Rowland Cardwell Frazee, (May 12, 1921 – July 29, 2007) 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 ...

banker and former chairman and chief executive officer of the Royal Bank of Canada from 1979 to 1986.

Biography

Born in Halifax,

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 ...

, at age five, the family moved to St. Stephen, New Brunswick where his father had been appointed bank manager. At age eighteen, Rowland Frazee went to work as a clerk at his father's branch but following the outbreak of

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 ...

he enlisted in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

in 1941 serving overseas with

The Carleton and York Regiment The Carleton and York Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). In 1954, the regiment was amalgamated with The New Brunswick Scottish and The North Shore (New Brunswick) ...

, First Canadian Infantry Division, with whom he participated in the July 1943 allied landings in Sicily. Wounded on three occasions, Frazee distinguished himself in the Italian campaign and in northwest Europe. At the time of his decommissioning in 1945 he held the rank of Major. After the war, Frazee studied at Dalhousie University in Halifax, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

degree in 1948. Resuming his banking career, he rose to become the Royal Bank's president in 1977 and assumed the role of chairman and chief executive officer in 1980. He retired from the bank on May 31, 1986, but remained a member of the board of directors until 1992. In 1985, he 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 ...

and was promoted to Companion in 1991. In 2001, he was inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame. His son, Stephen Frazee, is a successful Toronto real estate broker and his daughter,

Catherine Frazee Catherine Frazee is a Canadian educator, activist, researcher, poet and writer. She is currently professor emerita in the School of Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Prior to her retirement from R ...

, a former chair of the

Ontario Human Rights Commission The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961, to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code. The OHRC is an arm's length agency of government accountable to the legislature through ...

, is a retired Professor of Distinction at the

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

School of Disability Studies.

References

External links

* 1921 births 2007 deaths Canadian Anglicans Royal Bank of Canada presidents Directors of Royal Bank of Canada Canadian military personnel of World War II Canadian Army officers Canadian people of Scottish descent Companions of the Order of Canada Dalhousie University alumni People from Halifax, Nova Scotia People from St. Stephen, New Brunswick Carleton and York Regiment Royal New Brunswick Regiment {{canada-business-bio-stub