Montagu Allan

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Sir Montagu Allan

Sir Hugh Andrew Montagu Allan (born October 13, 1860 in Montreal , † September 26, 1951 ) was a Canadian banker, ship owner and sports sponsor who donated the Allan Cup , a Canadian ice hockey trophy.

Life

Montagu Allan was the second son of Sir Hugh Allan (1810-1882) and his wife Matilda Caroline Smith (1825-1881). He was one of thirteen children. The family was originally from Scotland and had made Quebec prosperous and influential.

Originally known under his first name Hugh, he used his third name from 1878 to avoid confusion with his cousin Hugh Andrew Allan (1857-1938). Allan studied at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville and later in Paris before taking over his father's shipping business, the Allan Line , and later becoming a board member there.

On October 13, 1893, he married Marguerite Ethel Mackenzie (1873–1957). The marriage had four children:

  • Marguerite Martha (1895–1942) founded the Montreal Repertory Theater
  • Hugh Allan III (1897-1917)
  • Anna Marjory (1898-1915)
  • Gwendolyn Evelyn (1900-1915)

On May 7, 1915, Lady Marguerite Allan was with her two younger daughters (Anna, 16 and Gwen, 15) on board the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania , which was sunk by a German submarine by torpedo fire off the Irish coast . Marguerite jumped into the water with the daughters and the two maids from the boat deck and suffered several fractures when she landed on wreckage. She survived, but the two daughters drowned. Anna's body was never found, Gwendolyns was found the next day and transferred to Montreal to be buried in the family grave.

Two years after this tragedy, the war claimed another casualty within the family when son Hugh Allan III, a pilot with the Royal Naval Air Service, was shot down over enemy lines.

Montagu Allan has served on the boards of several large companies such as Canada Steamship Lines Inc. , Royal Trust Company , Ogilvie Flour Mills Co. and Montreal Light, Heat and Power . He was also director and president of the Merchants Bank of Canada .

In his private life, Allan was very active in sports and belonged to various sports clubs. He was the owner of a horse racing stable . His horses have often won the Queen's Plates , Canada 's premier horse race. Since he also promoted ice hockey exceptionally, he was honored with the establishment of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 with the admission into it.

Allan was raised to a Knight Bachelor degree by King Edward VII in 1906 and was also awarded the Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in later years .

Montagu Allan and his wife are buried next to their daughters in the Mont-Royal cemetery.

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personal data
SURNAME Allan, Montagu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Allan, Hugh Andrew Montagu; Allan, H. Montagu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian banker, ship owner and sports promoter
DATE OF BIRTH October 13, 1860
PLACE OF BIRTH Montreal
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 1951