Edward Mahon (1862–1937) was born in

Rawmarsh Rawmarsh (locally ) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-northeast from Rotherham town centre and south-southwest of Swinton. The ...

, England to Sir William Vesey Ross Mahon (1813–1893), who became Fourth Baronet in 1852, but chose not to abandon his

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

parish in favour of Castlegar, the ancestral Mahon family residence in

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland.

Early life

Mahon and his siblings thus grew up in England. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

, where he obtained a degree in law in 1884. He opened practice in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, but was not satisfied with his chosen profession.

Career

The Mahon clan had been influential in Anglo-Irish politics, but the real impetus to greater fame was provided by John Ross Mahon (1814–1887), Sir William's younger brother. He was a very successful land agent and founding partner in

Guinness Mahon Guinness Mahon was an Irish merchant bank originally based in Dublin but more recently with operations in London. History Formation The firm was founded as a land agency in Dublin in 1836 by barrister Robert Rundell Guinness, a great-nephew of t ...

, a merchant bank. When he died a bachelor in 1887, his very substantial personal wealth as well as his interest in the bank passed on to his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

, John FitzGerald Mahon (1858–1942), an older brother of Edward. Following an exploratory world trip, John settled on the

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

area of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

as a suitable place for investment, and delegated Edward to look after his business interests there. Edward arrived in October 1890, and soon gravitated to the opportunities for growth on the north shore of

Burrard Inlet Burrard Inlet () is a shallow-sided fjord in the northwestern Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the lowland Burrard Peninsula to the south from the coa ...

, as well mining opportunities in the West Kootenay region.

Investments

In 1891, he purchased a pre-emption from Albert McCleary near the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers, and on it, platted a town-site that he named Castlegar, in honour of his ancestral home in Ireland. He sought out a partnership for its development with Augustus Heinze, who was in 1897 constructing his Columbia & Western Railway northward from his Trail smelter operation. Edward's plans for a showcase Kootenay city collapsed when Heinze sold out all his interests to the CPR early in 1898, and the railway effectively blocked the development of his city in favour of Nelson. Heinze retreated to his operational base in Butte, Montana, and later New York, where he was instrumental in precipitating the financial

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange suddenly fell almost ...

. Edward’s most profitable investment in the West Kootenay was with his early acquisition of the Vancouver Group of mining claims near Silverton. By the mid-1890s he was joined in the mining ventures by his younger brother Gilbert Mahon (1865–1947), with John FitzGerald Mahon occasionally participating as well. By 1898 Edward’s interests had shifted fully to what would become the North Vancouver city and district. He was now living in a new house, built on the corner of Burrard and Hastings streets in Vancouver. It became a social centre of Vancouver, and served Edward for thirty years before it was demolished in 1929 to make room for the

Marine Building The Marine Building is a skyscraper located at 355 Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver, Downtown Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada near the Financial District. Completed in 1930, at the time of its opening it was the city's talle ...

. During this period Edward was involved in many enterprises which marketed real estate, promoted development, provided financing, and managed properties for absentee landowners. His associations included: the North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company; Mahon, McFarland & Mahon; ownership of forested lands in the Capilano valley as well as the

Capilano Suspension Bridge The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a simple suspension bridge crossing the Capilano River in Upper Capilano, British Columbia, Canada, in the District of North Vancouver. The current bridge is long and above the river. It is part of a private ...

; development of the West Lake ski area on Hollyburn Ridge, and support of plans for an astronomical telescope for

Grouse Mountain Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in the District Municipality of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. With a maximum elevation of over 1,200 m (4,100 ft) at its peak, the mountain is t ...

Personal life

He married Lilette Rebbeck (1889–1956) in 1911; she was 28 years junior and very talented artistically, being an early student of

Emily Carr Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and villages of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. She also was a vivid writer and chronicler of life in her sur ...

, and a later mover in the Art in Living movement, which brought her into close association with C. E. (Ned) Pratt, B. C. Binning, Charles H. Scott, Fred Amess, and

Jack Shadbolt Jack Leonard Shadbolt, (February 4, 1909 November 22, 1998) was a Canadian painter. Early life Born in Shoeburyness, England, Shadbolt came to Canada with his parents in April 1911. He was raised in Victoria, British Columbia. He studied at t ...

. The couple had one son, Bryan (1913–2005), who was attracted to aviation at an early age, and pursued a distinguished career with Boeing Aviation in Seattle. This mirrored the family situation of his patron brother John FitzGerald, whose only son

Denis Mahon Sir John Denis Mahon, (8 November 1910 – 24 April 2011) was a British collector and historian of Italian art. Considered to be one of the few art collectors who was also a respected scholar, he is generally credited, alongside Sacheverell ...

(1910–2011) turned his back on his father's banking enterprise to become an authority on Italian Baroque art and a generous supporter of the Art Fund. Edward died in 1937, having lost much of his fortune in the stock market collapse and the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

that followed.

Recognition

Edward Mahon is remembered as a visionary developer and philanthropist. His enduring legacy is the Green Necklace: the circle of preserved green spaces, boulevards, and parks that encircles the city core of North Vancouver. That concept has been adopted by the city as an integral part of the official community plan. Mahon Avenue in North Vancouver is named after him, as is Mahon Park, on land he had donated for that purpose. An exhibit on his life and legacy was displayed in Castlegar BC in 2012, and a variation of it was produced for a permanent display by the City of North Vancouver.Article by North Vancouver Museum & Archives on their version of the Mahon Exhibit.
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References

External links

Changing Vancouver: The Mahon House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Edward 1862 births 1937 deaths People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford