Hartland Molson

Infobox Military Person


name=Hartland de Montarville Molson
|caption=
rank= The Honourable
branch=air force|CanadaCanadian Forces Air Command-Canadian Forces
commands=
unit= -No. 1 Fighter Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force
battles=
family=
nickname=
allegiance=Canada
lived=Born in 1907
placeofbirth= Montreal, Quebec
placeofdeath=
serviceyears=
portrayedby=
laterwork=
awards= OBE , OC

Hartland de Montarville Molson, OBE , OC , DCL , FCA (May 29, 1907 - September 28, 2002) was an Anglo-Quebecer statesman, Canadian Senator and a member of the prominent Molson family of brewers.

Education

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a wealthy brewing family, Hartland Molson was educated at Selwyn House School in Montreal and at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec before attending the Royal Military College of Canada at Kingston, Ontario where he played ice hockey for the Kingston Juniors team that made it to the 1926 Memorial Cup finals. An all-around athlete, Molson also played first string football, made it to the colleges boxing finals twice, and was a member of the track and field team. After graduating in 1928, the bilingual Molson was then sent for training in finance as an employee at a bank in Paris, France. On his return home, he earned his Chartered Accountant designation and in his spare time took flying lessons.

In 1931, he married Helen Hogg with whom he had a daughter, Zoe. She married Henry Nicholas Paul Hardinge, 5th Viscount Hardinge and moved to live in Jersey.

Military Service

He enlisted in Montreal, Quebec on 21 September 1939. With the onset of World War II, Molson became a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), serving in England with the No. 1 Fighter Squadron. He earned his wings on 11 April 1940. During 1940, he flew on 62 missions during the Battle of Britain. After being wounded in action, he was repatriated to Canada. He continued to serve in a variety of administrative positions until the end of the war and commanded several RCAF stations. He commanded No.8 SFTS and the Directorate of Personnel, AFHQ, 16 July 1944. Discharged in September 1945, after the 1945 German surrender, the following year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Business

At home in Montreal, in 1948 Hartland Molson was named Governor of McGill University, a position he held for the next twenty years. In 1953, he was appointed President of the family's brewing empire, Molson Breweries. He served as 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 served on the Board of Directors of a number of major Canadian companies including the Bank of Montreal and Sun Life Assurance.

enate

In 1955, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent appointed Hartland Molson to the Canadian Senate. Hartland Molson retired from the Senate in 1993 at the age of 86 - the last Senator to serve past the mandatory retirement age of 75 as he was appointed prior to the institution of the limit in 1965 and thus exempt.

Hockey

In 1957, in partnership with his brother Tom Molson, he purchased the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team. As a member of the Board of Governors of the National Hockey League, Molson was instrumental in raising the profile of both the league and his brewing company through sponsorship of the Hockey Night in Canada television broadcasts. As head of the Montreal Canadiens team, he helped develop the personnel to end the Detroit Red Wings dominance, building one of the greatest dynasties in all of sport. In 1973, he was inducted into the builders category of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Quebec sovereignty

His high profile image made him a prime target for the Front de libération du Québec, a terrorist 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 murdered, Hartland Molson's name was found on a terrorists' list of future victims.

Philanthropy

Hartland Molson was involved with a number of a philanthropic causes including the Canadian Paraplegic Association, the Montreal General Hospital, the Douglas Hospital Corporation, and the Boy Scouts of Canada.

Awards and Recognition

In 1995, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2000, the Ordre national du Québec, the highest civilian honor of his country and his native province. Hartland Molson Hall at Bishop's College School is named for him.

References

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?Language=E&query=1424&s=M Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]
* [http://www.airforce.ca/wwii/ALPHA-M.MO.html Hartland Molson] succession box
before=Charles Ballantyne
title=Canadian senator for the Alma senate division
years=1955-1993
after=W. David Angus

Books

*4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
*H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1969.
*H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
*H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968 Kingston, Ontario.
*H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. RMC. Kingston, Ontario. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984