Sir William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baronet, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, PC (May 25, 1879 – June 9, 1964) was a Canadian – British business tycoon, politician, and writer. Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ... A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, or industrialist is a person who controls a large portion of a particular industry and whose wealth derives primarily from this control. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ...

Early career in Canada

Beaverbrook House, formerly the Old Manse Library, and earlier the boyhood home of Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, in Newcastle, Miramichi, New Brunswick (IR Walker 1983)

Aitken was born in Maple, Ontario, Canada in 1879, son of a Presbyterian minister. The following year, his family moved to Newcastle, New Brunswick, the place Aitken would always call home. It was here, at the age of 13, he published his first newspaper. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 659 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2202 × 2004 pixel, file size: 679 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beaverbrook House, formerly the Old Manse Library and earlier the boyhood home of Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, in Newcastle, Miramichi, New Brunswick (IR Walker 1983... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 659 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2202 × 2004 pixel, file size: 679 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beaverbrook House, formerly the Old Manse Library and earlier the boyhood home of Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, in Newcastle, Miramichi, New Brunswick (IR Walker 1983... Ritchie Wharf on the Newcastle waterfront in the City of Miramichi. ... Maple (IPA: /meɪ.pʊl/) (Estimated 2006 population 49,388[1]) is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... In most Protestant churches, a minister is a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation; such a person may also be called a Pastor, Preacher, or Elder. ... Ritchie Wharf on the Newcastle waterfront in the City of Miramichi. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ...

Although Aitken wrote the entrance examinations for Dalhousie University and registered at the Saint John Law School, he did not attend either institution. His only formal higher education came when he briefly attended the University of New Brunswick. Aitken worked for a short time as an office boy in the law office of Richard Bedford Bennett, in the town of Chatham, New Brunswick. Bennett later became Prime Minister of Canada and a business associate. Dalhousie University is a university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ... The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. ... For the British composer named Richard Bennett, see Richard Rodney Bennett. ... Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada, a former town on the south bank of the Miramichi River, was subsumed in 1995 into the new city of Miramichi. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ...

As a young man, Aitken made his way to Halifax, Nova Scotia where John F Stairs, part of the city's dominant business family, gave him employment, training him in the business of finance. In 1904, when Stairs opened his newly formed Royal Securities Corporation, Aitken became a minority shareholder and the firm's general manager. Under the tutelage of Stairs, who would be his mentor and friend, Aitken engineered a number of successful business deals and was planning to do a series of bank mergers; however, Stairs' unexpected early death in late September of 1904 led to Aitken acquiring control of the company. Stairs had given the untested and untrained Aitken an opportunity in business, just as Aitken would later do when he hired A. J. Nesbitt, a young dry goods salesman from Saint John, New Brunswick. Because Montreal, Quebec was the financial center of Canada, Aitken would send Nesbitt to open the Montreal branch of Royal Securities. The City of Halifax (1841-1996) was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, and the largest city in Atlantic Canada. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... John F. Stairs John Fitzwilliam Stairs (January 19, 1848 - September 26, 1904) was an entrepreneur and statesman, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, a member of the prominent Stairs family of merchants and shippers founded by William Machin Stairs (1789-1865) that included the Victorian era explorer, William Grant Stairs. ... Royal Securities Corporation Limited was a Canadian stock brokerage firm founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in early 1903 by John F. Stairs, its first president. ... Arthur James Nesbitt (August 19, 1880 - October 24, 1954) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a cofounder of Nesbitt, Thomson and Company stockbrokerage and the Power Corporation of Canada. ... A good or commodity in economics is any object or service that increases utility, directly or indirectly, not to be confused with good in a moral or ethical sense (see Utilitarianism and consequentialist ethical theory). ... Saint John[3] is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Canada Cement Scandal

Lord Beaverbrook plaque in Maple, Ontario

In 1910 Aitken acquired many of the small regional cement plants in Eastern Canada, and amalgamated them into Canada Cement. Canada was booming at the time so he had the monopoly on the material. There were irregularities in the stock transfer, and Aitken quickly sold his shares, making a huge fortune and some cheated investors. Aitken then left for England. Some say had he stayed in Canada he would have been charged with securities fraud.

In 1912, Nesbitt left Aitken's employ to form Nesbitt, Thomson and Co. stock brokerage. Aitken appointed employee Izaak Walton Killam as the new President of Royal Securities and, firmly ensconced in England, sold the Canadian securities company to Killam in 1919. Nesbitt Thomson and Company is a former Canadian stock brokerage firm founded in 1912 by Arthur J. Nesbitt and Peter A. T. Thomson. ... Izaak Walton Killam (July 23, 1885-August 5, 1955) was one of Canadas most eminent financiers, rising from paper boy in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to become one of Canadas wealthiest individuals. ...

On January 29, 1906 in Halifax, Max Aitken married Gladys Henderson Drury, daughter of Major-General Charles William Drury CBE. They had three children before her death in 1927. is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Coimbatore   (Tamil: ), also known as Kovai (Tamil: ), is a major industrial city in India. ...

Children with Gladys Henderson Drury:

1. Janet Gladys Aitken (1908-1988)
2. John William Maxwell Aitken (1910-1985)
3. Peter Rudyard Aitken (1912-1947)

The Honourable Sir John William Maxwell Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet, DSO, DFC (15 February 1910–30 April 1985), formerly 2nd Baron Beaverbrook, was the son of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook. ...

To England

Aitken soon moved to England and in 1910 became Unionist Member of Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne. He bought and later sold control of the Rolls-Royce automobile company and began to build a London newspaper empire. He often worked closely with Andrew Bonar Law, another native of New Brunswick, who became the only Canadian to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1911, he was knighted by King George V. During World War I, the Canadian government put him in charge of creating the Canadian War Records Office in London, and Aitken made certain that news of Canada's contribution to the War was printed in Canadian and British newspapers. Aitken also established the Canadian War Memorials Fund that evolved into a collection of war art by the premier artists and sculptors in Britain and Canada. His visits to the Western Front during World War I, during which he held the honorary rank of colonel in the Canadian Army, resulted in his 1916 book Canada in Flanders, a three-volume collection that chronicled the achievements of Canadian soldiers on the battlefields. After the War, he wrote several books including Politicians and the Press in 1925 and Politicians and the War in 1928. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the Canadian party see Liberal-Unionist The Liberal Unionists were a British political party that split away from the Liberals in 1886, and had effectively merged with the Conservatives by the turn of the century. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Ashton under Lyne is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Rolls-Royce Limited was an British car and, later, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904. ... Andrew Bonar Law (16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative Party statesman and Prime Minister. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. ... For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation). ...

Adding to his chain of newspapers, which included the London Evening Standard, he bought a controlling interest in the failing Daily Express from Lawson Johnson on 14 November 1916 for £17,500; he had been lending money to the paper and its proprietors since January 1911. He always obscured this transaction because it was at the same time as the Parliamentary crisis which replaced Asquith with Lloyd George, in which Beaverbrook's ally and protegé Bonar Law played a great part^{[citation needed]}; A.J.P. Taylor, Beaverbrook's friend and biographer, assures us that this was a mere coincidence, brought on by Johnson's eagerness to be quit of the paper^{[citation needed]}. Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is a British tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast England. ... For other uses, see Daily Express (disambiguation). ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Asquith was the name of two automobiles: Asquith (1901 automobile) Asquith (1981 automobile) There are also several notable people with the last name Asquith: Herbert Henry Asquith, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margot Asquith, the second wife of the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, the Prime Ministers son... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM (January 17, 1863–March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... For others named John Taylor, see John Taylor. ...

He was granted a peerage in 1917, and in 1918 Beaverbrook became the first Minister of Information. He became responsible for allied propaganda in allied and neutral countries. Lord Northcliffe became a Director of Propaganda and control propaganda in enemy countries. During his time in office Beaverbrook had a number of clashes with Foreign Secretary Balfour over the use of intelligence material. Beaverbrook felt that intelligence should become part of his department, Balfour disagreed. Eventually the intelligence committee was assigned to Beaverbrook but they then resigned en masse to be re-employed by the Foreign office. Beaverbrook also came under attack from MP's who distrusted a press baron being employed by the state. He survived but became increasingly frustrated with his limited role and influence, and in September 1918 he resigned claiming ill health. For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ...

First baron of Fleet Street

Over time, he turned the dull newspaper into a glittering and witty journal, filled with an array of dramatic photo layouts and in 1918, he founded the Sunday Express. By 1934, daily circulation reached 1,708,000, generating huge profits for Aitken whose wealth was already such that he never took a salary. Following World War II, the Daily Express became the largest selling newspaper in the world, by far, with a circulation of 3,706,000. He would become known by some historians as the first baron of "Fleet Street" and as one of the most powerful men in Britain whose newspapers could make or break almost anyone. In the 1930s, while personally attempting to dissuade King Edward VIII from continuing his potentially ruinous affair with American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, Lord Beaverbrook's newspapers published every tidbit of the affair, especially the heir's apparent cosiness with Adolf Hitler. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Fleet Street in 2005 Fleet Street is a famous street in London, England, named after the River Fleet. ... Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; later The Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972) was King of Great Britain, Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from the death of his father, George V (1910–36), on 20... Wallis, Duchess of Windsor and the Duke of Windsor on their wedding day Bessie Wallis Warfield, more widely known as Wallis Simpson and later The Duchess of Windsor (June 19, 1896–April 24, 1986) was the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the... Hitler redirects here. ...

World War II

During World War II, his friend Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, would appoint him as Minister of Aircraft Production and later Minister of Supply. Under Aitken, fighter and bomber production increased so much so that Churchill declared: "His personal force and genius made this Aitken's finest hour". Beaverbrook's impact on war time production has been much debated but his innovate style certainly energised production at a time when it was desperately needed. Beaverbrook also accompanied Churchill to several war time meetings with President Roosevelt. He also headed the British delegation to Moscow with American counterpart Averill Harriman. Throughout the war Beaverbrook remained a close confident of Churchill. However this did not stop arguments between the two such as over the second front over which Beaverbrook resigned in 1942. Clement Atlee commented that 'Churchill often listened to Beaverbrook's advice but was too sensible to take it'^{[citation needed]} Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Churchill redirects here. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. As the name suggests, it was responsible for aircraft production for the British forces; primarily the... The Minister of Supply was a position in the British Government which existed to co-ordinate the supplying of equipment to the armed forces. ...

The benefactor

After the war, Lord Beaverbrook served as Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick and became the university's greatest benefactor, fulfilling the same role for the city of Fredericton and the Province as a whole. He would provide additions to the University, scholarship funds, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the Beaverbrook Skating Rink, the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel (profits donated to charity), The Playhouse, Louise Manny's early folklore work, and numerous other projects. Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Fredericpolis silvae filia noblis (Fredericton noble daughter of the forest) Established: {{{Established}}} Area: 131. ... The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a small prestigious art gallery located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada on the southwest bank of the Saint John River at the edge of the citys central business district. ... The Fredericton Playhouse is a non-profit organization venue for hosting local talent acts and touring performers located in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. ... Louise Elizabeth Manny (1890 - August 1970) was a New Brunswick folklorist and historian. ...

In 1957, a bronze statue of Lord Beaverbrook was erected at the centre of Officers' Square in Fredericton, New Brunswick, paid for by money raised by children throughout the province. A bust of him by Oscar Nemon stands in the park in the town square of Newcastle, New Brunswick not far from where he sold newspapers as a young boy. His ashes are in the plinth of the bust. Statue of Sir Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon, in Parliament Square, opposite the Palace of Westminster in central London Statue of Sir Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon, at Westerham in Kent, erected in 1969 on a stone plinth donated by Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia Seated statue of Sigmund Freud by...

Beaverbrook was both admired and despised in England, sometimes at the same time: in his 1956 autobiography, David Low quotes H.G. Wells as saying of Beaverbrook: "If ever Max ever gets to Heaven, he won't last long. He will be chucked out for trying to pull off a merger between Heaven and Hell after having secured a controlling interest in key subsidiary companies in both places, of course." Sir David Alexander Cecil Low (7 April 1891–19 September 1963) was a New Zealand political cartoonist. ... H. G. Wells at the door of his house at Sandgate Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 - August 13, 1946) was an English writer best known for his science fiction novels such as The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. ...

In England he lived at Cherkley Court, near Leatherhead, Surrey. Beaverbrook remained a widower for many years until 1963 when he married Marcia Anastasia Christoforides (1910-1994), the widow of his friend Sir James Dunn. Lord Beaverbrook died in Surrey in 1964. The Beaverbrook Foundation continues his philanthropic interests. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Grid reference: TQ178544 // The House Cherkley Court (near Leatherhead, Surrey, United Kingdom) is a late-Victorian mansion, best known as the country estate of Lord Beaverbrook, businessman, politician and owner of the Express Newspapers group. ... For other uses of this name, see Leatherhead (disambiguation). ... This article is about the English county. ... Marcia Anastasia Christoforides (born July 27, 1910 - died October 28, 1994) was a philanthropist, an art collector, and noted owner of racehorses. ... Sir James Hamet Dunn, born October 29, 1874 - died January 1, 1956, was an major Canadian financier and industrialist during the first half of the 20th Century. ...

Legacy

Lord Beaverbrook and his wife Lady Beaverbrook have left a considerable legacy to his adopted province of New Brunswick and the United Kingdom, among others. His legacy includes the following buildings:

The statue of Lord Beaverbrook located in Officers Square in Fredericton.

• University of New Brunswick
  • Aitken House
  • Aitken University Centre
  • Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium
  • Lady Beaverbrook Residence
  • Beaverbrook House (UNBSJ E-Commerce Centre)

• City of Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • Lady Beaverbrook Arena (formerly operated by the University of New Brunswick)
  • The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, including world-renowned art collection (N.B.'s provincial gallery)
  • The Fredericton Playhouse
  • Lord Beaverbrook Hotel

• City of Miramichi, New Brunswick
  • Lord Beaverbrook Arena (LBA)
  • Beaverbrook Kin Centre
  • Lord Beaverbrook statue in Queen Elizabeth Park in Miramichi
  • Aitken Avenue in Miramichi West

• City of Campbellton, New Brunswick
  • Lord Beaverbrook School

• City of Saint John, New Brunswick
  • Lord Beaverbrook Rink

• City of Calgary, Alberta
  • Lord Beaverbrook High School

• McGill University
  • The Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications

• The Beaver magazine
  • Voted one of the top 100 "Worst Canadians". (August-September edition, 2007)

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 647 KB) Summary Beaverbrook art gallery. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 647 KB) Summary Beaverbrook art gallery. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Fredericpolis silvae filia noblis (Fredericton noble daughter of the forest) Established: {{{Established}}} Area: 131. ... The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a small prestigious art gallery located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada on the southwest bank of the Saint John River at the edge of the citys central business district. ... The Fredericton Playhouse is a non-profit organization venue for hosting local talent acts and touring performers located in downtown Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. ... Lord Beaverbrook High School or LBHS is a high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Lord Beaverbrook has a lasting place in British popular culture as one of the famous English people taunted by name in Bjørge Lillelien's legendary commentary immediately after Norway defeated England in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in 1981.

• Lord Beaverbrook employed novelist Evelyn Waugh in London and abroad. Waugh repaid his employer by lampooning him in Scoop, as Lord Copper, and in both Put Out More Flags and Vile Bodies, as Lord Monomark.

• Lord Beaverbrook was the basis of the inspiration for the play and subsequent of Edward, My Son which shows the protagonist in a less than positive light.^{[citation needed]}

• Lord Beaverbrook's residence was known amongst his closest friends and associates as "the Beaver". This was in reference to the orgies that were traditionally held following dinner parties in the expansive household.^{[citation needed]}

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Bjørge Lillelien (March 29, 1927 – October 26, 1987) was a Norwegian sports journalist and commentator. ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th staging of the World Cup, was held in Spain from June 13 to July 11. ... Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone (UEFA). ... Evelyn Waugh, as photographed in 1940 by Carl Van Vechten Arthur Evelyn St. ... Scoop is a 1938 novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh about the rush of war reporters to a thinly disguised Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Vile Bodies is a novel by Evelyn Waugh. ... Edward, My Son is a 1949 film which tells the story of a man who will commit any crime in order to make his son a success, even driving away his wife in the process. ...

See also

• Minister of Aircraft Production

The Minister of Aircraft Production was the British government position in charge of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. As the name suggests, it was responsible for aircraft production for the British forces; primarily the...

Bibliography

• Canada in Flanders (1916)
• Politicians and the Press (1925)
• Politicians and the War Vol 1 (1928)
• Politicians and the War Vol 2 (1932)
• Men and Power (1956)
• Friends: Sixty years of Intimate personal relations with Richard Bedford Bennett (1959)
• Courage (1961)
• The decline and fall of Lloyd George (1962)
• The divine propagandist (1962)
• My Early Life (1962)
• Success (1962)
• The Abdication of Edward VIII (1966)

My Early Life: A Roving Commission is a 1930 book by Winston Churchill. ...

Further reading

• Beaverbrook, by A.J.P. Taylor, 1972.

For others named John Taylor, see John Taylor. ...

External links

• National Film Board of Canada biography
• Works by Max Aitken Beaverbrook at Project Gutenberg
• Ontario Plaques - Lord Beaverbrook
• his role as minister of Information during WW1