Peter James George, (September 12, 1941 – April 27, 2017) was a Canadian economist and university administrator. On June 30, 2010, he retired after serving three five year terms as President and Vice-Chancellor of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Accomplishments Born in Toronto, Ontario, George graduated from the University of Toronto Schools and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962, a Master of Arts degree in 1963, and a Ph.D. in 1967 from the University of Toronto. He joined McMaster University as a lecturer in 1965. In 1967, he became an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor in 1971, and a Professor of Economics in 1980. From 1974 to 1979, he was Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and from 1980 to 1989 was Dean of Social Sciences. He was appointed president of McMaster on July 1, 1995 and served three five-year terms. He retired on June 30, 2010, and was replaced by Patrick Deane formerly of Queen's University. From 1991 to 1995, he served a term as president of the Council of Ontario Universities. In 1999, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. George was also a trustee of the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the chair of the Hamilton chapter of the United Way. In October 2007 Peter George was named honorary Lt.Col. of 705 (Hamilton) Communication Squadron, a reserve signals unit in the Canadian Forces. In December 2007, Peter George was made a Member of the Order of Ontario. Personal life George's first wife, Gwendolyn Scharf, died of cancer in 1997. In 1998 he married Allison Barrett, and in 2008 they adopted a daughter from China. On April 27, 2017, George died following an illness. Contract controversy According to Maclean's Magazine, Peter George was Ontario's highest paid university president and received over $500,000 in salary and taxable benefits in 2007. The executive of the McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA) passed a resolution in late June 2008 that raised questions about the appropriateness of some of the specifics of President George's post-retirement payments in the form of research leaves and expressed concerns about the secrecy that seems to have characterized the process involved in his controversial contract. The contract, meant to remain confidential, provides George with a $1.4 million retirement allowance, to be paid over 14 years. The payments are to be made at the rate of $99,999 per year, which