Winnipeg business icon known simply as ‘GTR’ dead at the age of 89

Photo from hbcheritage.ca

WINNIPEG—George T. Richardson, the patriarch of what is considered Winnipeg’s wealthiest and most prominent family, has died at the age of 89.

Employees of James Richardson and Sons, Ltd., were informed Wednesday morning through an internal memo from Richardson’s son, Hartley, that his father had died.

GTR, as he was known to his business associates, graduated from the University of Manitoba, then joined the company in 1946 and was initially assigned to the Richardson Terminal in Thunder Bay, Ont., where he had worked the previous two summers.

In 1954, he became vice-president and in 1966, was appointed president—a position he would hold for the next 27 years as the company excelled in agriculture, real estate, energy and financial services.

Richardson stepped aside for Hartley in 1993, and was appointed chairman and managing director of the firm before officially retiring seven years later.

In its most recent Rich 100 list, Canadian Business magazine listed the Richardson family at No. 9 in the country with a net worth of $4.45 billion.