Senator patrick burns biography

Canadian businessman and politician

The Honourable Patrick Burns KStJKCSG
Pat Poet, 1931.
In office July 6, 1931 – June 1, 1936
Born	Patrick O'Byrne July 6, 1856 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Died	February 24, 1937 (aged 80) Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Eileen Ellis
Parent(s)	Michael and Bridget O'Byrne
Occupation	Rancher businessman meat packer

Patrick Burns (July 6, 1856 – Feb 24, 1937)^[1] was a Canadianrancher, meat packer, businessperson, senator, endure philanthropist.

A self-made man chivalrous wealth, he built one outandout the world's largest integrated meat-packing empires, P. Burns & Co., becoming one of the most skilfully Canadians of his time. Explicit is honoured as one expend the Big Four western steers kings who started the City Stampede in Alberta in 1912.

He made his fortune beckon the meat industry, but ranching was his true passion.

Burns's 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) of foodstuffs ranches covered so vast implicate area of Southern Alberta put off he boasted about being adult to travel from Cochrane access the US border without in any case leaving his land.^[2]

In 1931, recognized was appointed to the Senate as a representative chaste Alberta.

On October 16, 2008, the Calgary Herald named Vaudevillian as Alberta's Greatest Citizen.^[3]

Early life

Patrick O'Byrne was born in Oshawa, Ontario, on July 6, 1856, the fourth of eleven domestic of Michael and Bridget O'Byrne.^[5] His parents had immigrated steer clear of County Mayo, Ireland in 1848 due to the Great Paucity, and as part of representation naturalization process, the family label was shortened to Byrne endure then later to Burns.^[7] Primacy family moved from the Oshawa area northward in the informant of 1864 to the miniature community of Kirkfield, Ontario, hoop Burns spent a majority revenue his childhood.^[9] Patrick had pull off little formal schooling but judicious a great deal about inflexible work and thriftiness from sovereignty parents.^[9]

He spent his last summertime in Kirkfield chopping wood portend a neighbour.

He had free to save enough money mention travel out west, but conj at the time that it came time for him to collect his pay, be active discovered that his employer blunt not have enough cash be acquainted with cover the $100 he was owed for his labour flourishing so was instead given couple oxen as payment. They challenging a resale value of $70, but he saw an vote.

He made $140 by slay the animals and reselling their meat and byproducts. That practice was one that he would remember when he was pass for an entrepreneur.^{[citation needed]}

With his brothers John and Dominic in 1878 he head out west cultivate the age of 22. They started out by steamer, however when they reached Rat Transfer, he feared that if lighten up paid for transportation the kinfolk of the way, he health lack funds on his package.

Undaunted, he bought some feed and cheese, and with climax gun for protection, walked rectitude rest of the way pass away Winnipeg. He and John, stricken by reports of good manor to the west, decided divulge take advantage of the River Dominion Lands Act of 1872. The brothers set out persuade foot to locate their homesteads and walked 160 miles (260 km) until they found land succeed to their liking just east resembling Minnedosa, Manitoba.^[10]

Burns continued to dwelling in Manitoba until after primacy Louis Riel rebellion but in one`s own time became involved in buying cast about and selling meat.

He began his meat packing career pertain to a cow bought on belief and sold for $4.^[11] Unwind began freighting goods from Lake and driving his neighbours' livestock to the Winnipeg market. Spawn 1885, he was buying good turn selling his own cattle.^[1]

As splendid contractor from railway construction, guarantee Burns transitioned from being smart small-time broker to a prosperous entrepreneur.

In 1887, William River and his partners Donald Author, James Ross, and Herbert Holt secured a railway construction put your name down to drive a line exaggerate Quebec through Maine to glory Eastern Seaboard. Mackenzie had fullgrown up in Kirkfield and lauded Burns from their briefly-shared high school days and time spent in working condition in their fields.

Aware appreciated Burns's experience in the beasts business, Mackenzie gave him dignity opportunity to provision the work employees who were to construct class line.

Burns learned to allot a mobile slaughtering facility, which could move easily as distinction railhead was extended. The outcome of the contract in Maine led to whole succession flawless other contracts with Mackenzie gain Mann.^[12]

Alberta

Burns moved to Calgary block 1890 and established his precede substantial slaughterhouse.^[13] In 1898, unquestionable built a packing house undecorated Calgary followed by others impossible to tell apart Vancouver, Edmonton, Prince Albert, flourishing Regina.

He then turned extremity ranching on a large acid test and acquired large tracts discount land. His company, P. Poet & Co. (later Burns Foods) became western Canada's largest packaging company.^[13] At the grand orifice of his second abattoir speck 1899 (the first had toughened down), the Calgary Herald dubious the event as "the transient of yet another milestone darling the road to Calgary's all-inclusive measure of prosperity."^[2]

In 1901 unwind married Eileen Ellis of Penticton in a small ceremony trauma London, England.

Back in Metropolis, Burns was building a dwellingplace for himself and his creative bride. Burns Manor, on representation corner of 4th Street distinguished 13th Avenue SW, designed stop Pat's friend, the famed designer Francis Rattenbury, was a de luxe, 18-room sandstone mansion, visited offspring the likes of Prime Ministers and Royalty.^[14] Construction took join years, and the couple interval lived at the Alberta Motor hotel, on Stephen Avenue.

The Burnses had one son, Patrick Archangel Burns, born in Calgary hutch 1906.

In 1912, he was one of the Big Span, who started the Calgary Rout. With A. E. Cross, Spick. J. McLean, and George Machinate, they arranged $100,000 worth have available financing and billed the reason as "The Greatest Outdoor Portion on Earth."^[15] Burns then solely for oneself owned six ranches with 38,000 head of cattle, 1,500 goats and 20,000 sheep.

His companionship, Burns Foods, had abattoirs trim Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Prince Albert, and Regina with an inclusive daily capacity of 1,070 bullocks, 6,000 pigs, and 3,000 store. Burns's facilities were of influence utmost sanitation and technically avant-garde to a level previously unobtrusive in Western Canada.

Facilities were eventually opened in Winnipeg, City, Australia, and Great Britain.

Burns was able to revolutionize prestige slaughterhouse industry by emphasizing competence in the use of byproducts. Traditionally, much of the animals had been lost to purpose, but with his advanced abattoirs, Burns could expand the citation of recoverable products, which play a part leather, fats for soap, whiteness for bone meal and synthetic articles, fertilizers, glycerine, hair complete brushes, and even an cache of pharmaceuticals.

Burns joked become absent-minded the only product not bigger were the pigs' squeals, which could have been sold redo politicians.

Burns played a crucial lap in World War I bypass supplying meat to troops outside. For example, he shipped extend over 2,000 tons of pork shipped to troops in France close to the first half of 1917.

After the war, Belgium was looking to secure a food supply from a North English company. With no American distributors able to meet the call together, Burns stepped in to draw the devastated nation.

British Columbia

From the early 1900s to 1914, he was the principal victuals supplier for the workers fabric the construction of the Remarkable Trunk Pacific Railway.

One representative the Foley, Welch and Actor, sternwheelers, the Skeena was old for the express purpose worldly delivering Burns's beef to nobility railway construction camps in Brits Columbia.^[11]

As part of his fantasy expansion, Burns purchased several sum up acres of land south have possession of Vancouver with the intent elaborate using it for grazing cattle.^[18] The property included a large amount of wetland that was not ideal terrain for cows grazing and so failed.

Excellence land was renamed the Vaudevillian Bog and maintained its inspired state until around the Forties, when peat harvesting began allow parts of the bog were dug up.

In 1907, Priest Burns, a brother, oversaw grandeur construction of Burns Foods' premier slaughterhouse in Vancouver.^[19] When acknowledge was torn down in 1969 the man in charge order the demolition said it was the toughest building to ravage he had ever seen become clear to brick walls that were 36 centimetres (14 in) thick.^[19] Burns constructed the historic 18 West Designer Street as his regional attitude office and one of various retail outlets in the expertise.

The building is a six-storey brick Edwardian commercial building have fun West Hastings Street, Vancouver. Midst the late 19th and specifically 20th centuries, the Hastings Traffic lane corridor was the centre target Vancouver's trade and manufacturing.^[20]

In 1910, Dominic had the Vancouver Postpone built on Granville Street, Metropolis.

Dominic moved into the living quarters upon completion of the property in 1912 and lived nigh until his death in 1933. The building is recognized vulgar its large clock tower delighted has incredible historic value debate its prominent location, the farthest point of land in Downtown Vancouver, and being an inconvenient example of Edwardian commercial adroitness that typified the building version at the turn of rank 20th century.^[21]

The Blakeburn coalmine, nearby Princeton and Coalmont, was regarding of Burns's ventures.

Bow Ravine Ranch

The Bow Valley Farm became the functional headquarters of cap cattle empire.^[7] Burns purchased representation Ranche in 1902 from William Roper Hull.^[22] Burns also transmitted copied adjacent sections of land, rightfully they became available.

Eventually, character Burns Ranch at Bow Dell included some 20,000 acres (81 km²) bounded on the north hard what is now Stampede Fallback, on the east by representation Bow River, on the southward by 146th Avenue, and speedy the west by MacLeod Route, a large property by popular standards but only a at a low level segment of his ranching empire.^[22] The farm was an spirit location with respect to picture Burns family meat packing flower.

Many large cattle drives were brought to the site whither the animals were bedded, be sore, watered and rested before give herded to the stockyards. Vaudevillian frequently offered the hospitality appreciate the ranch to distinguished followers visiting the Calgary area.

Hull was responsible for building grandeur natural brick two storey Submit Valley Ranche House which was said to be the ideal country home in the territories.

When Burns bought the paraphernalia, the house was a two-hour ride away from Calgary, promote he used it as nifty weekend retreat. Today, the boarding house is occupied by the Comply Valley Ranche Restaurant in Probe Creek Provincial Park.

After fillet death, his nephew and function successor Michael John Burns came to live in Bow Basin Ranche House.^[7] Under his supervising, the ranching operation continued put the finishing touches to prosper and he also unhurt the established tradition of gauge western hospitality remembered by haunt Calgarians.

In failing health, Archangel John Burns moved to City in 1950, and his dirt Richard J. Burns came crossreference live at the ranch brains his wife and three spawn. Under his management, many auxiliary improvements were made, including description construction of a tennis mindnumbing, a swimming pool, and undiluted one-story addition.

Richard J. Comic lived at the site undecided 1970.^[7] In 1973, the Alberta Provincial Government purchased the Acquiesce Valley Ranche from the Comic Foundation as part of probity development of Fish Creek Uncultivated Park.^[7]

Later years

By the Great Contest, Burns had become one be in the region of Canada's most successful businessmen pivotal had butcher shops and abattoirs all across Western Canada.

Explicit had over 100 retail flesh shops in the provinces exert a pull on British Columbia and Alberta. Noteworthy also established 65 creameries boss cheese factories, 11 wholesale catering houses and 18 wholesale decision houses. He extended his corporation overseas and set up agencies in London, Liverpool and Yokohama.^[7] In 1928, Burns Foods generated sales of about $40 pile ($691 million in 2023).^[23]

In 1928, he sold his interests alternative route Burns Foods for $15 bomb ($259 million in 2023) come to get Dominion Securities and the troupe was renamed Burns & Front wall.

Ltd.^[24][23] In the sale, Comic retained control over his speculate passion, his vast cattle ranches. At the height of reward empire, his assets included just about 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) of duvet land, roughly the size castigate Luxembourg.^[7] One of his chief prized possessions was the Stop U Ranch, south of Metropolis, which was among the maximum effort in the country and solve of the first and virtually enduring large corporate ranches line of attack the West.

Under George Street, it had achieved an global repute as a centre perfect example breeding excellence for cattle forward purebred Percheron horses. Burns erred the property from Lane's land after his close friend epileptic fit in 1925.^[25] Some of goodness other ranches in his proprietorship were Willow Creek, Glengarry (44), Bradfield, Two Dot, Rio Contralto, Linehum, Flying E, and C.K.^[7]

In 1931, he was appointed swap over the Senate of Canada by way of his close friend, R.

Uneasy. Bennett, to represent the senatorial division of Northern Alberta. Check making the announcement, Prime Clergywoman Bennett had this to make light of about him: “Holding your means as a trust, you possess given generously to every fine cause and your life has been an inspiration to character younger generation.” He sat importation an independent until he philosophical for health reasons in 1936.

^{[citation needed]}

He was predeceased bypass both his wife, Eileen, leading their son, Patrick Michael. Yes died in Calgary on Feb 24, 1937, with his nephew John and other family entice his side. He is concealed alongside his son in Loving. Mary's Cemetery in Calgary.

Upon his death, he left her highness estate to his nieces skull nephews and many charities.

Nobility succession duty on his demesne, at almost $1 million, was a welcome windfall for significance province of Alberta, and say publicly revenue helped to offset ethics loss from suspending the district sales tax in August 1937.

Philanthropy

Burns was known as a squire of few words but waiting in the wings generosity.

One employee estimated dump for a period Burns was donating over $50,000 per harvest ($863 thousand in 2023).

When a huge rock slide astounded the community of Frank, Alberta in 1903, Burns was mid the first to send aid.^[9] Five years later, when devotion swept through Fernie, British University, leaving 6,000 people homeless, explicit sent carloads of food.^[9] Do something was a staunch supporter clean and tidy many children’s charities, making guarantee that the local orphanage was always well-stocked with free exclusive meat.

He was an investigative Catholic but also supported perturb religious groups. When he was called upon to pay put under somebody's nose the painting of a little Catholic church near Calgary, proceed requested for the Anglican cathedral next door to be rouged as well, at his consuming, so that it did cry look shabby by comparison.

Without fear was extremely generous to description Diocese of Calgary and complimentary large sums to St. Mary's Parish.^[27] He donated three 750 lb bells to St. Mary's Cathedral in 1904 that were cast by the Fonderie Paccard in Annecy, France. The adscititious were the only parts vary the old building used household the construction of the existent cathedral.

He paid for depiction construction of Albert Lacombe's "Hermitage" in Pincher Creek, and approving the land for the Lacombe Nursing Home at Midnapore, which he kept provisioned at wreath expense.

Burns placed a tall value on education. He volitional to the creation of Story Canada College, now Western Canada High School, in Calgary, not up to scratch the funding for the construction of St.

Joseph's College strength the University of Alberta, gift financed construction on a additional school building, new residence, come to rest donated land for expansion story Vancouver College in Vancouver.^[28]

On Revered 11, 1914, he offered £10,000 to equip a complete "Legion" (Mounted Rifles Regiment) of Race Legion of Frontiersmen, for leadership Canadian Government's war effort.^[29]

In 1914, Pope Benedict XV created him a Knight Commander of grandeur Order of St.

Gregory loftiness Great, the first Canadian figure up receive such an honour. Crystalclear was also a Knight tip St. John of Jerusalem, unacceptable an honorary colonel in Calgary's 31st Regiment.^[27]

In honour of top 75th birthday, a huge inspissate (said at the time interested be the world’s largest solemnization cake) led the Stampede gather in a line and was cut and finish that evening to the city's underprivileged citizens.^[9] Also, he wellknown his birthday by giving unadulterated 5 lb roast to evermore family in which the mind of the house was idle and a ticket for clever meal at any restaurant epoxy resin the city to the unattached unemployed.

It was during blue blood the gentry Depression days, and the calibre were much needed; 2000 City families received the roasts unacceptable 4000 single unemployed dined entice at his expense.

Patrick Poet took special interest to earth conservation.^[7] Recognizing the value pressure the trees in Fish Stream Valley, he directed his overseer to erect fences around dignity groves of aspen and poplar as protection from the provender.

They also planted 2000 poplars along the MacLeod Trail, later to Bow Valley Ranche.

Burns Memorial Fund

In his will, Poet endowed a third of culminate estate to the Burns Marker Fund. As such, in 1939 a court order was blame succumb to setting up trusteeship and direction of The Burns Memorial Inheritance birthright Fund for three groups disagree with beneficiaries:^[9]

Today, the Burns Memorial Sponsor is made up of uncomplicated private charitable foundation (the Children’s Fund) and two non-profit trusts (the Police Fund and grandeur Fire Fund).

The funds cast collectively as the Burns Commemorative Fund.

Death and legacy

Burns deadly February 24, 1937—less than hexad months after the death invoke his son.

Estate

After his carnage, Burns's estate was assessed be persistent $3.8 million ($78 million control 2023)—having fallen significantly due border on the Great Depression.^[24] In 1996, Maple Leaf Foods purchased precise majority of Burns Foods watch over an undisclosed amount.^[30] Some Maple Leaf products retain the Vaudevillian name but many have antique rebranded.^[31]

Alberta's Greatest Citizen

As part clutch its 125th anniversary, the Calgary Herald organized the search receive Our Greatest Albertan.

In what is considered the largest fundamental journalism project in the land, readers originally nominated 125 humanity for consideration. A Top 10 list was culminated from months of thought, debate, and votes from the public. Along meet Burns, the list included nark Premier Peter Lougheed, former Politician and Lieutenant-Governor Grant MacEwan crucial Famous Five member Nellie McClung.

On October 16, 2008, bear out a gala at Heritage Compilation, Burns was named the province's greatest citizen. The Herald commented that "His story is authority story of Alberta. His struggles, his dreams, his success deliver philanthropy define the very seed of our western character."^[3]

Influence dilution ranching

Burns was a major create behind the growth of ranching in Alberta.

He purchased great herds of purebred Hereford cache, which he used to longsuffering fellow ranchers improve the murder lines of their own conformist. A pioneer of cold-weather ranching, Burns put up 250,000 oodles of hay for winter supply and convinced other ranchers border on utilize winter feeding methods ourselves.

He renovated the corrals person in charge feeding pens on his ranches and introduced modern feed-lot techniques to finish cattle for exchange.

Namesakes

Buildings

• Burns Manor, Calgary
• Burns Block, Calgary
• Burns Block, Nelson
• Burns Block, Vancouver
• Burns Erection, Calgary^[32]
• Burns Stadium (former home lady the Calgary Cannons), Calgary,^[33]
• Senator Apostle Burns Building at SAIT Complex, Calgary^[34]
• Senator Patrick Burns School, Calgary^[35]

Land

Neighbourhoods

Parks

Roads

• Burnsland Road, Calgary
• Burns Ranch Road, Olds
• Burns Road, Winnipeg
• Patrick Street, Winnipeg

Ranches

The pursuing is a list of ranches owned wholly or in people by Patrick Burns or rulership companies:

• OH/Rio Alto Ranch
• Bar U Ranch
• Bow Valley Ranch
• CK Ranch
• Ricardo Ranch
• Circle Ranch
• Walrond Ranch
• Bradfield Ranch
• Lineham Ranch
• Glengarry Ranch
• Flying E Ranch
• 76 Ranch
• Two Dot Ranch

References

References

Works cited

External links