Fraser Elliott

Roy Fraser Elliott, CM QC (November 25, 1921 – January 26, 2005) was a Canadian lawyer, supporter of the arts, and philanthropist.

Fraser Elliott
Born	Roy Fraser Elliott (1921-11-25)November 25, 1921 Ottawa, Ontario
Died	January 26, 2005(2005-01-26) (aged 83)
Occupation	Lawyer
Known for	Stikeman Elliott
Awards	Order of Canada

Early life and education

Elliott was born in Ottawa, Ontario, a son to Colin Fraser Elliott (at one time, the Deputy Minister of Finance of Canada) and Marjorie Sypher. His younger sister, Marjorie Elliott Sypher, served as the First Lady of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978.

He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1943 from Queen's University, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1946, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1947. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1946 and the Quebec Bar in 1948.

Career and other activities

He founded the law firm of Stikeman Elliott, specializing in tax and corporate law, with H. Heward Stikeman in 1952. Stikeman Elliott became and remains one of the largest and most successful law firms in Canada. Fraser convinced the former premier of Ontario, John Robarts, to join the law firm's small Toronto office instead of joining one of several major firms that were wooing him.

He was once chairman of the board, the largest shareholder, and had been a director since 1951 of CAE Industries Ltd. He also served on the boards of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Larfarge Corp., Montreal Shipping Inc. and Standard Broadcasting Corp. Ltd.

He was president of the Art Gallery of Ontario and served on the boards of directors of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. He was Chairman Emeritus of the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation. In 1980, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

In 2001, CAE donated $1,000,000 for the creation of the R. Fraser Elliott Scholarship and Laboratory Program at the École Polytechnique and the Université de Montréal. The Canadian Opera Company's R. Fraser Elliott Hall and the Toronto General Hospital's R. Fraser Elliot Wing are named in his honour.

Family

He married Elizabeth Ann (Betty-Ann) McNicoll in 1955. They had six children: Fraser; Ann; Allison; Adrian; Jordan; and Alexandra, and, later, 15 grandchildren: Robin, Fraser, Robert, Judith, Virginia, Patrick, Andrew, Sara-Nicole, Elizabeth-Rose, Samantha, Margaret, Charles, Ann, Elizabeth-Ann, Jordan, .

Further reading

• Stikeman Elliott: The First Fifty Years, by Richard W. Pound (2002, ISBN 0-7735-2411-8).

References

• "Fraser Elliott (LLB '46) Founded Stikeman Elliott". Osgoode Hall Law School. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
• "Mr. R. Fraser Elliott". Royal Conservatory of Music. Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
• "CAE director passes away". CAE. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
• "R. Fraser Elliott, C.M., M.B.A., Q.C". Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. Retrieved January 30, 2005.
• "Roy Fraser Elliott, C.M., Q.C. (1921-2005)". Stikeman Elliott. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2005.