Izaak Killam At one time the richest man in Canada

Quiet Wealth, Lasting Legacy: Remembering Izaak Walton Killam

On a recent walk through Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia — a place most famously known for being the final resting place of many Titanic victims — I came across a name far less known to the public, but no less significant in Canadian history: Izaak Walton Killam.

Often described as Canada’s version of John D. Rockefeller, Killam was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1885. His immense fortune began to take shape in 1919, when he acquired full control of Royal Securities from none other than Max Aitken, later known as Lord Beaverbrook. The firm became a powerhouse in financing massive infrastructure projects across Canada and Latin America — from pulp and paper mills to hydroelectric developments.

A shrewd businessman, Killam also once owned the Mail and Empire newspaper, selling it in 1936 to a group that merged it with The Globe to form The Globe and Mail — one of Canada’s most enduring national newspapers.

Killam owned the Mail and Empire which eventually became Canada’s national paper, The Globe and Mail.

Despite his enormous influence and wealth, Killam was a deeply private man, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. He remained virtually unknown outside a small circle of associates, shunning the sort of fame and recognition that others in his position might have sought.

With no children of their own, Killam and his wife Dorothy chose to devote much of their wealth to higher education and the arts in Canada. Their legacy continues today through the Killam Trusts — now valued at over $400 million.

Izaak Killam died suddenly at his fishing lodge in Quebec on August 5, 1955. He was 70.

1885-1955