D'Alton Corry Coleman

D'Alton Corry Coleman (July 9, 1879 – October 17, 1956) was a Canadian railway executive and businessman. He began working for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1899, and was promoted through its ranks until serving as president from 1942 to 1947. He oversaw expansion which added of branch lines in the Canadian Prairies, and guided Western Canada railways through the Great Depression. He developed the CPR to support logistics during World War II, including manufacture of munitions, expanded shipbuilding and established one of the country's first private blood donation clinics. Canadian Pacific Air Lines was established under his leadership, and he became chairman of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, Canadian Pacific Hotels and other subsidiaries. He maintained good relations between the CPR and its unionized workers and believed in promoting from within the company.

Coleman developed a love for reading history at a young age, became city editor of The Belleville Intelligencer by age 18, and kept a large personal library on Canadiana. He was the father of sports journalist Jim Coleman, served as the vice-president of the Montreal Canadiens, and owned a horse racing stable which produced the winner of the 1943 Canadian Derby. Coleman had a long association of community service with the Navy League of Canada, and served in executive positions on multiple financial institutions including the Bank of Montreal and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. He served on the board of governors for the University of Manitoba, McGill University and the University of Bishop's College; and received honorary law degrees from Manitoba and Bishop's. He was made a Knight of Grace in The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in 1943, and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1946.

Early life and education D'Alton Corry Coleman was born on July 9, 1879, in Carleton Place, Ontario. He was the oldest son in a family including six boys and one girl, to parents James Coleman and Mary Jane Doherty, who were first generation Irish Canadians. At age four, his family relocated to Braeside, where he attended elementary school. As a youth, he enjoyed reading history books, Blackwood's Magazine, and had a subscription to The Times of London by age 13.

Coleman attended Arnprior District High School by walking five miles each day, and played football and baseball at school.

Coleman quit the newspaper business after two years and was accepted for an advertised position in Buffalo, New York. He spent his life savings on a rail ticket to get there, and turned down the job when he found out it was for selling pills. After a night of roaming the streets Buffalo to keep warm, he visited a restaurant where the female owner listened to his story, fed him a large breakfast and gave him money for a rail ticket to get to his relatives in Sarnia. He guided the Western Lines through the Great Depression making adjustments to services due to declining revenues. He oversaw the establishment of Canadian Pacific Air Lines in 1942, and became its chairman after the CPR absorbed Canadian Airways and nine other companies.

During World War II, Coleman oversaw manufacturing of munitions at the CPR Angus Shops in Montreal and CPR Ogden Shops in Calgary, and expanded shipbuilding to assist the Allies of World War II and replacement of steamships lost to enemy attacks. He also used the Angus Shops to establish one of the country's first private blood donation clinics in co-operation with the Canadian Red Cross.

The CPR owned and operated a chain of Canadian Pacific Hotels across the country. Coleman served as president of the Hotel Vancouver Company, a director of the Château Frontenac Company, and president of the Seigniory Club based at the Château Montebello. In 1943 and 1944, the Government of Canada wanted exclusive use of the Château Frontenac for war time meetings that became the First Quebec Conference and the Second Quebec Conference. Coleman negotiated usage by the government via the under Secretary of State for Canada who was his younger brother, Ephraim Herbert Coleman, and requested not be told any classified information nor why the hotel was wanted. and remained a company director for life. After moving to Montreal, Coleman became a director of the Canadian Arena Company and was a vice-president of the Montreal Canadiens.

Coleman owned a horse racing stable and several thoroughbreds. After relocating to Montreal in 1934, he served as a governor of McGill University and was on the executive committee of University of Bishop's College. He spent eight years at the Royal Alexandra Hotel in Winnipeg from 1922 to 1930.

Coleman attending sports events in Canada and the United States with his sons, including the 1925 Stanley Cup Finals, horse races at Saratoga Springs, New York, and games at the World Series. His sons would ride across the country in the care of a train conductor to meet their father, often with a limousine waiting. Jim Coleman recalled that he and his brother took turns sitting beside their father at games, and stated "It was a painful business. Dad didn't shout much but he body checked all through the game".

Coleman died at home in Montreal on October 17, 1956, after an illness of several months. His funeral was held on October 20, 1956, at Douglas Church in Montreal, followed by burial in Arnprior, Ontario.

Honours and legacy

The Winnipeg Tribune described Coleman as "modest" and "affable" which "won him the affection of thousands of fellow workers and fellow citizens", and also credited him for developing the CPR into an efficient means of war time logistics for Canada. and an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Bishop's College in 1937.

Coleman was an honorary president of the Navy League of Canada and the Association of Canadian Clubs of Canada. He was a life member of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg, and was given the honorary tribal chief title of "Chief of the Iron Trails" by the Piapot.