Ray Edwin Powell (December 7, 1887 – November 9, 1973) was the president of what became known as

Alcan Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966. It took the name Alcan Incorporated in 2001. During ...

(the Aluminum Company of Canada), one of the largest aluminum companies in the world, overseeing an extraordinary expansion in the company's business. After his retirement from Alcan, he was named the 10th

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He served in the position from 1957 to 1964.

Life and career

Ray Edwin Powell was born in Table Grove,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

on December 7, 1887. He attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

for his

post-secondary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational school ...

, but dropped out before receiving his degree because of lack of financing. Powell was later awarded an Honorary Degree from this institution and several other universities. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Powell served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. After the war, he worked at

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

, also known as the Aluminum Company of America. In 1928, Powell moved to Canada, becoming the vice president of what was later known as

, the Aluminum Company of Canada, a subsidiary of Alcoa. The non-US operations of Alcoa were spun off from their parent company due to anti-trust regulations and were collectively united under the new Canadian company headed by Powell. Alcan eventually became larger than Alcoa and was one of the largest companies in Canada. He later rose to become Alcan's President from 1937 to 1957. In the first seven years of his tenure, Alcan's assets increased 500%. While Powell was President, he oversaw the company's expansion from its business related to

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 ...

. During the war, Powell used loans from the British, American, and Australian governments and tax arrangements with the government of Canada to expand Alcan's facilities along the

Saguenay River __NOTOC__ The Saguenay River (, ) is a major river of Quebec, Canada. It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. ...

. In the early 1950s, Alcan expanded once again by establishing a power development and smelter in

Kitimat Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban dist ...

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 ...

. Powell helped make Alcan into an independent Canadian company, separating it from Alcoa. Rio Tinto, one of the largest mineral companies in the world, purchased Alcan for US$38 Billion in 2007 and merged it with their own aluminum operations to form

Rio Tinto Alcan Rio Tinto Alcan is a Canada-based mining company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, it is a subsidiary of global mining conglomerate Rio Tinto. It was created on 15 November 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto's Canadian subsi ...

. The company is based in Montreal and is the largest aluminum company in the world.

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

was rumored to have considered Powell for knighthood until it was discovered that he had retained his US citizenship and not become a Canadian, despite living in Canada for the last 45 years of his life. This honor was to commemorate Powell for his efforts in supplying aluminum to the Allied effort during World War II and for being one of the greatest industrialists in Canadian history. After retiring from Alcan in 1957 at age 70, Powell became the 10th chancellor of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and held this top position until 1964. He also served as the university's governor from 1950 to 1966, when he became emeritus governor. He died in Montreal on November 9, 1973. He was survived by his wife, Cecile Smith Powell (1899-2000), four children (Robert, Mary, Cynthia and

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

) and 16 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Ervin Powell. His daughter Mary is the wife of David M. Culver, who spent his career at Alcan, retiring as chairman and CEO in 1989. Ray Powell's son Robert (born 1923) and daughter Cynthia (born in 1927) both died in 2006, while his other children Mary (born 1925) and Andrew (born 1930) both died in 2014. Powell's four children each had four children of their own, and the extended family is now spread throughout Canada, the US and Europe. Powell was often referred to as "Rip," which was a close acronym for his initials "REP." He served as a director of several companies such as the Bank of Montreal. McGill created the Powell Student Services Building on the university campus in his honor. Alcan named one of its large vessels that transported bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum, the "SunRip" as a tribute to Powell. Mount Powell, a peak in British Columbia, was named in his honor after he developed the Kitimat smelter facility for Alcan in that province.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Ray Edwin 1887 births 1973 deaths American business executives Chancellors of McGill University American emigrants to Canada University of Illinois alumni