Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty

Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty

Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty, lawyer, railway official (b at Thorold, Ont 16 Oct 1877; d at Montréal 23 Mar 1943), son of Henry BEATTY. After studying at Upper Canada College, University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall, Beatty articled with a law firm in Toronto. When A.R. Creelman, a partner in the firm, was appointed Canadian Pacific Railway general counsel in 1901, he took Beatty to Montréal as his assistant. Beatty's ability impressed CPR President Thomas SHAUGHNESSY and he was appointed general counsel in 1913 and became the first Canadian-born CPR president in 1918.

The CPR faced competition from the Canadian National Railways, particularly in accommodation and construction of prairie branch lines in the 1920s. Beatty strengthened the system, which he had inherited from Shaughnessy, and in 1942 created Canadian Pacific Airlines. He was knighted in 1935.