William Earle McLaughlin (16 September 1915 – 30 October 1991) was a Canadian banker who was the Chairman of the

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...

from 1960 to 1979. Born in

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, to parents Frank McLaughlin and Frankie L. Houlden. Earle McLaughlin graduated with a gold medal in commerce from Queen's University and joined the

in 1936. In 1960, at an age considered very young at the time, 45-year-old McLaughlin was appointed the bank's general manager and then shortly thereafter, president. He would retire as chairman in 1979. In addition to the Royal Bank, McLaughlin served on the

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 ...

of a number of corporations including

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

Algoma Steel Algoma Steel Inc. (formerly The Algoma Steel Corporation, Limited; Essar Steel Algoma) is an integrated steel mill, primary steel producer located on the St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario), St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. ...

, Metropolitan Life and

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

(a board which he was appointed to after the retirement of Sam McLaughlin, his first cousin once removed). He was a member of the board of governors of the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Council of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Following his retirement from banking, he served as chancellor of

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

(1982–1986) and was a trustee of Queen's University who awarded him their alumni John B. Stirling Montreal Medal in 1967. Earle McLaughlin was made an Officer of 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 ...

in 1981. McLaughlin died in Montreal in 1991 and was buried at Mount Royal Cemetery. His grandson, Kevin McLaughlin, now continues the family automotive tradition with AutoShare.

Works

McLaughlin, W. Earle. ''Collected Speeches 1961–1979''. Royal Bank of Canada, 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Earle 1915 births 1991 deaths Canadian bank presidents Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Officers of the Order of Canada People from Oshawa Queen's University at Kingston alumni Place of death missing Chancellors of Concordia University