Richard B. Angus

Richard Bladworth Angus (28 May, 1831 – 17 September, 1922) was a Scottish-Canadian financier, banker and philanthropist.

Early life

Angus was born and educated in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, where as a young man he was employed by the Manchester and Liverpool Bank. By 1857 he had secured a position with the Bank of Montreal. He emigrated to North America and represented the bank in its offices in Chicago and New York City, prior to moving to the bank's headquarters in Montreal, Quebec in 1864. He rose quickly through the ranks, and by 1869 had become its general manager, a position he was to hold until 1879.

Railway financier

Following this period, he relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota to represent the interests of a group of railway entrepreneurs that had acquired the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway. This group formed the nucleus of a syndicate including Angus, George Stephen, James J. Hill, Duncan McIntyre, John Stewart Kennedy, Donald A. Smith and Norman Kittson that was to subsequently oversee the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Although the construction was fraught with financial peril, the CPR, completed in 1885, was an immediate financial success and made Angus a very wealthy man.

Philanthropist and president of the Bank of Montreal

He was subsequently known for his philanthropic activities, notably his support of various Montreal hospitals and bequests to McGill University. As a prominent Scots-Quebecer, Angus also served as president of the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal.

On July 22 1910, Angus, although already in his eighties, rejoined the Bank of Montreal as president, a position which he held until November 1913.

He had married Mary Anne Daniels (died March 13, 1913) on June 13, 1857. They had three sons and six daughters.

He died in Senneville, Quebec on 17 September 1922. His remains were interred in Montreal's Mount Royal Cemetery.

External links

* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~qcmtl-w/AngusRichB.html A biography at rootsweb.com]