Hartland de M. Molson
 Hartland de M. Molson    (politician, aviator, brewer) | |
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| Born | May 29, 1907 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | September 28, 2002 (Age 95) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Selwyn House School, Bishop's College School, Charterhouse School, Royal Military College of Canada |
| Parents | Herbert Molson |
| Party | Independent |
| Relatives | • Michael Meighen • stepson |
Canadian Anglo-Quebecer politician, Canadian senator, military aviator, and a member of the Molson family of brewers. He attended the 1961 Bilderberg meeting.
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Hartland de Montarville Molson was an Anglo-Quebecer politician, Canadian senator, military aviator, and a member of the Molson family of brewers.[1] He attended the 1961 Bilderberg meeting.
Contents
Background
He was born into the Molson family of brewers; they created Canada's largest brewer, financed the first steamboat and first railway; they owned their own bank, which printed their own currency; and they built their own Anglican church. During the prohibition The rest of Canada (1918-1920s) and the United States (1920-1933) had prohibited alcohol, so Québec was the only place north of Mexico where one could manufacture or buy beer. Molson profited immensely during prohibition. Their beer became popular in illegal bars throughout the United States and Canada.[2] His father was Colonel Herbert Molson, owner of the Molson Brewery in Montreal.
Education
He was educated at Selwyn House School in Montreal, Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec, and the prestigious Charterhouse School in Surrey, England. Returning home, he continued his studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ontario (1924-1928); then, he spent a year as an employee at a bank in Paris to perfect his knowledge of the French language.
He showed a talent for sports. In 1926, he was a hockey player for the Kingston Hockey Club and a member of a football team that won the Dominion Championship. Later in life, he was honorary president of the British Empire Games Association (now Commonwealth Games), member of the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Olympic Association, and member of the Amateur Athletic Union.[3]
Early career
He joined the accounting firm MacDonald-Curie and obtained his chartered accountant designation in 1933.
From 1933 to 1938, he was president of Montreal & Dominion Skyways, after which he joined the Molson Brewery, bound to rise, position after position, to the presidency in 1953.
World War 2
During the Second World War, his professional career was interrupted by the six years in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Already certified as a civilian pilot before the conflict, Molson became a fighter pilot. He participated in the "Battle of Britain", completing 62 combat missions. In October 1940, he was seriously injured after being hit by enemy fire, but survived by jumping by parachute. At the age of 33, he was one of the oldest Allied fighter pilots[4].
Returning to Canada for his convalescence, Molson was sent on a speaking tour in Canada and the United States to promote the war effort. Subsequently, he commanded Squadron 118 and held various strategic positions within Eastern Air Command, notably overseeing the bases of Moncton, Weyburn and Saint-Hubert. As Director of Personnel at the Royal Canadian Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa, he contributed to the organization and management of the RCAF's human resources. He retired from the military with the rank of group Captain and was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Post war career
In 1953, he was appointed President of the family's brewing empire, Molson Breweries. He was president between 1953 and 1966, then Chairman until 1974 and Chairman emeritus until 1983, retiring completely in 1988. During his tenure, the company experienced substantial growth, expanding operations across Canada. Outside of the Molson family businesses, Hartland Molson sat on the Board of Directors of a number of major Canadian companies including the Bank of Montreal and Sun Life Assurance.
In 1948 Hartland Molson was named Governor of McGill University, a position he held for the next twenty years.
Senate
In 1955, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent appointed Molson to the Senate of Canada. He attacked the espionage activities of many Russian diplomats in his maiden speech.[3] Hartland Molson retired from the Senate in 1993 at the age of 86.
FLQ threat
Molson supported the tough " security measures" resuscitated from the Second World War during the Québec emergency. Molson's high-profile image made him a prime target for the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), a banned organization dedicated to Quebec sovereignty. During the 1970 October Crisis, when British diplomat James Cross was kidnapped and Pierre Laporte, the Vice-Premier of Quebec, was kidnapped and killed, Hartland Molson's name was found on a list of future targets.[3]
Philanthropy
Molson was involved with a number of philanthropic causes. He co-initiated the Molson Foundation in 1958, with his brother Thomas Henry Pentland Molson, which has contributed to a broad spectrum of areas, including the arts, sports, infrastructure projects, the Molson nature reserve, and several faculties. Renamed the Molson Family Foundation in 1981, it has dispersed over $120 million in grants. It has also made major gifts to the Montreal Neurological Institute and Montreal General Hospital, the Canadian Paraplegic Association, the Douglas Hospital Corporation, and the Boy Scouts of Canada.
Family
In 1931, he married Helen Hogg but divorced in 1938. They had a daughter, Zoe. She married Henry Nicholas Paul Hardinge, 5th Viscount Hardinge, and moved to live in Jersey.
His second wife, Magdalena Posner, died in 1982. In 1990 Molson married Peggy deLancey Robinson, the widow of former Senator Theodore Meighen. He remained married to Peggy until her death on 18 December 2000. Through his marriage to Peggy, he was also a stepfather to Senator Michael Meighen.[3]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1961 | 21 April 1961 | 23 April 1961 | Canada Quebec St-Castin | The 10th Bilderberg, the first in Canada and the 2nd outside Europe. |
