Murray Frum (September 3, 1931 – May 28, 2013) was a Canadian real estate developer and philanthropist.

Biography

Frum was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family on September 3, 1931, the only child of Saul and Rivka Frum, who had emigrated from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

the year before. Most of their family who stayed in Poland were murdered in the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. His parents operated a grocery store in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Frum attended King Edward Public School and in 1950, graduated from the

Harbord Collegiate Institute Harbord Collegiate Institute (HCI or Harbord) is a public secondary school located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in the Palmerston-Little Italy-Annex neighbourhood, situated on the north side of Harbord Street, bet ...

. In 1956, he graduated with a degree in dentistry from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. In 1970 he left dentistry to become a real estate developer (the Frum Development Group) and made his fortune developing suburban strip malls. Frum was a collector of African art and donated over 80 pieces to the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...

, one of the largest in North America; and along with his son-in-law, Howard Sokolowski, built the gallery in which the collection is housed. He later expanded into Renaissance art. In 2007, he donated

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

's 17th-century bronze of the crucifixion to the Art Gallery of Ontario which he bought while its origin was uncertain (it was later appraised at $50 million). Frum served on the boards of the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

, the Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Study, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Personal life

Frum married twice. In 1957, he married 19-year-old Barbara Rosberg who would later become a

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

broadcaster; she died of leukemia in 1992. The couple had three children:

David Frum David Jeffrey Frum (; born 30 June 1960) is a Canadian-American political commentator and a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He is a senior editor at ''The Atlantic'' as well as an MSNBC contributor. In 2003, Frum authored the ...

, a journalist and a former speechwriter for U.S. president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

;

Linda Frum Linda Frum (born January 13, 1963) is a Canadian author and journalist, and was a Conservative member of the Senate of Canada from 2009 until 2021. She announced her retirement from the Senate effective August 27, 2021 to devote more time to oth ...

, a Canadian senator who is married to Howard Sokolowski; and Matthew Frum. His second marriage was to Nancy Lockhart. He died on May 28, 2013, at his home in

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

despite being a non-smoker. He was buried with Barbara at York Cemetery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frum, Murray 1932 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Canadian philanthropists Canadian businesspeople in real estate Deaths from cancer in Ontario Deaths from lung cancer in Canada Canadian Jews Canadian philanthropists Businesspeople from Toronto University of Toronto alumni Canadian art collectors 20th-century Canadian dentists 21st-century Canadian businesspeople Jewish art collectors Burials at York Cemetery, Toronto