- Arthur Deane Nesbitt
Arthur Deane Nesbitt (16 November 1910 - 22 February 1978) was a Canadian businessman and a decorated pilot and Wing Commander in
World War II .Deane Nesbitt was born in
Westmount, Quebec , the son of the very successfulstock broker and co-founder ofNesbitt, Thomson and Company ,Arthur James Nesbitt . Trained as anelectrical engineer , after his older brother Aird decided to take over permanent management of the family-owned Ogilvy department store inMontreal , Deane Nesbitt joined the family's securities business. On the death of his father in 1954, he became head of the brokerage and took over the presidency of the Nesbitt Thomsonholding company ,Power Corporation of Canada . Under his guidance, Nesbitt Thomson expanded across Canada, and into theUnited States andEurope . They were the first Canadian firm in three decades to obtain a seat on theNew York Stock Exchange .A flying enthusiast, Deane Nesbitt obtained his pilots license and as a member of the Montreal Light Aeroplane Club, was twice voted the James Lytell Memorial Trophy as the club's top pilot. On the outbreak of
World War II , Deane Nesbitt immediately enlisted in theRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and was trained atCamp Borden as afighter pilot . He was seriously wounded in theBattle of Britain and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Along with his brother Aird who served theCanadian Army , he was part of the liberation of theNetherlands and atEindhoven commanded the RCAF's No.143 Wing from January to August 1945. For his service, Deane Nesbitt received a number of military honors. In 1946 he was made an Officer of theOrder of the British Empire and in 1947 a Commander of theOrder of Orange-Nassau with Swords, and awarded theCroix de Guerre with Silver Star by the government ofFrance .After being decommissioned at the end of the War, Group Captain Deane Nesbitt rejoined the family's St. James Street securities firm. Highly successful in business, he is most often remembered for organizing the 1950s financing for the
TransCanada pipeline , the then largestnatural gas pipeline in the world and one of the most significant energy projects in the history of Canada. His long and successful history in business earned him an induction into theCanadian Business Hall of Fame . Active all his life, at age 68, Deane Nesbitt never recovered from aski ing accident that left him near totally paralyzed. He died in Montreal in 1978 and was interred in theMount Royal Cemetery .In his honor, the
BMO Nesbitt Burns division of theBank of Montreal established the A. Deane Nesbitt/Charles Burns Award recognizing exceptional performance.References
* [http://www.airforce.ca/wwii/ALPHA-NA.html Air Force Association of Canada decorations for A. Deane Nesbitt]
* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume6/332-333.htm Government of Canada, "The Nesbitts" - "Nation Builders" collection]
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