Robert Joseph Antoine Campeau (August 3, 1923 June 12, 2017) was a Canadian financier and real estate developer. Starting from a single house constructed in 1940 in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Campeau built a large land development corporation around the development of the suburb of Kanata. Expansion in the U.S. led Campeau to diversify into the ownership of retail department stores to anchor commercial development projects. The Campeau Corporation used leveraged buyouts to buy the department stores and went bankrupt when it could not maintain the debt payments, in the largest retailing bankruptcy at the time in U.S. history. Early years Born in Chelmsford, Ontario, Campeau's formal education ended in Grade 8, at the age of 14. He worked in jobs at Inco as a general labourer, carpenter and machinist. In 1949, he entered the residential end of the construction business. His first project was a single home constructed in partnership with his cousin in Ottawa, Ontario. Real estate development In Ottawa, Campeau was able to construct both office complexes and residential subdivisions to accommodate Canada's rapidly expanding civil service. Campeau frequently found himself at odds with Ottawa Mayor Charlotte Whitton over planning decisions. Whitton was quoted as saying, "When I look at his (Campeau's) houses, I think perhaps nuclear bombardment might not be such a terrible thing after all." His Campeau Corporation had two main rivals in the residential housing market: Assaly Construction Limited and Minto Developments Inc., the latter owned by the family of future Ottawa Mayor Lorry Greenberg. Despite opposition from Whitton, Campeau developed a reputation as a high-quality builder and became the most successful in the city. A street is named after him in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, much of which he developed. For many years, it was city policy that buildings in the downtown core were not to be taller than the Peace Tower of the parliament buildings. Campeau objected to this rule and was drawn into conflict with city council over large high-rise developments such as Place de Ville. Due to his relationships with many civil servants and ministers, he was able to have most of his projects approved. Campeau's real estate development success soon spread outside Ottawa. In Toronto his developments included Scotia Tower (the city's third tallest skyscraper) and the Harbour Castle Hotel (now part of the Westin Hotels chain). Corporate takeovers and bankruptcy In the 1980s, Campeau