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
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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
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 ...
of
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