Peter Charles Larkin, (May 14, 1855 – February 3, 1930) 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, diplomat and political patron.

Business career

Larkin, a world traveller who specialized in finding foodstuffs for import, was best known for founding the Salada Tea Company in 1892. Larkin introduced the concept of packaging tea in

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

to maintain quality. Previously, tea had been sold in loose form. This innovation proved popular and soon became the industry standard, helping to establish Salada as a leading seller of tea in Canada and the northeastern U.S., with factories 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 ancho ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Political influence

Larkin was a close friend of Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

and

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 ...

. He was one of several wealthy supporters of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

who contributed furniture, china and silver to

Laurier House Laurier House (french: Maison Laurier) is a National Historic Site in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (in the Sandy Hill district). It was formerly the residence of two Canadian prime ministers: Sir Wilfrid Laurier (for whom the house is named) and Will ...

, the residence of Mackenzie King. In the late 1920s, Larkin raised $250,000 for Mackenzie King in order to give him financial security. As

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Hou ...

, Mackenzie King appointed Larkin as Canadian high commissioner to the United Kingdom, a position he held until his death. Larkin was the driving force behind Canada's acquisition of the building later known as

Canada House Canada House (french: Maison du Canada) is a Greek Revival building on Trafalgar Square in London. It has been a Grade II* Listed Building since 1970. It has served as the offices of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom since 192 ...

in London to house the Canadian high commission.

Personal life and death

On June 27, 1883, Larkin married Hannah Jean Ross in

Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It i ...

. They had one daughter and one son, Gerald Ross Larkin (1885–1961). The latter managed the Salada Tea Company from the 1920s until he retired in 1957.Gerald Larkin
Chancellors' Circle of Benefactors. On February 3, 1930, Larkin died at the age of 74 in London, England.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Peter Charles 1855 births 1930 deaths Businesspeople from Montreal High Commissioners of Canada to the United Kingdom Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada