McGill Libraries
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Aird, W. G. E. (William George Ernest), 1884-1964
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1884-1964
History
William George Ernest Aird was born on January 23, 1884, in Quebec City, Quebec. At the age of 18, he started to work in the nearby mill of the Montmorency Cotton Co. at the foot of the Montmorency Falls. Next forty years, he spent working in the Quebec cotton manufacturing industry.
In 1907, he joined the Wabasso Cotton Co. in Trois Rivières as the owner C. R. Whitehead's right-hand man. From 1923 to 1925, he was president of the Board of Trade, and from 1922 to 1923, he headed the Trois Rivières Branch of the Canadian Manufacturers Association. In 1932, he managed the Montreal Cottons at Valleyfield, one of the largest cotton mills in the world. After being plant manager for four years, he became general manager in 1936 and finally, its director in 1939.
In 1910, he married Mildred Elmira Watters and they lived in a white colonial house close to the Valleyfield mill. He died in Montreal, Quebec on February 28, 1964.