John Allan "Ben" Boyle (10 May 1916 – 5 December 2008) was a Canadian banker who served as president of the

Toronto-Dominion Bank Toronto-Dominion Bank (), doing business as TD Bank Group (), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The bank was created on February 1, 1955, through the merger of the Bank of ...

from 1978 to 1981. Boyle joined the

Dominion Bank The Dominion Bank was a Canadian bank that was chartered in 1869 and based in Toronto, Ontario. On February 1, 1955, it merged with the Bank of Toronto to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank. History The Dominion Bank's charter received royal ass ...

in 1934 in his hometown of

Orillia Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a Lis ...

as a junior clerk. After serving in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Boyle rejoined the Dominion Bank and in 1948 was sent to its Manhattan branch. Following the Dominion's merger with the

Bank of Toronto The Bank of Toronto was a Canadian bank that was founded in 1855 by a group of grain dealers and flour millers. On February 1, 1955, it merged with the Dominion Bank to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank. Its first president was James Grant Chewett, ...

in 1955, in 1956 Boyle was sent back to the States to work at the new bank's New York branch. Boyle returned to Canada in 1966 and joined the head office in Toronto. In 1972 he was appointed chief general manager and vice-president, and in 1974 was elected a director. On 1 May 1978, Boyle succeeded Richard Murray Thomson as the bank's president, while Thomson was appointed chairman and chief executive. Boyle retired in 1981 at age 65 but remained a director of the bank until 1987. He died in Toronto in 2008 at age 92.

Biography

John Allan Boyle was born on 10 May 1916 in Orillia, Ontario to William John Boyle (1880–1941) and Mary Innes MacKenzie (1881–1932). He had two older sisters, Jean (1909–2014) and Mary (1912–1961). Boyle's Scottish mother called him "bonnie

bairn ''Bairn'' is a Northern England English, Scottish English and Scots term for a child. It originated in Old English as "", becoming restricted to Scotland and the North of England . In Hull the ''r'' is dropped and the word ''Bain'' is used. ...

," meaning roughly "beautiful child." The term was corrupted to "Ben," which became his nickname. Boyle graduated from Orillia Collegiate Institute in June 1934, and that August joined the Dominion Bank as a junior clerk. Boyle left the bank in 1940 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After receiving his wings, he was made a pilot instructor in the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a large-scale multinational military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the Second Wo ...

. On 8 June 1944, while attached to No. 2 Service Flying Training School at RCAF Uplands in Ottawa, Boyle was awarded the Air Force Cross. The award was part of the

1944 Birthday Honours The 1944 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 2 June 1944 for the United Kingdom and British Empire, New Zealand, and South Africa. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they ...

. Boyle was sent to England in 1944 to serve as an instructor in a heavy conversion unit. In July 1944, Boyle flew on a bombing raid over Europe and had his plane shot down. He was captured on 7 July and interned at

Stalag Luft III Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...

as POW no. 6936. In early 1945, the prisoners in the camp were transferred to Stalag XIII-D. After being liberated, on 13 May 1945 he returned to England, and on 26 May was presented his AFC. In late 1945, Boyle rejoined the Dominion Bank. In 1948, he was sent to New York, where he worked in the bank's Manhattan branch for three years before returning to Canada. On 1 February 1955, the Dominion Bank merged with the Bank of Toronto to form the new Toronto-Dominion Bank. In June 1956, TD sent Boyle back to New York where he served as a Special Representative, and in 1964 he was appointed an Agent. During the decade he worked in New York, the Boyles lived in New Jersey, and Ben commuted to Manhattan by train. Boyle returned to Canada in January 1966 and joined the head office in Toronto. The following month, he was appointed Assistant General Manager, International Division. In July 1968 he was appointed General Manager, Administration, and in December 1968 was appointed Deputy Chief General Manager. In September 1972 he was appointed Executive Vice-president and Chief General Manager, and in September 1974 was elected to the board of directors. At an unknown date, Boyle attended the Management Training Course at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

. On 1 May 1978, Boyle was appointed president of the bank. He succeeded Richard Murray Thomson, who replaced Allen Thomas Lambert as chairman and chief executive. During his tenure as president, Boyle oversaw the bank's expansion in the United States and Britain, and the introduction of bank credit cards. Boyle retired from the presidency on 31 May 1981 at age 65, and was succeeded in the position by Robert Willem Korthals. Boyle remained a director of the bank until 1987. He served also as a director of Excelsior Life, Aetna Casualty, Costain Limited, and Jannock Limited, and was a governor of

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. Boyle served as president of the

Canadian Bankers Association The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA; ) is a trade association and lobby group representing Canadian banks. Its over 60 members include Canada's Big Five banks, smaller domestic banks, and Canadian subsidiaries of foreign banks. Founded in Mon ...

for the 1974–75 term, and served a term as president of the

Canadian Club of Toronto Canadian Club Toronto, formerly known as The Canadian Club of Toronto, is a non-profit speakers' forum in Toronto, Ontario. It meets several times a month to hear speeches given by invited guests from diverse fields, including politics, law, busi ...

. He was a member of the Thornhill Country Club,

Toronto Club The Toronto Club is a private members' club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded on March 20, 1837, it is the oldest private club in Canada, and third oldest in North America. The clubhouse, located at 107 Wellington Street West (at York Street ...

Granite Club The Granite Club (founded as the Toronto Granite Curling Club) is a private social and athletic club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1875, it has a long history of sports competition. It is located at 2350 Bayview Avenue, north of mi ...

York Club The York Club is a private members' club that was incorporated on November 22, 1909. It is located at 135 St. George Street in The Annex neighbourhood of central Toronto, Ontario, close to the University of Toronto's main campus. The club's name ...

, Canadian Club of New York, and Sara Bay Country Club. The Boyles were members of the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

. On 31 May 1941, Boyle married Doris Sydney Mullett (1916–1995), whom he had known since childhood. The wedding took place in Toronto at the home of Doris's brother-in-law, Stanley A. Watson, and the service was officiated by the Rev. Fred Smith, the minister of Silverthorn United Church. Ben and Doris had two children, William and Charlotte. He died on Friday, 5 December 2008 in Toronto at age 92. The funeral was held on 10 December at the A. W. Miles Chapel of the Humphrey Funeral Home."Deaths," ''Globe and Mail'', (8 December 2008), S10. He was interred with his late wife at the St. Andrews and St. James Cemetery in Orillia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, J. Allan 1916 births 2008 deaths Canadian bank presidents Canadian bankers People from Orillia Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Canadian Air Force officers Toronto-Dominion Bank Toronto-Dominion Bank people Toronto-Dominion Bank presidents