Robert Bickerdike

Born on August 17, 1843, in Kingston, Ontario. When he completed his education, he decided to move to Montreal, where he set up a livestock exporting business. In 1866, he married Helen Thomson Reid, and the couple had nine children. He was successively president of a number of various businesses: banks, insurance companies, businesses, electrical companies, telephone companies, etc. In 1867, he became a Liberal member of parliament and promoted measures of social reform. A great humanist, he was opposed to the death penalty and proposed reforms to the penal system. In 1916, he founded and led the National Prison Reform Association, which merged in 1919 with the League of Honour of Canada to become the Canadian Prisoners' Welfare Association, of which he was the honourary president until his death in 1928.