The Champlain Society

Sir Byron Edmund Walker

Early Life

Byron Edmund Walker was born on a farm in Seneca Township, Haldimand County, Ontario, on October 14, 1848. He died in Toronto on March 27, 1924. He was the second oldest of nine children. His parents were Alfred Edmund Walker and Fanny Murton, both of whom were born in England but came to Canada with their parents in the early 1830s.

Walker's formal education ended in 1861 when, at the age of 12, he entered the service of his uncle J.W. Murton, a private banker in Hamilton. Later in life, Walker credited his father with his love for learning and early education: "... whatever qualities I may possess, apart from mere industry, I owe to my father. At home I never heard money talked about, except perhaps the need of it, which was always the case. We talked about flowers, music, fossils, science, a new poem or novel — nothing very learned or difficult. I was taught to appreciate that the truth regarding nature was the divine thing, and that we must learn it so far as it is possible. I remember the comfort that Darwin's books were to my father." Over his lifetime, Walker never ceased learning about the things that interested him, particularly art, music, the natural sciences, and history.

Association with the Canadian Bank of Commerce

In 1868 he joined the staff of the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Hamilton as a discount clerk. At that time the bank was about a year old. In 1872 he was appointed accountant at the head office in Toronto. In 1873 he became a junior agent in New York. Over time he had become a recognized authority on counterfeit money and foreign currencies. His fine eye for detail developed into a lifelong interest in art, especially European and Japanese prints in which he became an authority.

He married Mary Alexander in 1874, a woman whom he loved deeply for the rest of his life. Together they had seven children. The Alexanders were emigrants from the highlands of Scotland.

In 1875 Walker became manager of the Windsor branch of the Bank of Commerce; in 1878 manager at London; inspector of the bank in 1879 and manager at Hamilton in 1880. In 1881 he was sent to New York again as joint agent.

In 1886 he became general manager of the Canadian Bank of Commerce.

In 1891-92 he was chairman of the bankers' section of the Toronto Board of Trade; 1893 vice-president of the Canadian Bankers' Association and its president in 1894-95. He was also vice-president of the American Bankers' Association.

In 1899 he was chairman of the Royal Commission on the financial position of the Province of Ontario, and in 1904 was chairman, Section of Money and Credit, International Congress of Arts and Sciences, Universal Exposition, St. Louis.

In 1906 he was elected director of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and became its president in 1907, a position he held until his death in 1924.

In 1911 he broke with the Liberal Government of Wilfrid Laurier over their impending Reciprocity Pact with the United States, which he saw as politically and economically injurious to the development of Canada. . His eloquent opposition to the Pact, along with that of other prominent Canadians, led to the defeat of Laurier and the victory of Robert Borden's Conservatives. Walker served in an advisory capacity to the Borden government in financial matters, especially in formulating the Finance Act of 1914 and finding solutions to the financial problems surrounding the conduct of World War I.

To further the activities of the bank, Walker travelled to Japan, Korea, and China in 1919 and to South America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Peru) in 1921.

He wrote widely on matters pertaining to money and banking.

Association with Cultural Institutions

Walker joined the Canadian Institute (now Royal Canadian Institute) in 1891 as a member of council. In 1893 he became second vice-president and first vice-president in 1897. During that year he organized the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Toronto. Following the meeting he procured a special train for the participants to travel from Toronto to Vancouver, with frequent stops, to observe aspects of Canadian nature ranging from insects to the fossils of the Burgess Shale. He served as president of the Institute from 1898 to 1900. During his presidency he chaired its 50th anniversary celebrations. He remained on the Council of the Institute until 1908 and a member until his death.

His interest in art was a lifelong pursuit. His collection of prints and paintings was one of the best private collections in the country. He was one of the founders of the Toronto Art Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Ontario). In 1897 he was president of the Toronto Guild of Civic Art and president of the Toronto Art Gallery in 1900. He became a member of the Dominion Government Advisory Arts Council in 1907 and its chairman in 1909 until his death. In 1913 he was made chairman of the board of trustees of the National Art Gallery of Canada, another office he held to his death. Throughout his life he promoted Canadian art, including that of the "Group of Seven".

In 1900 he became honourary president of the Mendelssohn Choir and in 1901 a director of the Royal Conservatory of Music. He remained associated with both institutions in various capacities until his death.

In 1905 he founded the Champlain Society devoted to publishing documents related to Canadian history. He remained its president until his death. In a "Memorandum" written by Ms Eleanor Creighton, Walker's private secretary at the Bank of Commerce from 1903 to 1914, she mentioned that the the Champlain Society "... was a project very dear to Sir Edmund. Notwithstanding all that he accomplished in other lines, he said to me on two occasions that he considered his founding of The Champlain Society to be the most important work that he had accomplished." Walker loved Canada. He knew much about the country, its history, its people, its resources, and was tremendously optimistic about its future as a prosperous and independent nation. His love of the country made its history important to him. Through The Champlain Society he hoped to bring that history to the people of Canada.

In 1908 he became a member of the National Battlefields Commission and participated in an organizational capacity at the Quebec Tercentenary. In 1912 he became chairman of the Canadian Peace Centenary. In 1916 he was honorary treasurer of an Appeal in Aid of the War Work of the British Red Cross Society, and in 1917 chairman of the Toronto executive committee of the British Red Cross Appeal.

As early as 1888 he had urged the establishment of a provincial museum, but it was not until Sir James Whitney became premier that funds were voted. Walker was appointed chairman of the board of trustees (1912–24) and it was largely through his efforts that the Royal Ontario Museum was built and opened in 1914. The museum had a special place in his activities, especially in the areas of fundraising and the growing collections. Upon his death his collection of 1,070 Japanese woodblock prints was given to the museum, a "gift to the people of Ontario".

Association with Educational Institutions

Not having had the benefits of a formal education, Walker realized its value and actively promoted institutions of higher learning. He was especially supportive of the University of Toronto; in 1892 he became a trustee, and in 1893 a senator. In 1904 Trinity College awarded him an Honorary D.C.L.. The same year Walker gave the University his valuable palaeontological collection and library. He had started to put this collection together as a youth and continued it as a lifelong hobby. In 1905 he was a member of the Royal Commission on the reorganization of the new University of Toronto. He was made governor in 1906 and honoured by a Doctorate of Laws. In 1910 he became chairman of the Board of Governors and chancellor in 1923.

His support for education continued with his founding of Appleby School for boys in Oakville, Ontario. He purchased the property in 1909 and the school opened in 1911, almost all of it paid for by Walker.

Honours

Over his lifetime Walker received many honours, of which the following are especially important. In 1908 he was created a commander of the Victorian Order by King Edward VII and was knighted by King George V in 1910. Also in 1910, he was created Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1920 the Emperor of Japan appointed him Honorary Consul-General to Canada.

By Conrad Heidenreich