir Edward Robert Peacock, GCVO was a Canadian merchant banker, born in St. Elmo, Glengarry County, Ontario. He is perhaps best known as a director of the Bank of England, or for his role as Receiver General to the Duchy of Cornwall.-Early life:...
, and Frank Porter Wood
Frank Porter Wood
Frank Porter Wood, son of Canadian immigrants - an Irish father and a Scottish mother , was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada on 29 June 1882 and died on 20 March 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He married Emma Matilda Junkin in 1906 and had three daughters: Mary Dorothy Porter Wood,...
(20 year younger brother of Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood
Edward Rogers Wood was a prominent financier in Canadian business, notable for his role in the development of the Brazilian Traction, Light and Power Company Limited and for his links with the “Peterborough Methodist Mafia” of George Albertus Cox...
).
He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Victorian Order of Nurses
Victorian Order of Nurses
The Victorian Order of Nurses is a non-profit charitable organization founded in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on January 29, 1897 created as a gift for Queen Victoria for the purposes of home care and social services. It is registered as a charity the Canada Revenue Agency, charity number...
, a founding member of the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
and an active member of the Methodist Church
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
He died in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1914 and was buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...
.