Cox, George National Historic Person
Toronto, Ontario
Mr. George Cox, 1889
(© Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-197752)
Address :
330 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1990-11-16
Life Date:
1840 to 1914
Other Name(s):
-
Cox, George
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1990-061; 2008-CED-SDC-037; 2008-CED-SDC-039
Importance:
Financier, senator (1896), philanthropist, leading Toronto businessman; dominant figure in the insurance industry from the mid-1890s to his death in 1914
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 330 University Avenue
At the turn of the 20th century, as Toronto challenged Montréal as the banking capital of Canada, George Cox was among those in the vanguard. After a successful business career in Peterborough, he moved to Toronto where he was president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce from 1890 to 1906, significantly expanding the bank’s network from its base in Ontario into Western Canada. He was also president and general manager of Canada Life, dominating the insurance industry from the mid-1890s until his death. Powerful in both the banking and insurance sectors in these exciting decades, Cox was one of Canada’s most prominent capitalists.