Fredrik Stefan Eaton, (June 26, 1938 – February 20, 2021) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Eaton family. He was the great-grandson of Eaton's department store founder

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was an Irish businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, ...

Life and career

He was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

John David Eaton John David Eaton (4 October 1909 – 4 August 1973) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family. He was the second son of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario. He was married to Signy Stefansson, a ...

and his wife, Signy Hildur Stefansson, and he was raised in the Forest Hill area. His mother was of Icelandic descent. He had three brothers –

John Craig Eaton Sir John Craig Eaton (April 28, 1876 – March 30, 1922) was a Canadian businessman and a member of the prominent Eaton family. Life and career He was born in Toronto, Ontario, the youngest son of department store magnate Timothy Eaton and h ...

, Thor Edgar Eaton and George Ross Eaton. In 1962, Eaton received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...

and started working as a salesman at Eaton's in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. From 1977 to 1988, he was the chairman, president and CEO of Eaton's. Eaton served as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1991 to 1994. In 1993, he was appointed Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick and served for two terms of five years. He married Catherine "Nicky" Martin and had two children – Fredrik D'Arcy Eaton, who lives in Toronto and is head of the ''Catherine and Fredrik Eaton Charitable Foundation'', and Flora Catherine Eaton Coakley, who lives in New York City. Eaton lived with his family in Toronto, and he also had a country estate in

Caledon, Ontario Caledon (; 2021 population 76,581) is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. From a shortened form of Caledonia, the Roman name for North Britain; Caledon is a developing urban area, althoug ...

, a cottage on

Georgian Bay Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...

, and a winter home in Florida. He was one of the most public members of the Eaton family, and he attended social events and endowed many institutions philanthropically.

Honours

In 1990, Eaton was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

for having "contributed to many aspects of Canadian life. Through his leadership in a variety of organizations, in fields as diverse as those of business, education, nature, health care and the arts, he continued his family's tradition of exemplary service to the public." In 2001, he was awarded the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official Award, honour in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the A ...

for his "contributions in numerous areas including health care and the arts".Order of Ontario
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Fredrik 1938 births 2021 deaths Fredrik Eaton University of New Brunswick alumni Canadian university and college chancellors Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario High Commissioners of Canada to the United Kingdom Businesspeople from Toronto