William C. Macdonald (1831 – 1917)

Major Benefactor and Founder of Macdonald College

An enormously successful merchant and tobacco manufacturer, Sir William C. Macdonald is one of the most influential philanthropists in Canadian history. At McGill alone, he funded scholarships, constructed some of the University’s most recognizable buildings, and served on the Board of Governors for 30 years. He’s best known for planning and building what is now Macdonald Campus in Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, where McGill scientists continue to do groundbreaking work in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, and the McGill School of Environment. As well, his generosity re-established the Faculty of Law in 1890; and built the Engineering and Physics Buildings in 1892, which enabled Ernest Rutherford to carry out his Nobel prize winning research. Sir William’s legacy of generosity also lives on in the Macdonald Stewart Foundation. He’s the Greatest McGillian because his foresight played a fundamental role in the future successes of McGill and Montreal.