Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

114 HISTORY OF THE BANKby the death of Mr. William Gooderham on September 12,1889; and the newcomers to the Board were Mr. John Hoskin,K.C., 1 a lawyer and financier of note elected in January, 1890,and Mr. Robert Kilgour,2a well-known manufacturer, electedat the annual meeting in 1890.In the summer of 1889, Mr. J. H. Plummer, the assistantgeneral manager, visited Great Britain with a view to improvingthe arrangements with the bank's correspondents and openingup new connections, particularly for letter of credit business,on the continent of Europe, in Australia and in South America.One of the results of this visit was the establishment of abusiness connection with the Union Bank of Australia, Limited,which has lasted ever since.An important revision of the Bank Act took place in 1890and the bankers of Canada were called upon to meet, asusual, the old arguments which are invariably produced onsuch occasions, and to fight against the adoption of many ofthe more prominent features of the United States bankingsystem. Some anxiety was caused by the fact that theMinister of Finance, the Hon. George E. Foster, 3 was under-Uohn Hoskin, K.C., LL.D., D.C.L. (1886-1921), was born at Holsworthy, England,and came to Canada in 1854. He was called to the Bar in 1863, and in 1877 became amember of the firm of McCarthy, Osier, Hoskin and Creelman. Dr. Hoskin for manyyears held the position of Official Guardian for Infants for the province of Ontario.He was chairman of the Board of Trustees of Toronto University, president of theToronto General Trusts Corporation and a director of many other prominent financialinstitutions.'Robert Kilgour (1847-1918) was born at Beauharnois, near Montreal. Aft.-rserving in a clerical capacity in a wholesale business, in 1870 he helped to establish acompany for the manufacture of paper bags, which later became known as KilgourBrothers.The Right Hon. Sir George Eulas Foster, K.C.M.G. (b. 1847), is a son of the lateJohn Foster of Apohaqui, N.B. After graduating from the University of NewBrunswick with high honours, he taught for a number of yean, and in 1877 waaappointed professor of classics and history in his Alma Mat* rSubsequently he turn.-,!his attention to politics and was elected to Parliament in 1882, as member for King'sCounty, N.B. In 1885 he became Minister of Marin* .md Fisheries in the Governmentof the late Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald. In 1888 he became Ministerof Finance, a position which he held in several later governments. In 1911 hebecame Minister of Trade and Commerce.general manager of the Union Trust Company, Toronto.For some years he waa vice-president and