James Woods (Canadian business executive)

Sir James Woods KBE (1855 – April 25, 1941) was a Canadian industrialist and philanthropist who was knighted in 1915 for wartime industrial work and named knight commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1917 for his work as a member of the British War Commission in New York.[1][3]

Sir

James Woods

KBE
Born1855
Woodstock, Ontario
DiedApril 25, 1941, age 85
NationalityCanadian
Spouse(s)Euphemia Douglas[1] (married June 8, 1880)[2]
Childrentwo sons, two daughters living at the time of his death[1]

In 1928, he was vice-president of Imperial Bank of Canada.[4][5]

He was president of York Knitting Mills Ltd. and of Gordon Mackay and Company Ltd., a wholesale dry goods company. Archives of Gordon Mackay are held by Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

In 1930, he proposed a merger of knitting mill companies including Zimmerknit and Gordon Mackay.[6][7]

Philanthropy

In 1912, he founded St. Christopher House, a settlement house in Toronto now known as West Community House.[8] Later, he was vice-chairman of the Health League of Canada.[1]

Activism

He helped establish the "Forty to Fifty Club", which was intended to help men in this age group find appropriate work.[1]

In 1938, he published a pamphlet titled Insurance of Employment.[9]

Personal life

Woods married Euphemia Douglas on 8 June 1880. Their son, Captain John Robinson Woods, was killed in action on 24 October 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as Passchendaele.[10] Another son, Captain William Blakeney Woods, also served.[11]

References
  1. "Sir James Woods dies at age of 85". The Gazette. Montreal. April 26, 1941. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  2. "Marriage Records for Euphemia Douglas and James Woods". Ancestry.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  3. "Sir James Woods dies, Canadian industrialist". Freeport Journal Standard. Freeport, Illinois. April 25, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  4. "A successful banking year". The Gazette. Montreal. November 30, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  5. "Overview of the current economy by officers of the Bank including Sir James Woods". Daily Sentinel-Review. December 2, 1930. pp. 8, column 1. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  6. "Proposal for reorganization of Zimmerknit". Daily Sentinel-Review. November 24, 1930. pp. 1, column 5. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  7. "Big merger of knitting mills given approval". Daily Sentinel-Review. December 18, 1930. pp. 1, column 6. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  8. "Sir James Woods Award nominations now being accepted". Parkdale Villager. April 5, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  9. AMICUS No. 5148946 at Library and Archives Canada
  10. Library and Archives Canada, Personnel Records of the First World War, Captain John Robinson Woods, RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 10563 - 36.
  11. Library and Archives Canada, Personnel Records of the First World War, Captain William Blakeney Woods, RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 10566 - 33.
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