Henry Birks (30 November 1840 – 16 April 1928) 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 founder of

Henry Birks and Sons Birks Group Inc. (formerly Birks & Mayors Inc.) is a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of jewellery, timepieces, silverware and gifts, with stores and manufacturing facilities located in Canada and the United States. The Group was created ...

, a chain of high-end Canadian jewellery stores. He was born to English immigrants from Yorkshire, England. His parents moved to Canada in 1832. Son of John Birks, a pharmacist, and Ann Marie, he did his schooling in commercial studies at the

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...

. In 1857, Birks was hired as a clerk at Savage and Lyman 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- ...

, reputed to be the finest jeweller and watchmaker in the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

at that time. Although Birks eventually became a partner in the firm in 1868, the company's later financial difficulties encouraged Birks to leave in 1877."Birks, Henry."
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
'. Retrieved 2008-07-29. With an investment of C$3000, Birks opened his own small jewellery shop in 1879 on Saint James Street in the heart of Montreal's financial and commercial district. In 1893, Birks went into partnership with his three sons (William, John and Gerald), and the name of the firm became ''Henry Birks and Sons''. As the focus of Montreal's commercial centre moved north towards

Saint Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street (french: rue Sainte-Catherine) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and d ...

, the Birks store moved to new premises on Phillips Square in 1894, where the company still maintains a store and corporate offices. Commencing in 1901, Birks oversaw the expansion of the company across the country, with stores opening in Canada's largest cities. Henry Birks served as a prototype to many Canadian entrepreneurs of the 19th century. The son of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

immigrants, his education was focused primarily on commerce, and he subsequently put it into practice by working in a large and successful firm. As soon as the circumstances would permit, he started his own company, which prospered and ultimately became a Canada-wide commercial empire. Monument Henry Birks 2

Five successive generations of the Birks family have been involved in Henry Birks and Sons since its founding in 1879. One of Birks' sons, Gerald Birks, proposed an educational system for Canadian soldiers known as the

Khaki University Khaki University (initially Khaki College or University of Vimy Ridge) was a Canadian overseas educational institution set up and managed by the general staff of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Britain 1917–19 during the First World ...

, which was ultimately implemented for all soldiers in 1917. The

William and Henry Birks Building William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of ...

at Montreal's

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

, a

Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

structure on University Street, is named in honour of Birks and one of his sons.William and Henry Birks Building

. Retrieved 2008-07-29.

References

External links

* 1840 births 1928 deaths Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Businesspeople from Montreal High School of Montreal alumni Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery {{Canada-business-bio-stub, Birks, Henry