Date of issue: Nov 4, 1970
Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company
Design: Based on a medallion by Dora de Pédery-Hunt
Sir Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona)
Donald Smith was born in Scotland in 1820. Although initially apprenticed to practice law, he decided to enter business and traveled to Canada in 1838 to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company. He held several important administrative positions in the company over the years, including Governor in 1889. His other business interests included textile, manufacturing, and banking. He was also a leading figure in the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Smith’s business acumen made him rich and allowed him to become a philanthropist for a variety of endeavors. With his business partner, George Stephen, he provided the funds to build the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal in 1893. He also made substantial donations to McGill University and his name was attached to its new medical building, which was constructed in 1909 and housed the Museum where the Maude Abbott Museum is now located. He died in London, England, in 1914.
The Stamp
The stamp, issued on the 150th anniversary of Smith’s birth, shows his image on a medallion with railroad tracks in the background. More detailed rail images are evident on two first day covers. One shows him beside a CPR locomotive; below is a version of his Coat of Arms. The second is a drawing of the famous 1885 photograph of Smith hammering in the last spike in the CPR railway near Eagle Pass in British Columbia.
