Arthur Deane Nesbitt OBE, DFC, CdeG (16 November 1910 – 22 February 1978) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

businessman and a decorated

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

and

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

World War II 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 opposing ...

Early life

Nesbitt was born in Westmount, Quebec, the son of the very successful stockbroker and co-founder of

Nesbitt, Thomson and Company Nesbitt, Thomson and Company was a Canadian stock brokerage firm that was founded in 1912 by Arthur J. Nesbitt and Peter A. T. Thomson. The firm was headquartered on St. James Street in Montreal, Quebec.Nesbitt, A. R. Deane. ''Dry Goods & Pic ...

Arthur James Nesbitt Arthur James Nesbitt (August 19, 1880 – October 24, 1954) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was a cofounder of Nesbitt, Thomson and Company stockbrokerage and the Power Corporation of Canada. Biography Salesman and Royal Secu ...

. Trained as an electrical engineer, after his older brother Aird decided to take over permanent management of the family-owned Ogilvy department store in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Nesbitt joined the family's securities business. On the death of his father in 1954, he became head of the

brokerage firm A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...

and took over the presidency of the Nesbitt Thomson

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

Power Corporation of Canada Power Corporation of Canada () is a management and holding company that focuses on financial services in North America, Europe and Asia. Its core holdings are insurance, retirement, wealth management and investment management, including a portfol ...

. Under his guidance, Nesbitt Thomson expanded across Canada, and into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. They were the first Canadian firm in three decades to obtain a seat on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...

. A flying enthusiast, Nesbitt obtained his pilot's license and as a member of the Montreal Light Aeroplane Club, and was twice voted the James Lytell Memorial Trophy as the club's top

Wartime Service

He had 200 flying hours to his credit when he enlisted in the R.C.A.F. on 15 September 1939. Nesbitt was trained at

Camp Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, C ...

as a fighter pilot. As a Flying Officer Nesbitt was then posted to No 1 Squadron RCAF, and flew Hurricanes with the unit during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

before being wounded on 15 September. On 26 August 1940 Nesbitt claimed a 'Do215' destroyed, and Bf 109s on 4 and 15 September. He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross. When recovered he later commanded No.401 Squadron, and returned to Canada in September 1941 to command No.14 Squadron and later No.111 Squadron. He was promoted to Wing Commander in June 1942 and given command of Station Annette Island.Nesbitt was made CO, No.6 SFTS, Dunneville, in December 1943, and in March 1944 returned to the UK to command No.144 Wing. he then joined No.83 Group HQ as Accidents Investigation Officer. Promoted to Group Captain on 1 January 1945, Nesbitt then commanded No.143 Wing, with Hawker Typhoons, from January to August 1945 before returning to Canada in September 1945, retiring in November 1947. Along with his brother Aird, who served in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

, he was part of the liberation of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and at Eindhoven. For his service, Nesbitt received a number of military honours. In 1946 he was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

and in 1947 a Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

with Swords, and awarded the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star by the government of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Postwar career

After being decommissioned at the end of the War, Nesbitt rejoined the family's St. James Street securities firm. Highly successful in business, he also organised the financing for the

TransCanada pipeline The TransCanada pipeline is a system of natural gas pipelines, up to in diameter, that carries gas through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. It is maintained by TransCanada PipeLines, LP. It is the longest pipeline in Canad ...

in the 1950s, the then-largest

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

pipeline in the world and one of the most significant energy projects in the history of Canada. His long and successful business career earned him an induction into the

Canadian Business Hall of Fame The Canadian Business Hall of Fame celebrates the outstanding achievements of Canada's most distinguished business leaders, past and present. Over 170 Order of the Business Hall of Fame Companions serve as inspiring examples for all young Canadians ...

. At the age of 68, Nesbitt suffered a

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

ing accident that left him near totally paralyzed on 4 February. He died in Montreal in 1978 and was interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery. In his honor, the

BMO Nesbitt Burns The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

division of the Bank of Montreal established the A. Deane Nesbitt/Charles Burns Award recognizing exceptional performance.

References

Sources

Air Force Association of Canada decorations for A. Deane Nesbitt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbitt, Arthur Deane 1910 births 1978 deaths Canadian aviators Canadian World War II pilots Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian stockbrokers The Few Bishop's College School alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Power Corporation of Canada People from Montreal People from Westmount, Quebec Royal Canadian Air Force officers Stock and commodity market managers Anglophone Quebec people Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery

Early life

Wartime Service

Postwar career

See also

References

Sources