Sir Edmund Boyd Osler (20 November 1845 – 4 August 1924) was a Canadian businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was a founder and benefactor of the Royal Ontario Museum. Early life Osler was born in 1845 at Bond Head near Tecumseh Township, Simcoe County, Canada West. He was the fourth son of the Reverend Featherstone Lake Osler, a former lieutenant in the Royal Navy turned Anglican clergyman, and his wife Ellen Free Pickton. Osler attended grammar school in Dundas. Unlike his elder brothers, he did not attend university. Financial career In the late 1850s, Osler began his career as a clerk at the Bank of Upper Canada. The bank failed in 1866. Osler became business partners with his colleague Henry Pellatt Sr (father of Henry Pellatt Jr) and together they launched their own firm specializing in stockbroking, investment, and insurance services. Osler often served as a financier in numerous business ventures. Throughout the 1880s to 1890s, Osler greatly increased his financial influence through a combination of investments, westward railway expansions, and western land grants. Osler was an early shareholder of the Dominion Bank and gained a directorship with the bank in 1881. He would become the bank’s president in 1901. Beginning in the 1880s, Osler began working in the transportation industry through railways. Osler was the founder and managing director of the Ontario and Qu'Appelle Land Company Limited. His business expertise and connections led to his presidency of the Ontario and Quebec Railway followed by a directorship with the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1896, Osler became the president of the Board of Trade. Osler was also the president of the Toronto Ferry Company. Political career Due to his financial success, many believed that Osler should enter politics. Osler began his political career in the 1892 mayoralty race. He lost to R.J. Fleming despite having the support of the Toronto establishment. Osler ran in the 1896 federal election and was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as the Conservative representative of West Toronto. He served as an MP until 1917. Osler was knighted in 1912. Later life After his political retirement, Osler continued to have an active involvement in Canadian business. By 1921, Osler concurrently held directorships in eight companies, presidencies in another three, and vice-presidency in one. Osler died in 1924 at the age of 78. At the time of his death, his estate was valued at nearly