Arthur James Edward Child | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Arthur James Edward Child

Arthur James Edward Child, business executive (b at Guildford, Eng 19 May 1910; d at Calgary 30 July 1996). He was educated at Queen's, Harvard Business School and the University of Toronto.

He is credited with saving Burns Foods from bankruptcy and making it into the second-largest meat packer in the country. He was president and chief executive officer for Burns 1966-86 and until the year of his death was chairman and CEO and owned 59% of the company's shares. He was a founder and chairman of the Canada West Foundation and author of Economics and Politics in US Banking (1965). Child, with Ronald Jackson, bought a group of meat packing companies in 1986 for $52.5 million, with Child being the majority shareholder. A staunch Reform Party supporter, he backed Stan Waters in his fight for a senate seat. After Child's death, Burns Foods, which had $1 billion in sales, sold its fresh pork and prepared meat operations to Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Child was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995.

Donate to The Canadian Encyclopedia this Giving Tuesday!

A donation to The Canadian Encyclopedia today will have an even greater impact due to a generous matching gift from an anonymous donor. Starting December 3 until December 10, 2024, all donations will be matched up to $10,000! All donations above $3 will receive a tax receipt. Thank you for your support of The Canadian Encyclopedia, a project of Historica Canada.

Donate