Purdy Crawford

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Purdy Crawford (born 1931) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist.

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[edit] Education

Born in Five Islands, Nova Scotia, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Allison University in 1952, a Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie Law School in 1955, and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1956. He was called to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1956 and the Bar of Ontario in 1958. He was created a Queen's Counsel in 1968.

[edit] Law career

In 1956, he joined the law firm of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt as a student. Specializing in corporate and commercial law, he became an Associate Lawyer in 1958, Partner in 1962, and a Senior Partner from 1970 to 1985. He articled with Roland Ritchie and studied labour law with Archie Cox. From 1964 to 1968, he was a Special Lecturer at the Osgoode Hall Law School and taught at the University of Toronto Law School from 1969 to 1971.

[edit] Business career

In 1985, he became President and Chief Operating Officer of Imasco Ltd, becoming became Chief Executive Officer in 1986, and Chairman, President and CEO in 1987. He retired as CEO in 1995 and as Chairman in 2000.

[edit] Recent years

He re-joined Osler as Counsel in 2000.

He was the Chairman of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS), Chancellor of Mount Allison University, and Chairman of AT&T Canada Corporation. He was a corporate director for SEAMARK Asset Management Ltd. and is currently a member of the board of the Canadian National Railway Company. He is a Governor of the University of Waterloo.

He is chairman of the Ontario Government's Crawford Panel on a Single Canadian Securities Regulator.

[edit] Honours

In 1996, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "as the quintessential corporate philanthropist" and "as a caring and sensitive leader". [1] In 1997 he was inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre at Mount Allison University is named in his honour. Dalhousie University's Faculty of Law established the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law in his honour.

[edit] References