H. R. : A Biography of H. R. MacMillan

Drushka, Ken

ISBN 10: 1550171291 / ISBN 13: 9781550171297

Published by Harbour Publishing Company, Limited, Madeira Park, BC, Canada, 1995

About this Item

416 pages including index. "Macmillan was a prominent and influential man, always forthcoming on matters of principle. But he was also very reserved, private and complicated. Drushka's portrait of him, compiled over years of reading through the public record and working closely with MacMillan's family and business associates, is a respectful but clear-eyed look at the real H.R.: the ardent conservationist who was also a ruthless business tycoon; the shy, retiring gentleman who was also described as an "elemental force of nature:' the strait-laced businessman who had a lifelong friendship with his eccentric cousin Mazo de la Roche; the devoted family man who maintained a decades-long intimate friendship with his secretary." - from strikingly illustrated dust jacket. Clean, bright and unmarked with negligible wear. Lovely copy.; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; CONSERVATIONISTS FORESTERS FORESTS FORESTRY CANADA NATURE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PROTECTION British Columbia Biography Businessmen Harmac Pulp and Paper.

Seller Inventory # 713a3982

Bibliographic Details

• Title: H. R. : A Biography of H. R. MacMillan
• Publisher: Harbour Publishing Company, Limited, Madeira Park, BC, Canada
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1550171291
• ISBN 13: 9781550171297
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Forestry
  • Biography
  • British Columbia

About this title

Synopsis

Harvey Reginald MacMillan (1885-1976) is one of the most significant figures in Canadian corporate history. Born into extreme poverty in rural Ontario, MacMillan continued his education after high school and went on to study at Yale. Despite serious setbacks, including a bout with tuberculosis, MacMillan persevered, and in 1912 became the first chief forester in BC. He distinguished himself at once by selling BC lumber abroad in quantities that would have a lasting impact on the province's economy. By 1919 he had entered the private sector, establishing the first locally owned lumber export company in BC. That company grew to become MacMillan Bloedel, one of the most powerful forestry corporations in the world.

MacMillan also served his country in both World Wars and gave away millions of dollars during the last two decades of his life. For more than half a century, his speeches and arguments on public policy exerted an enormous influence on Canada's business and political leaders, although he often broke ranks with his colleagues to call for long-term resource management policies that were far ahead of their time.

H.R. was a prominent and influential man, always forthcoming on matters of principle. But he was also very reserved, private and complicated. Drushka's portrait of him, compiled over years of reading through public record and working closely with MacMillan's family and business associates, is a respectful but clear-eyed look at the real H.R.: the ardent conservationist who was also a ruthless business tycoon; the strait-laced businessman who had a lifelong friendship with his eccentric cousin, Mazo de la Roche; the shy, retiring gentleman who was also described as an "elemental force of nature."

About the Author

Ken Drushka worked as a journalist before spending sixteen years as a logger, silvicultural contractor and the operator of a custom sawmill. His work has been published in numerous periodicals, including Equity, Business in Vancouver, BC Report and Truck Logger. Drushka's books include the BC bestsellers Working in the Woods and Stumped: The Forest Industry in Transistion, Against Wind and Weather, Tie Hackers to Timber Harvesters and HR: A Biography of H.R. MacMillan, which won the 1996 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional BC Book Prize. He was also co-author of Three Men and a Forester (with Ian Mahood). Drushka passed away at the age of 63 in 2004.