Sir William Maxwell Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) 1879-1964

This prominent 20th-century figure was an important, controversial financier in Canada and an outspoken owner of a newspaper empire in Great Britain. During the First World War, he had considerable impact on how the Canadian effort was perceived and helped shape its remembrance through the legacy of the war art program. As Britain’s Minister of Aircraft Production during the Second World War, he drove the manufacture of Spitfire planes, which were key to winning the Battle of Britain. Generous to his home province, he was the leading benefactor of the University of New Brunswick and the founder of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

Figure éminente du XXe siècle, il est un important financier controversé au Canada et le propriétaire d’un empire de presse en Grande-Bretagne. Durant la Première Guerre mondiale, il exerce une grande influence sur la perception de l’effort canadien et, en créant un riche patrimoine d’art de guerre, sur le souvenir de ces années. Ministre en Grande-Bretagne pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il pousse la production des avions Spitfire, essentiels à la victoire dans la bataille d’Angleterre. Généreux envers sa province, il est le principal bienfaiteur de l’Université du Nouveau-Brunswick et le fondateur de la Galerie d’art Beaverbrook.