Jack Bickell

John Paris "Jack" Bickell (September 26, 1884 – August 22, 1951) was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and sports team owner. He is best known for his long-time association with the Toronto Maple Leafs professional ice hockey team.

Early life

Bickell's parents were Rev. David Bickell and Annie Paris.^[1] Born in Molesworth, near Listowel, and raised in Toronto. J.P. was the second child born as he had an older brother James Clark (1883) a younger brother David Parkhurst (1888) and one sister Annie (Marjorie)(1890).

Brokerage Interests

Bickell started his own brokerage firm J.P. Bickell & Co. at the age of 23 and was a millionaire by 30. He sold his firm in 1919 to concentrate on his various movie and mining interests. Hi hiatus from the industry didn't last long as of April 15, 1926 he was a senior partner in the prestigious New York Brokerage firm Thomson McKinnon. .^[2] He left the firm in to take on his WWII responsibilities year ending 1939.

Movie Interests

Bickell was a founder of the movie industry in Canada. He served as president of both Eastern Theatres Limited and Hamilton United Theatres Limited. Eastern Theatres, for example, oversaw the construction of Toronto’s Pantages Theatre, which specialized in the era’s wildly popular vaudeville acts. Similarly, Bickell also served as vice-president of the Select Pictures Corporation’s Canadian distribution company. Bickell was also part of the team that acquired Montreal’s Théâtre St-Denis in October 1917. Importantly, Bickell was vice-president of the Regent Theatre Company. The Regent Theatre was one of Toronto’s first large movie theatres and stood on Adelaide between Yonge and Bay Streets. The theatre’s company was formed in 1916 by a group of Toronto financiers that included P.W. Cushman, E.L. Ruddy, W.J. Sheppard, J.B. Tudhope and, of course, Bickell. Anticipating the ever-increasing interest in moving pictures, the company sought to acquire and transform J. Ambrose Small’s theatre, The Majestic, into a deluxe movie theatre, truly the first of its kind in Canada. In 1920 Canadian Famous Players Theatres Limited was founded in Bickell's office and he served as the Vice President with Nathan Nathanson the Managing Director. Bickell's friend W.D. Ross, head of the Bank of Nova Scotia and later Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, I.W. Killam of Royal Securities, Sir Herbert Holt of the Royal Bank, and Bickell were all members of the board of directors that underwrote the necessary $4 million of the company’s initial share offerings. He ultimately sold out his interests in the movie industry in 1930 to the President of the corporation, Adolph Zukor. Bickell then went onto concentrating on his mining interests.^[3][4]

Mining Interests

His initial involvement in mining was in the early 1900's in Cobalt, ON. Then in 1911 he invested in McIntyre Porcupine Mines Ltd. in Schumacher, ON. He became the president and later chairman a position he held until his death. His work in mining earned him a place in the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.

McIntyre Mine was formed in 1911, adding land staked by Sandy McIntyre to nearby ground obtained by Bickell. The initial assays were lean, but Bickell kept the faith and the company afloat through these tough times. Later, as grades improved, he obtained additional ground. The result was the McIntyre Porcupine Mine Limited, which has earned a place in Canadian mining history as one of the nation’s most important mines. Between 1912 and 1955, total production was valued at $230 million, and the company paid $62 million in dividends to shareholders. McIntyre also controlled the Belleterre gold mine in Quebec and the Castle-Trethewey silver mine near Gowganda, Ontario.^[5]

Involvement in Sports

Boxing - In 1919, Bickell’s sponsorship of boxing was with a belt that he put forth for Canada’s featherweight champion, known as the Bickell Belt. ^[6]

Boat Racing- In 1920, Bickell was also associated with the Toronto Syndicate, a group that built and sponsored racing boats in both Canada and the United States, including the hydroplanes Miss Toronto I and Miss Toronto II. Not surprisingly, the Syndicate included some heavy hitters in the financial world. They included J.P.’s friend Alfred Rogers, the coal and cement baron, in addition to F. Ericson, Thomas Rea, S.A. Sylvester, Fred Miller, Cecil Allison, W.B. Cleland, and others. The Syndicate made several entries into various high-profile races on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. At the Thousand Island Gold Cup in Alexandria Bay, New York, Miss Toronto II, with Bickell and Ericson at the helm, represented the Toronto Motor Boat Club. With Bickell as the hydroplane pilot and in five minutes Miss Toronto II logged the fastest five miles ever recorded in competition up until that point. In doing a five-mile lap in five minutes flat, Miss Toronto II set a new North American record, and she was dubbed The “the mile-a-minute boat”.^[7][8]

Hockey - In 1924, Jack came into the hockey business when the Toronto Arenas went bankrupt and Charlie Querrie needed financial reorganization to ice a team in Toronto. Initially the Toronto St. Patricks were formed and won a Stanley Cup in 1922. Bickell initially invested in the St. Pats in 1924 as a favor to his friend Charlie Querrie. When Querrie needed to sell the team in 1927, Bickell arranged for a group to buy the shares in the team and hired Conn Smythe to be the Managing Director, which kept the team in Toronto. Bickell owned the majority stake in the team, which was renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Smythe, Bickell helped in the organization and financing of the construction of the Maple Leaf Gardens arena for the Leafs in 1931. "You could say, without exaggerating, that Bickell was the cornerstone of the whole project," said Smythe.^[9] He was to be the first President of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. and also served as Chairman until a Board of Directors meeting on November 19, 1947 when he made arrangements for Conn Smythe to become the President. Bickell then served as a Director until his death. His name is on the Stanley Cup six times: 1932, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951. He was not included on the Cup with 1942 Toronto, as he was overseas serving in World War II. In 1953, the Toronto Maple Leafs established the J. P. Bickell Memorial Award. Bickell was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.^[10]

Golf - In 1927, he built a mansion, adjacent to the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, in the town of Port Credit, Ontario where he would live for the rest of his life. Bickell's involvement in the club was significant as he had sat on the board of directors, loaned the club $50,000 during the depression and was a life member. On the morning of August 15, 1925 J.P. got a 215 yard, hole-in-one on the third hole, the first person to ever ace the hole.

Baseball - In 1931, Bickell also served as a director of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club, owning an interest and joining the board of directors with Lawrence "Lol" Soloman as the teams owner.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Bickell was a key member of a group under Canadian Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, the British Minister of Aircraft Production, which ensured an adequate supply of airplanes for the British forces ultimately establishing The Atlantic Ferry Organization (ATFERO). Bickell served two years with the British Airplane Supply Board. Along with other important businessmen and industrialists known as the 4 Busy B's with Beaverbrook, (former Prime Minister) R.B. Bennett and Beverly Baxter (M.P.). Bickell was recruited by C. D. Howe to become one of the famous "dollar-a-year" men who headed up wartime industry and special projects. In 1942, he returned to Canada to become the president and chairman of the board of Victory Aircraft Ltd. in Malton, Ontario, the largest airplane manufacturer in Canada. Bickell was tasked with increasing the Lancaster Bomber production resulting in one per day rolling off the assembly line. This effort was credited with ultimately having a dramatic influence on winning the war.

Aviation History

After the war he co-founded A.V. Roe Canada Limited (AVRO) with Sir Roy Dobson. He paid the $1,200 incorporation fee out of his own pocket, and personally backed a $2.5 million dollar line of credit a the Canadian Bank of Commerce. Mr. Dobson became the President and Mr. Bickell became the Chairman, a position he held until his death in August 1951. ^[11]

Directorships

In business, Bickell served as the Chairman of McIntyre-Porcupine Mines Limited and A.V. Roe Canada Limited and as a director of Canadian Bank of Commerce, International Nickel Company of Canada (INCO), Imperial Life Assurance, and National Trust. He was also an active in healthcare, serving on several boards, including that of Wellesley Hospital, St. John's Ambulance Association and he was the honorary president of the Health League of Canada.

Death

Bickell died in New York City in 1951 at age 66 and was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.

Philanthropy

In 1945, he provided the funds Jack Kent Cooke needed to buy Toronto radio station CKEY. During his life Bickell gave and gave generously and in death he willed $13 million of his $14.6 million estate to the creation of the J.P. Bickell Foundation managed by National Trust Company (now Scotiabank). He established it to donate half of its interest income each year at; 50% to the Hospital for Sick Children, 10% for bursaries aiding in Medical Research, 5% to Mining scholarships and 35% to be distributed to general charities in Ontario at the discretion of the J.P. Bickell Foundation Management Committee. The Foundation has contributed $160 million to charity from 1953-2017. ^[12]

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Legends of Hockey
• Picture of John Bickell's Name on the 1945 Stanley Cup Plaque
• Picture of John Bickell's Name on the 1951 Stanley Cup Plaque at the Wayback Machine (archived September 27, 2007)