Henry Pellatt

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Sir Henry Mill Pellatt (January 6, 1859, Kingston, Ontario, Canada - March 8, 1939) was a well-known Canadian financier and soldier.

He was educated at Canada's Upper Canada College, before moving on to university education at the University of Toronto.

He is perhaps best known for his role in building Casa Loma, in Toronto, which was the largest private home ever constructed in North America.

Sir Henry began his business career as a stockbroker with his father's firm Pellatt and Pellatt.

In 1882 he married Mary Dodgson who would later become Lady Pellatt when he was knighted in 1905 for his service with the Queen's Own Rifles.

He had three sisters and two brothers, Fred Pellatt (grandfather of Toronto freelance writer John Pellatt) and Mill Pellatt (father of Mary Pellatt). The latter brother was paymaster of the Toronto Electric Light Company, a job obtained by Sir Henry.

Much of his fortune was made through investments in the hydro electricity and railway industries in Canada. The strain of maintaining his large castle led him to ill-advised real estate investments which were unsuccessful. The City took over his electricity business and his airplane business was taken over as part of the war effort during World War I. Combined, these difficulties lead to his near bankruptcy and forced him and Lady Pellatt to leave Casa Loma.