James Hamet Dunn

James Hamet Dunn was a Canadian financier and industrialist who was the chairman and CEO of Power Corporation of Canada, a diversified holding company with interests in financial services, media, energy, and other sectors. He was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada on October 29, 1874, to Jean-Noël Desmarais, a lawyer, and Lébéa Laforest. He studied at the University of Ottawa and started his career as a bus driver and operator in his hometown. He later acquired several bus companies and expanded his business into other fields, such as newspapers, pulp and paper, and insurance. In 1905, he moved to London, England, where he became a successful stockbroker and financier, specializing in Canadian securities. He was involved in the development of the energy industry, especially uranium and radium, and had close ties with political and business leaders in Canada and abroad. He was knighted in 1921 for his services during the First World War and created a baronet in 1938. He married Marcia Anastasia Christoforides, a Greek princess, in 1919 and they had no children. He died on January 1, 1956, in Sagard, Quebec, Canada, and was buried there. He is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential businessmen and philanthropists in Canadian history.