John William Little

Last updated January 16, 2024

Colonel John William Little (JW) was a businessman and mayor of London, Ontario, Canada from 1895 to 1897.^[1] He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 18, 1848, the first-born child of Thomas Little and Rebecca Robinson.

He was raised and educated in Montreal. In 1875, he moved to London, Ontario and joined his uncle in a partnership that became Robinson, Little. The company rapidly expanded throughout Ontario, the North-West Territories and British Columbia, buying out, in 1887, J.B. Laing & Co., in 1890, John Birrell & Co., both of London and in 1908 they acquired Greenshields Western Ltd. He was also vice-chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Western Ontario, where he was a major influence in re-organization of the university when in 1908 it became a civic enterprise and also non-denominational. His generosity made possible the building of a stadium for both sports and convocations, which was completed in 1929 and named in his honour the J.W. Little Memorial Stadium.

He served on the Board of Water commissioners, was a director of the London and Southeastern Railway and a vice chairman of the Western Fair. In 1885 he joined the Seventh Regiment, Canadian Fusiliers as a Captain and by 1902 took command as Lieutenant-Colonel. He died July 22, 1913.

Family

He had seven sons. His first son, Arthur T. Little, was chair of the Board of Governors and oversaw the construction of J.W. Little Memorial Stadium at UWO. Herbert Melville Little, was a physician and surgeon. Walter Hartley Little was a businessman and sportsman. The third son was Canadian senator Edgar Sydney Little, businessman, gentleman-farmer and politician. Harold Robert Little, became an architect and engineer. George Wilfred Little, was a businessman, sportsman and soldier. Ernest Victor Little, was a businessman.

Related Research Articles

Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham, was a British businessman, politician, diplomat and the first Governor General of the united Province of Canada.

Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, styled as Hon. Frederick Stanley from 1844 to 1886 and as The Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886 and Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. An avid sportsman, he built Stanley House Stables in England and is famous in North America for presenting Canada with the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy in ice hockey. Stanley was also one of the original inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Frank Ray Lawson, was the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada, from 1946 to 1952.

General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Drummond distinguished himself on the Niagara front in the War of 1812 and later became Governor-General and Administrator of Canada.

The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pioneering African-American player Jackie Robinson was a member for the 1946 season. The 1946 Royals were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.

Michael Arthur Meighen, is a Canadian lawyer, cultural patron, and former senator. He practised as a litigation and commercial lawyer in Montreal and Toronto. He is a grandson of Arthur Meighen, the ninth Prime Minister of Canada.

Earl Herbert Orser, was a Canadian businessman.

Paul Desmarais Jr. is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He has been the chairman and co-CEO of Power Corporation of Canada since 1996.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Hugh Andrew Montagu Allan, was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was the principal heir of his father, Sir Hugh Allan, and became deputy chairman of the family-owned Allan Steamship Line. He was president of several major Canadian financial institutions and of the Montreal General Hospital. He co-founded and was president of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montreal. In 1940, he and his wife donated their Montreal home, Ravenscrag, to the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, and it became known as the Allan Memorial Institute. He is best remembered as a sportsman who donated the Allan Cup, a trophy that is still awarded today to the Canadian men's amateur ice hockey champions.

Joseph Louis Rotman,, was a noted Canadian businessman and philanthropist. Rotman was the founder, benefactor and member of many successful organizations, such as the Clairvest Group Inc., the Rotman Research Institute, the Rotman School of Management, and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. Throughout his life, he received three honorary degrees, as well as an induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He is well-regarded for donating his time and financial assistance to numerous philanthropic causes including the arts, education and healthcare.

Lawrence M. Tanenbaum is a Canadian businessman and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). He owns a 25% stake in MLSE through his holding company Kilmer Sports Inc.

Edgar Sydney Little was a Canadian businessman and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Ritchie</span> Canadian politician

Ronald Stuart Ritchie, CM was a Canadian economist, business leader, public servant, writer, and politician. He is best known for his role in founding the Institute for Research on Public Policy, but also served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada during the Joe Clark government.

Ross Henderson Paul, CM is a university administrator who was the fifth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Windsor. He completed his term of office as president on June 30, 2008.

James G. Thompson was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and sportsman. He was best known for designing and building the Miss Supertest hydroplanes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Alton Corry Coleman</span> Canadian railway executive and businessman

D'Alton Corry Coleman was a Canadian railway executive and businessman. He began working for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1899, and was promoted through its ranks until serving as president from 1942 to 1947. He oversaw expansion which added 3,620 kilometres (2,250 mi) of branch lines in the Canadian Prairies, and guided Western Canada railways through the Great Depression. He developed the CPR to support logistics during World War II, including manufacture of munitions, expanded shipbuilding and established one of the country's first private blood donation clinics. Canadian Pacific Air Lines was established under his leadership, and he became chairman of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, Canadian Pacific Hotels and other subsidiaries. He maintained good relations between the CPR and its unionized workers and believed in promoting from within the company.

James Leveson Ross, of Montreal, was a Scottish-born Canadian civil engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He established his fortune predominantly through railway construction, notably for the Canadian Pacific Railway, of which he was the major shareholder, and advising Lord Strathcona on railway projects in Argentina and Chile. He oversaw the electrification of street railways in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saint John, Birmingham (England), Mexico City and São Paulo. He was president of the Dominion Bridge Company, the Mexican Power Company etc. He was Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars and Governor of McGill University and the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was an avid collector of the Old Masters and president of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. He owned several yachts including two named Glencairn and became the first Canadian to be made a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He funded the construction of the Ross Memorial Wing at the Royal Vic; the Ross Memorial Hospital and Nurse's Home at Lindsay, Ontario; and the Protestant Hospital for the Insane at Verdun, Quebec. He lived in the Golden Square Mile.

John Forsyth was a partner in the influential commercial house of Forsyth, Richardson & Co. He was a politician, co-founder and vice-president of the Bank of Montreal, and Colonel of the Royal Montreal Cavalry. He founded the Montreal Hunt in 1826 and was a member of the Beaver Club. He is the ancestor of the Forsyth-Grants of Ecclesgreig Castle.

The Western Mustangs football team represents the University of Western Ontario in Canadian university football. The Mustangs compete as a member of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), under the U Sports association.

References

↑ "Movers and Shakers: Influential People from London's Past". mountpleasantcemeterylondon.ca. Retrieved 2023-10-15.

This Canadian history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about a mayor in Ontario is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Movers and Shakers: Influential People from London's Past". mountpleasantcemeterylondon.ca. Retrieved 2023-10-15.

[1]