James McGill

James McGill (1744-1813) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist.

One of the Montreal merchants involved in the fur trade south of the Great Lakes from 1770, he diversified his activites into land speculation and by 1810 had abandoned the fur trade altogether. Rumoured to be the richest man in Montreal, he left a great deal of money to charity, including an estate and 10,000 pounds to found McGill University.