Reuben Wells Leonard

Education

Following a short stint as a teacher in Brant County, he studied civil engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, student # 87. He graduated from RMC as the silver medallist in a class of 23 cadets.

Career

He worked as an engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He left temporarily to serve as a transport officer in the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. In the period from 1886 to early 1906, he was involved mainly in railway and hydroelectric projects in central and eastern Canada. Among these, he worked on the construction of the first Niagara Falls power station, in 1892–93. A grubstaking venture in northern Ontario in 1905 led to the acquisition of a mineral-rich claim in the centre of Cobalt, Ontario. These mines, which contained cobalt, nickel), silver, and arsenic, made him wealthy.

Railway

In 1911, Robert Borden made him chairman of the National Transcontinental Railway Concern, the forerunner of the Canadian National Railways. He oversaw the construction of the line from Moncton, New Brunswick, to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Military service

He joined the Corps of Guides in 1904. During World War I, he served in Europe with the Corps of Guides. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in September 1915.

Philanthropy

In 1916, he established a philanthropic foundation and gave extensively to educational institutions, churches (low-church Anglican), hospitals, and other causes. Reuben Leonard was a philanthropist, and made monetary donations not only to Queen's University but also to the Girl Guides of Canada, Scouts Canada, the University of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and many other organisations. He also established the Leonard Foundation in 1916, educational trust to provide financial assistance for children of ministers, soldiers, teachers and engineers. He gave generously to support the war effort. After the Great War he donated Chatham House, Number 10 St. James's Square, a Grade I Listed 18th-century house to the Royal Institute of International Affairs thereby giving that organization its usual shorter name.

Governance

Following the armistice, he served a year as president of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1919-20. In 1920, he was to the Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission. He was appointed to boards of governance at the University of Toronto, Wycliffe College in Toronto, Ridley College in St Catharines, Ontario the School of Mining and Agriculture and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and the Khaki University of Canada.

Family

Lieutenant-Colonel Reuben Wells Leonard and his wife Kate built a stately home, Springbank, which overlooked the old Welland Canal in St Catharines. They did not have any children.

Honours

Queen’s University, conferred an honorary doctorate in October 1930. Leonard Reef, St. Joseph Channel, Algoma, Ontario was named in honour of 87 Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Wells Leonard (RMC 1883), Chairman, National Transcontinental Railway. Leonard Reef, St. Joseph Channel, Algoma District, Ontario was named in his honour. 46°18′19″ North 84°4′10″ West There is also a Leonard Township in the Timiskaming District, Ontario.

Legacy

In 1923, he donated land to Queen’s University, on which Leonard Hall, and Leonard Field were named in his honour.

Controversy

Under the Leonard Foundation terms, boursaries were made available to students who were white, British subjects, and Protestant and no more than one-quarter of the moneys could be awarded to females. The goal was to provide financial assistance to needy students who showed the promise of becoming leading citizens of the British Empire. A complaint filed against the Leonard Foundation under the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1986 prompted litigation. The Ontario Court of Appeal held in 1990, that the trust’s exclusionary terms relating to race, religion, nationality, and gender were contrary to law.