Arthur Blaikie Purvis, PC (31 March 1890 – 14 August 1941) was a British-born Canadian industrialist who coordinated British war purchases in North America during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Life and career

Purvis was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to a Scottish father and was educated at the

Tottenham Grammar School Tottenham Grammar School (TGS) was a renowned grammar school in North London, with local football connections. History A Tottenham grammar school had existed for centuries. Its origins are unclear, possibly dating back to 1456 but in 1631 a le ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Purvis was responsible for the purchase of materials for explosives in America. After the War, he moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to head

Canadian Industries Limited Canadian Industries Limited, also known as C-I-L, is a Canadian chemicals manufacturer. Products include paints, fertilizers and pesticides, and explosives. It was formed in 1910 by the merger of five Canadian explosives companies. It was until r ...

. In 1936, he was appointed by

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...

to chair the National Employment Commission. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Purvis was appointed by the British government to be director-general of the

British Purchasing Commission The British Purchasing Commission was a United Kingdom organisation of the Second World War. Also known at some time as the "Anglo-French Purchasing Board", it was based in New York City, where it arranged the production and purchase of armaments fr ...

, which was charged with buying war supplies from the United States. He was also chairman of the Anglo-French Purchasing Board, where he worked alongside

Jean Monnet Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet (; 9 November 1888 – 16 March 1979) was a French civil servant, entrepreneur, diplomat, financier, administrator, and political visionary. An influential supporter of European unity, he is considered one of the ...

. In June 1940, when France was on the verge of concluding an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

with Germany, Purvis arranged to take over all the pending French weapons contracts in the United States at the cost of $612 million. Purvis negotiated for the British during September 1940 to secure items like torpedo-boats, aircraft and munitions that the United States would provide the British in addition to the 50 destroyers as part of the

Destroyers for Bases Agreement The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, according to which 50 , , and US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights ...

. In 1941, he was made chairman of the British Supply Council in North America, having overall responsibility over all British war purchases in the United States. Purvis worked closely with Treasury Secretary

Henry Morgenthau Jr. Henry Morgenthau Jr. (; May 11, 1891February 6, 1967) was the United States Secretary of the Treasury during most of the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal. After 1937, while ...

, "almost as closely together as two Ministers in the same Cabinet." He was killed in an air crash on 14 August 1941, when his plane crashed shortly after taking off from

RAF Heathfield RAF Heathfield, sometimes known as RAF Ayr/Heathfield due to its proximity to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which was also used by military flights, is a former Royal Air Force station. Like many other wartime airfields, its runways were of the t ...

in Scotland. He was succeeded as chairman of the BSC by

Morris Wilson Morris Watson Wilson, CMG (1 March 1883 – 14 May 1946) was a Canadian banker. Biography Born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Wilson was the president of the Royal Bank of Canada between 1934 and 1946, becoming the first professional banker to he ...

. Purvis' contemporaries held him in high regard:

wrote that Purvis was "the ablest British representative in Washington but one of the rarest persons I have ever known", while Jean Monnet wrote that he "served the Allied war effort magnificently until his death". On his death,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

wrote that "Purvis was a grievous loss, as he held so many British, American, and Canadian threads in his hands". He was succeeded as head of the British Supply Council by

Purvis was made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in 1940, but was killed before he could be sworn in. Purvis Hall at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

is named after him."Purvis Hall (formerly Sir Mortimer B. Davis House)"
McGill University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purvis, Arthur Blaikie 1890 births 1941 deaths Canadian industrialists Canadian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Scotland British emigrants to Canada Businesspeople from London Canadian civilians killed in World War II