Morris Watson Wilson,
CMG (1 March 1883 – 14 May 1946) was a Canadian banker.
Biography
Born in
Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Wilson was the president of the
Royal Bank of Canada between 1934 and 1946, becoming the first professional banker to head the bank.
During
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 ...
, Wilson was appointed vice-chairman of the British Supply Council in North America in 1941, and became its chairman after the death of chairman
Arthur Blaikie Purvis in 1941. He was also the head of the Atlantic Ferry Organisation (ATFERO), the civilian precursor of the
RAF Ferry Command
RAF Ferry Command was the secretive Royal Air Force command formed on 20 July 1941 to ferry urgently needed aircraft from their place of manufacture in the United States and Canada, to the front line operational units in Britain, Europe, North Af ...
, and the North American representative of the British
Ministry of Aircraft Production. For his wartime services, he was appointed
CMG in 1944.
Between 1943 and 1946 Wilson was the Chancellor of
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
in succession to
Sir Edward Beatty, having been a Governor since 1937. He served as Chancellor and president of the Royal Bank of Canada until his sudden death, of a heart attack, in 1946.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Morris
1883 births
1946 deaths
Royal Bank of Canada presidents
Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Chancellors of McGill University
People from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia