William Donald Ross
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William Donald Ross (June 20, 1869 – June 25, 1947), was a financier, banker and the 14th
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the , who operates distinctly within the province bu ...
. Born in 1869 in
Bras d'Or, Nova Scotia Bras d'Or is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistiq ...
, Ross went to work for the
Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...
emptying wastebaskets at the age of 14. The family farm had failed and Ross left school in order to earn money . He rose through the ranks, becoming manager of branches in Stellarton and
New Glasgow New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...
before becoming manager of the Charlottetown branch at the age of 24."Served Ontario as Lt.-Governor, Banker, 78, Dies," ''Globe and Mail'', June 26, 1947, p. 3. In 1901, he joined the
Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...
in Ottawa before becoming general manager of the Metropolitan Bank of Toronto and moving to
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 ...
with his wife and children. In his new city, Ross helped find the funds to found Branksome Hall, a new
private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
for girls, operated by his cousin. In 1914, the Metropolitan Bank was acquired by the Bank of Nova Scotia, where Ross would ultimately become vice-president and sit on the board of directors. Ross's first wife, Susan Archibald McGregor, died in 1909. Her father would become Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. They had three children: Donald, Isabel and Susan. He later married Isabel MacKay and they had two children: Jean and John. A supporter of and fundraiser for the Liberal Party of Canada, Ross was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario by
Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy an ...
, on the advice of
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 L ...
, in 1926. He asked to be relieved from office in 1931 due to the onset of the Great Depression as his income from private investments declined and he was no longer sufficient to supplement the $10,000 annual salary he received in his vice-regal role. In 1937, Ross became co-owner of the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
baseball team. His son Donald became club president. He died in Toronto in 1947.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, William Donald 1869 births 1947 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Ontario People from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Canadian Presbyterians Canadian people of Scottish descent People from Old Toronto