Gerry Snyder

Gerry Maurice Snyder (February 14, 1920 – November 26, 2007) was a Canadian politician from Montreal. He served on the Montreal City Council and was instrumental in bringing the Summer Olympics and Major League Baseball to Montreal.

Early life and career Snyder was born in Montreal on February 14, 1920. He graduated from Luke Callaghan High School and played junior hockey. He worked for the Royal Bank of Canada for three years and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941. He won the election. He was allied with Drapeau, and was thought of as his "fixer".

After the loss of the Montreal Royals, Snyder campaigned for an expansion team in Major League Baseball (MLB). He organized a leadership group that included Jean-Louis Lévesque and Charles Bronfman and presented Montreal's bid for an expansion team to MLB owners at the 1967 Winter Meetings. Their group was awarded a franchise, the Montreal Expos.

Snyder campaigned for the 1972 Summer Olympics, but Montreal's bid was not chosen. Montreal campaigned again for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and their bid was successful. He was in charge of financing the games.

In 1982, after 25 years, Snyder lost reelection to the city council. He was defeated by Marvin Rotrand. After the loss, he was appointed as commissioner with Société de transport de la communaute urbaine de Montreal. He served in the role until his retirement in 1987. He died at Lakeshore General Hospital on November 26.

Snyder was posthumously elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.