William Culham Woodward

William Culham Woodward

William Culham Woodward (born April 24, 1885 in Gore Bay , Ontario , † February 24, 1957 in Hawaii ) was a Canadian entrepreneur . From 1941 to 1946 he was Lieutenant Governor of the Province of British Columbia .

biography

Woodward was born in Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island . His father Charles Woodward had founded the Woodward’s department store chain in Vancouver in 1892 and became wealthy as a result. After a short stint at the Royal Bank of Canada , the son joined the family business as an accountant in 1907 and soon held a leading position. During the First World War he volunteered in Europe on the Western Front .

After the death of his father, Woodward was president of the department store chain from 1937, which expanded rapidly in the following years and finally achieved market leadership in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta . He was also Chairman of the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and a Director at the Bank of Canada and the Royal Bank of Canada.

Governor General Lord Athlone swore in Woodward on September 5, 1941 as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. He held this representative office until October 1, 1946. Then he took over the management of the department store chain again. It passed to son Charles after his death and was eventually taken over by Hudson's Bay Company after bankruptcy in 1993 .