J.J. Carrick
John James "J.J." Carrick (17 September 1873 - 11 May 1966) was an American-Canadian real estate developer, politician, and stockbroker. He was the developer of the 1909 Mariday Park neighbourhood in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Among his many accomplishments: as mayor of Port Arthur he initiated the first daylight savings time in the world (in 1908), and he sold the first Remembrance Day poppies in Canada. [6]
Parents
J.J.'s father, John Alfred Carrick, was born in 1850 in West Malling, Kent, England. He emigrated to Canada in 1866. He spent some years in America, and was there in 1873 in Terre Haute, Indiana where J.J. was born. A few years later, when J. J. was still "young", the family moved back to Toronto. In 1910 John contracted "carcinoma of the stomach". He managed his son J.J.'s office in Fort William from 1910-11, after which he moved back to Toronto, residing at 1841 Dundas. In 1915 he was having an operation on his stomach to remove a tumor when he died of complications from surgery.
MR. J. A. CARRICK DEAD AT TORONTO
FATHER OF LIEUT.-COL. CARRICK, M.P., SUCCOMBS AT TORONTO TO AN OPERATION FOR TUMOR OF STOMACH
Word was received this afternoon that Mr. J. A. Carrick, father of Lieut.-Col. J. J. Carrick, M. P., died in Toronto, following an operation for tumor of the stomach.
The late Mr. Carrick was sixty-five years of age and was born in England. He came to Canada at the age of 16 years and later removed to the United States where he remained to a few years after which he again returned to Canada. He was in 1910-11 manager of the Carrick offices in Fort William and since that time he resided in Toronto.
Besides his son, Lieut.-Col. John J. Carrick, of Port Arthur, at present in France with the Canadian forces, he leaves another son, Charles S., of Sault Ste. Marie, and a daughter, Mrs. F. E. Hare, of Toronto. The widow is a sister of Mr. A. P. Harvey, of Port Arthur.
— Port Arthur News-Chronicle, 25 August 1915, page 1
J.J.'s mother was Emiline Harvey (1849 - 10 June 1929).
CARRICK—The death occurred in Toronto, on June 10, 1929, of Mrs. J. A. Carrick, mother of John J. Carrick, formerly of Port Arthur.
— Port Arthur News-Chronicle, 11 June 1929, page 12.
Early life
J.J. was born 17 September 1873 in Evansville, Indiana, USA, to John and his wife
In the 1878 in the Evansville city directory, John A. Carrick's listing is: "Singer Sewing Machine agent, res 1701 Upper 2d". The only other Carrick listed is "Harry J.", also "res 1701 Upper 2D".
Carrick must have moved with his family to Toronto for some reason, and he graduated from the University of Toronto in 1897. [6]
From 1897 to 1903 Carrick worked for John D. Rockefeller, becoming a leading oil salesman. [6]
As an entrepreneur Carrick was greatly influenced by [Rockefeller]. It's my personal view that when Carrick came into contact with Rockefeller's level of wealth and success he got bit by the wealth bug so hard, he never got over it. Carrick became "on fire" with success and momentum and became a very talented salesman.
— Daniel J. Skaarup, "Success Philosophy: Standing on the Shoulders of Sleeping Giants"
Marriage and family
He married Mary Jane Day on 20 December 1899 in Simcoe, Ontario. He listed his occupation as "Traveller" on the marriage license.
Mary Jane and J.J. had three sons:
- John Alfred "Jack" Carrick (1903 - 1952)
- Donald Day "Don" Carrick (1906 - 1997)
- James Alexander Crozier "Alex" Carrick (1908 - 1943)
All three sons were outstanding athletes who attended the elite private school, St. Andrew's College from 1917 until grade 12, in Aurora, Ontario, and then went on to the University of Toronto. They all became stock brokers, taking after their father.
J.J. had grandchildren:
- George Manton Carrick (by Don) (born circa 1943). George married Donna Carmichael and as of 2020 lives in Arroyo Grande, California.
- Ellen Green (by Don)
- Judith (by Alex)
- John Carrick (by Alex)
- Likely some by Jack also.
Port Arthur
Carrick came to Port Arthur in 1903 attracted by a real estate boom in anticipation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway locating at the Lakehead.
Carrick came to town like a lightning bolt, full of energy and enthusiasm. He managed to partner with some of the biggest names in Thunder Bay on numerous projects.
— Daniel J. Skaarup, "Success Philosophy: Standing on the Shoulders of Sleeping Giants"
J.J. Carrick was elected mayor in 1908, for one year or less, which was apparently the length of term at the time. [2]
- 1907 - 1907 Alderman in Port Arthur
- 1908 - 1908 Mayor of Port Arthur
- 1908 - Conservative MLA in the Ontario Legislature
- 1911 - 1917 Acclaimed MP for Thunder Bay and Rainy River, sitting until the next election in 1917.
- 1915 - 1918 Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Militia during World War I.
Other Accomplishments:
- February 1906 - 17 February 1916 Carrick founded a newspaper, with Orillia native Edward Blake MacKay [3]: the Port Arthur Daily News (merged, sold to Thompson in 1949, and ultimately became the Chronicle-Journal). "Carrick sold the newspaper in May 1918 to John Russell Smith of the firm Davidson & Smith."
- On 1 July 1908, as Mayor, introduced Daylight Savings Time, making Port Arthur the first city in the world, and the only city in the world using it, for three years, until Orillia, Ontario implemented it in 1911.
- In 1908, Convinced Canadian Northern Railway to build the Prince Arthur Hotel, over a poker game on a train from Winnipeg. CN paid Carrick $850,000 to have him build the hotel; the city provided the lot; this hotel is also the first place in Canada to sell the Rememberance Day poppies [6]
- Credited with persuading the government to establish the Armoury and the Customs buildings in Port Arthur.
- Apparently he was also president of the Great West Coal Company of Brandon, Manitoba, for some period of time (unknown)
- By 1910 Carrick had offices in Port Arthur, Fort William, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Montreal. He created his own mortgage finance company called The Red Path Estate. [6]
Carrick lived in Port Arthur from 1903 to about 1918. He built a house in 1906 that still stands. In the 1960s it was occupied by the Arthur Family [4]. As of 2019, "a localbusinessman Gene Prpich lives there, fittingly as he is an antiques dealer" - Jack Floyd. [5] Sunrise Antiques [6] [7]
The rear of the Carrick house faces Algoma, and it has a gorgeous park on the side.
On 31 July 1957, 40 years after moving away, Carrick visited Port Arthur for a civic event as part of a weeklong celebration of Port Arthur's centennial [8], and was given a standing ovation. Former Mayor Charles Cox (1882 - 1958) called Carrick a "spellbinder and noisemaker", saying that he "laid the groundwork for the city of Port Arthur". Local historian Joseph Placide "J.P." Bertrand (? - 1964) introduced Carrick as a "big man with a big heart". [9]
Later career
After the war he moved to Toronto to start a brokerage business. By 1939 it was called Gachin Holdings, with offices at 330 Bay Street, Toronto, a 16-storey office tower built in 1925 and fittingly known as the "Northern Ontario Building". [10]
J.J. Carrick lived in the second-most affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Moore Park, at 49 St. Andrew's Gardens.
In 1930 he ran as a Liberal in the Port Arthur-Thunder Bay riding.
He ran as an independent MP in the St. George Riding in 1934, losing badly in 4th place with 207 votes to the winner, Ian Strachan, a liberal. [11]
Carrick spent the winter of 1934 - 1935 in California [12]. His son Alex visited for a month from about 9 March 1935.
On 13 January 1939 he attended a banquet commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Foreign Press Association. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave a speech at the event, which was held at London's Grosvenor Hotel. [13] Later in January, he returned to Canada from the trip, which was his 27th round trip to England.
We're lucky we live in Canada. Continental Europe is a Mad-House with two raving Maniacs running wild, and civil murder in Spain. And we call it Civilization!
Arrived Saturday from England-my 27th round trip. We had on board in the steerage many Czechoslovakian refugees going to the U.S. What a pathetic sight-these destitute women & children. And we call it Civilization!
Talked with many prominent Britishers, attended the 50th Anniversary Banquet of the Foreign Press-the Germans stayed away-heard Chamberlain's great speech. We've got to take off our hats to that Old Boy. Well, what's it going to be for 1939. World War? Armageddon?
We're lucky we live in Canada. We're lucky we have a great gold producing mines-mining is Canada's most propserous industry. Gachin shareholders are lucky. Original Gachin purchasers have received over 410% dividend returns. Gachin has investments in 21 Canadian dividend paying gold mines.
P.S.-Write Gachin Holdings, 330 Bay St., Toronto, for particulars. Buy Gachin for safety & better-than-average dividends.
— J.J. Carrick, in the Globe and Mail, 23 January 1939, page 21
Circa 1939 - 1945 President of "Books for the Boys" charity, run from his 330 Bay Street office in Toronto, which ran into the hundreds of thousands of books [14]. Carrick also encouraged war savings in speeches in 1941.
I propose herewith to review Gachin operations and give shareholders a concise account of Gachin's activity since the Syndicate was organized in 1932.
Gachin Gold Syndicate, a Partnership in which all subscribers were jointly liable, was formed on August 4, 1932, with an authorized capital of $25,000.
December 7, 1932, the authorized capital of the Syndicate was increased to $200,000, and the Syndicate Agreement stated:
(1) The Syndicate shall have as its main purpose the exploration and development of mining properties.
(2) The Syndicate shall not be converted into an Investment Trust.
August 11, 1937, Gachin Holdings Limited was incorporated with only one class of stock—no par value shares...
Dividends: Subscribers to Gachin Gold Syndicate have received nearly 50% of their original investment in dividend payments.
Perhaps the brightest aspect of Gachin Holdings Limited is its ownership of a large block of Kirkland Hudson Bay. Lake Shore control Kirkland Hudson Bay. They have invested nearly one million dollars in Kirkland Hudson Bay, and have both the finances and engineering talent to make it a successful producing mine.
Gachin Holdings Limited owns 63,330 shares of Kirkland Hudson Bay.
— Report to Gachin Holdings Limited Shareholders by J.J. Carrick, 3 May 1941
On 18 October 1968, two years after Carrick's death, Gachin Holdings Limited appeared in a Vancouver Sun column where readers could submit share certificates to discover if it had any value. It was listed along with several other companies as "CHARTERED SURRENDERED OR CANCELLED". So by this point it's clear the company has ceased to exist, perhaps liquidated after the death of Carrick. [11]
Author
Carrick bought column space at advertising rates in Canadian newspapers such as the Globe and Mail during the 1930s and 1940s, writing a column called Carrick-atures. This column was often accompanied by advertisements for his gold mining syndicate, Gachin Holdings.
In 1943 he collected these writings into a book called Hall of Fame: Photos, Cartoons, Sketches, Eulogy, Humor, Ridicule; it was published in hardcover in 1943 by the "Institute of Financial Education". [7]
Hall of Fame featured in the prior art exhibits presented by Mad Magazine when defending their use of the face of Alfred E. Newman, since J.J. had apparently used it. Carl Djerassi, in recounting this fact in his 2014 book, The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse, called Hall of Fame "somewhat corny". [8]
Retirement
Carrick was widowed in January 1947. In 1951, he retired and moved to Mexico, saying that country had the ideal climate for "health, happiness and longevity." [9]
By early 1966, his main residence was suite 404, at 6 Iztaccihuatl apartments, within Colonia Hipódromo Condensa, an upscale neighbourhood in Mexico City. (19°24'30.0"N 99°10'05.4"W) [13] [15]
On 11 May 1966, at age 92, he was visiting San Luis Potosí City (400 kilometres north of Mexico City) when, at 10:45 am, he died of acute cardiosclerosis uraemia. His body was brought back to Mexico City, where it was cremated on the following day, 12 May, at the cremation furnace of the Panteón de Dolores, the largest cemetery in Mexico. [13]
On the 12th of May 1966, José Rodríguez Flores, Civil Registry Officer, filed a medical certificate stating the death of J. J. Carrick, giving his occupation as "Public Employee". [13]
Carrick's ashes were later buried at Creemore Union Cemetery, in Simcoe County, Ontario, alongside his late wife and son Jack, who had predeceased him in 1947 and 1952, respectively. [14]
Obituary
This obituary ran in the Montreal Gazette on 13 May 1966. It contains apparent inaccuracies:
- Carrick was not a soldier; he was a politician with an honourary title of "colonel"
- He moved to Port Arthur in 1903 by other sources
- His wife Mary died on 20 January 1947, according to their tombstone, so she did not survive him. [14] His Mexican death certificate also says he is a widower. [13]
TORONTO — (CP) — John James Carrick, a soldier, politician and writer who bought space at advertising rates for his column in The Globe and Mail, died in Mexico City. He was 92.
Mr. Carrick was born in the United States and moved to Canada while young. He started his first business in Port Arthur, Ont., in 1902 and was elected mayor in 1908.
The same year he was elected to the Ontario legislature as Conservative member for Port Arthur and sat until 1911. From then until 1917 he represented the constituency in the House of Commons.
During the First World War he served overseas as a colonel with Canadian army.
In 1941 he used the Globe and Mail column Carrickatures to appeal for books for Canadian forces overseas.
He retired and moved to Mexico 15 years ago, saying that country had the ideal climate for "health, happiness and longevity."
Surviving are his wife Mary and a son, Donald, of Toronto.
— The Gazette (Montréal), 13 May 1966, page 41
Sources
[1] Canadiana Biography of J.J. Carrick [16]
[2] J.J. Carrick's Wikipedia page [17]
[3] Thunder Bay Museum [18]
[4] Petrone, Penny, 1995. Breaking the Mould. [19]
[5] Chronicle-Journal, 22 May 2005, "Boost and sell: John James Carrick". By Bryan Martyniuk.
[6] Success Philosophy: Standing on the Shoulders of Sleeping Giants, by Daniel J. Skaarup. [20]
[7] Carrick, J.J. Hall of Fame: Photos, Cartoons, Sketches, Eulogy, Humor, Ridicule. Harcover - 1943. Publisher: Instit. of Financial Ed.; First Edition edition (1943) ASIN: B001NRHR3C [21]
[8] Djerassi, Carl. The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse. The Autobiography of Carl Djerassi. 2014. [22] "There were references to a publication of that face [Alfred E. Newman]... to a somewhat corny book, Hall of Fame, published in 1943 in Toronto by one J. J. Carrick."
[9] J.J. Carrick obituary, Montreal Gazette, page 41, 13 May 1966.
[10] The Ottawa Journal, 14 March 1945, page 9.
[11] The Vancouver Sun, 18 October 1968, page 19.
[13] Death Certificate of J.J. Carrick, 12 May 1966.
[14] Tombstone of J. J. Carrick at Find a Grave [23]