James Armstrong Richardson (1885-1939)

Grain merchant, aviation executive.

Born at Kingston, Ontario on 21 August 1885, son of George Algernon Richardson and Agnes McCausland, he was educated at Hillcroft Academy and Queen’s University. He became employed with the family firm, James Richardson & Sons, in 1906 at Kingston then took charge of the Toronto office, running it from 1907 to 1912, when he came to Winnipeg as vice-president in charge of western branches, a position he held until 1918. That year, he became associated with the Allied Wheat Commission and at the joint request of the buyer for the Allied government and the Eastern Canadian mills, he took charge of wheat distribution to the 284 flour mills in Eastern Canada. He was also asked to become vice-president of the Wheat Export Company, Ltd., as second in command of the purchasing and forwarding of grain products for the allied governments in Canada.

In 1919, he became President and General Manager of James Richardson & Sons. He was a member of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange (and its president in 1923-1924), the Calgary Grain Exchange, the Toronto Board of Trade, the Montreal Board of Trade, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the New York Produce Exchange. He was a Director of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, President of the Eastern Terminal Elevator Company, President of the Pioneer Grain Company, President of the Anchor Elevator Company, Vice-President of the Great Lakes Transportation Company, Vice-President of the Guardian Realty Company of Canada, Director of the Valley Camp Coal Company (Cleveland, Ohio), Director of the Kingston, Portsmouth & Cataraqui Electric Railway Company, Director of the Great-West Life Assurance Company (1928-1939), and a member of the Canadian National Council for the Blind. In 1926 he helped found Western Canada Airways, a pioneer enterprise in northern flying, and merged it with other operations into Canadian Airways Ltd. (of which he was president) in 1929.

On 21 May 1919, he married Muriel Sprague of Belleville, Ontario. They had four children: George Taylor Richardson, James A. Richardson, Agnes McCausland Richardson Benidickson, and Kathleen Richardson. He was a member of the Manitoba Club, the St. Charles Country Club, the Pine Ridge Golf Club (Winnipeg), the University Club (Toronto), the Canadian Club (New York), the Frontenac Club (Kingston), and the Winnipeg Squash and Racquet Club.

Sources:

Profile revised: 13 June 2009

A collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Send inquiries to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  |  Sources  |  Acknowledgements