Arthur Lee Irving (July 14, 1930 – May 13, 2024) was a Canadian

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

businessman, the second son of industrialist K. C. Irving of the Irving family. Born in Saint John,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Irving was the president of

Irving Oil Irving Oil Ltd. is a Canadian privately owned intergenerational gasoline, oil, and natural gas producing and exporting company, a subsidiary of the parent company Irving Group of Companies, one of the largest "private conglomerates" in North Amer ...

, and later became its sole owner through the Arthur Irving Family Trust. By the time of his death, his net worth was estimated between and . Additionally, Irving served as the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

between 1996 and 2010, where he previously attended before dropping out to pursue the family-owned industry. Irving was also a longtime

board member A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

Ducks Unlimited Canada Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a Canadian non-profit environmental organization that works to conserve, create, restore and manage Canadian wetlands and associated uplands in order to provide healthy ecosystems that support North American wate ...

. Irving received honours and awards including the

Order of New Brunswick The Order of New Brunswick is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The order was instituted through the ''Order of New Brunswick Act'', which was granted royal assent on 20 December 2000. The order is intended ...

and the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Biography

Arthur Irving was born on July 14, 1930 in Saint John,

, the second son of industrialist K. C. Irving. His mother, Harriet Lila Irving (), was from Galloway in Kent County. Irving attended the Winter Street School as well as the Rothesay Collegiate School. He was later temporarily enrolled at

, of which he later served as

between 1996 and 2010, though he later dropped out to pursue work in the family industry. In 1951, he began working at

, later becoming its president in 1972, following the retirement of his father. Irving spent over three decades on

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

, and was president from 1986 to1987. Following their father's death in 1992, ownership and responsibility for the Irving companies were divided amongst Irving along with his brothers

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and

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

. Irving Oil's responsibility was passed to Irving, which included its

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied pet ...

, oil tankers, distribution terminals and other facilities, while a portion of the company's stake was given to Jack, which his family later sold to the Arthur Irving Family Trust in 2018. While serving as its chancellor, Irving, along with his two brothers, donated two facilities to Acadia University in 2002: the K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre, as well as the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. In 2012, in partnership with Acadia University and Ducks Unlimited Canada, Irving established the Beaubassin Research Station in Aulac. In 2016, Dartmouth accepted $80 million from the Irving family to set up the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society. Until October 2023, Irving served as the

board of directors' chairman, though he continued to work in the business until his death. His stepping down came amidst a "strategic review of the company's future" announced earlier in June 2023, in which there was mention that the review "could lead to its full or partial sale."

Awards

In 2002, Irving was made an Officer of the

, and in 2012, he was made a member of the

. In November 2007, Irving was inducted into the 2008

Canadian Business Hall of Fame The Canadian Business Hall of Fame celebrates the outstanding achievements of Canada's most distinguished business leaders, past and present. Over 170 Order of the Business Hall of Fame Companions serve as inspiring examples for all young Canadians ...

along with his two brothers. The following year, both Irving and his wife received

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

degrees by the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

. In 2013, Irving was New Brunswick's inductee for the

Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society () In 2019, Irving received the

Paul Harris Fellowship Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

honoured by

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

Personal life and death

Irving was married to Joan Carlisle. They had four children before divorcing in 1980. His second marriage was with Sandra Ring, with whom he had a daughter, Sarah Irving. Irving lived in Saint John while additionally owning a residence in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. On May 13, 2024, Irving died from cancer at the age of 93, at the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

. By the time of his death, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' had estimated his net worth being at , while

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...

estimated his net worth at . His funeral took place in Saint John.

Biography

Awards

Personal life and death

See also

References

Further reading