William Culham Woodward

William Culham Woodward ( born April 24, 1885 in Gore Bay, Ontario; † August 29, 1941 in Hawaii) was a Canadian entrepreneur. From 1941 to 1946 he was vice- governor of the province of British Columbia.

Biography

Woodward was born in Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island. His father Charles Woodward had in Vancouver founded in 1892, the department store chain Woodward's and had thus become wealthy. Following a brief period at the Royal Bank of Canada rose in 1907 as the son of an accountant in the family business and soon had a leading position. During World War II he served voluntarily in Europe on the Western Front.

After the death of his father in 1937, Woodward was president of the department store chain, which expanded rapidly and eventually become the market leader in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta gained in the following years. In addition, he was chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Vancouver and director of the Bank of Canada and the Royal Bank of Canada.

Governor General Lord Athlone sworn Woodward on September 5, 1941 as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. This representative office he held until October 1, 1946. Then he again took over the management of the department store chain. She went after his death to his son Charles, and was eventually taken over after the bankruptcy in 1993 by the Hudson's Bay Company.