Molson, William National Historic Person
Montréal, Quebec
William Molson, Montreal, QC, 1863
© Musée McCord Museum / William Notman / I-9533
Address :
288 Saint-Jacques Street, Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1971-10-14
Life Date:
1793 to 1875
Other Name(s):
-
Molson, William
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2018-CED-SDC-10
Importance:
Brewer, banker, steamship builder, lumberman, railway builder
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 288 Saint-Jacques Street, Montréal, Quebec
William Molson, youngest son of prominent Montréal brewer John Molson, played an influential role in expanding his family’s commercial empire, which came to include a distillery, a lumberyard, a foundry, steamships, and railways by the mid-19th century. In 1853, William and his brother John founded Molsons Bank, where William served as president until his death. Its headquarters were located here. William Molson was also a leading philanthropist, serving as president of the Montreal General Hospital and donating funds towards the establishment and construction of McGill University, where he later became a governor.