Wallace McCain

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Wallace McCain

CC ONB
Born
George Wallace Ferguson McCain

(1930-04-09)April 9, 1930
Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada
DiedMay 13, 2011(2011-05-13) (aged 81)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materMount Allison University (BA, 1951)
Occupation
  • Business executive
  • co-founder
Known forCo-founder of McCain Foods Limited
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1955)​
Children4 (including Michael McCain)
Parents
  • Andrew Davis McCain (father)
  • Laura Blanche Perley (mother)
RelativesHarrison McCain (brother)
FamilyMcCain family
Honours

G. Wallace F. McCain CC ONB (born George Wallace Ferguson McCain; April 9, 1930 – May 13, 2011)[1] was a Canadian businessman and co-founder of McCain Foods Limited. With an estimated net worth of $US 4.15 billion (as of 2018),[2][3] McCain was ranked by Forbes as the 13th wealthiest Canadian and 512th in the world.

Education and personal life[]

Born and raised in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, to father and owner of seed potato exporting business (1878–1953) and mother Laura Blanche McCain (née Perley; 1891–1982), he grew up in the region. McCain later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University in 1951.

He married to Margaret McCain in 1955, the first female Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

Later years[]

In 2007 he gave a record $873,000 to his alma mater, Mount Allison University and on February 21, 2011, he donated $5,000,000 to the University of New Brunswick, Saint John campus for the Wallace McCain Institute, a program for business students and entrepreneurs.[4]

McCain died on May 13, 2011 of pancreatic cancer. He was 81.[5] He was residing in Toronto, Ontario at the time of his death.

Business[]

McCain co-founded McCain Foods Limited in 1956 with his brother Harrison McCain, building it into one of the world's largest frozen food companies. In the 1990s a prolonged legal dispute between Harrison and Wallace over succession to the company leadership ended with the departure of Wallace's sons Michael and Scott McCain from McCain Foods.[6] Father and son moved to Maple Leaf Foods.

Wallace and Harrison were estranged after the fallout from their McCain Foods dispute. In 2004 there was rapprochement between the brothers when Wallace visited Harrison who was sick in the hospital. Wallace has also been a confidante to McCain Foods' non-family executives who now run the firm.[7]

After being ousted from McCain Foods, McCain teamed up with the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan to buy Maple Leaf Foods in 1995. He previously served as the chairman of the board for the company, and his son Michael is currently the CEO.[7]

Accolades[]

In 1995, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for being "one of Atlantic Canada's most notable entrepreneurs" and was promoted to Companion in 2008.[8] In 1993, he was inducted into Canadian Business Hall of Fame and the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2003, he was awarded the Order of New Brunswick.

He has received honorary degrees from Mount Allison University, the University of King's College, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Toronto and St. Francis Xavier University.

References[]

  1. ^ Ian Austen (May 15, 2011). "Wallace McCain Dies at 81; Fed the World Frozen Fries". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Canada's Richest People: Estate of Wallace McCain". Canadian Business - Your Source For Business News. December 24, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Canada's Richest People 2016: The Top 25 Richest Canadians". Canadian Business - Your Source For Business News. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  4. ^ http://blogs.unb.ca/newsroom/2011/02/23/wallace-and-margaret-mccain-donate-5-million-to-the-university-of-new-brunswick-to-continue-legacy-of-wallace-mccain-institute/
  5. ^ Greg Quinn (May 14, 2011). "Wallace McCain, Billionaire Founder of Maple Leaf Foods, Dies at Age of 81". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Harrison McCain, 76: French fry king". Toronto Star. July 29, 2004. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Wallace McCain, food-business giant, dies at 81". The Globe and Mail. May 14, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Official Order of Canada Web site Archived 2007-09-30 at archive.today

External links[]

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