James Playfair (8 July 1860 – 25 May 1937) was noted for his entrepreneurship in the Great Lakes shipping, lumbering, grain handling, and industrial manufacturing businesses.
At the age of 19, James Playfair was hired by the Toronto Lumber Company which had timber holdings in Simcoe County and mills at Collingwood.
[1] In 1883 the creditors of H. H. Cook's British North American Lumber Company hired James Playfair to saw up the stock of unsawed logs at their Midland sawmill.
They contracted to supply the lumber requirements of Saginaw lumberman Arthur Hill, with logs from timber limits the French and Spanish rivers.
[9] In 1895, Playfair purchased from Burton Bros., of Collingwood, the tug METAMORA, three barges and a large quantity of boom logs, which he planned to use in connection with the lumbering business.
The ship was lengthened at the Polson Shipyard at Owen Sound, renamed ST. ANDREW, and placed in the grain trade between Fort William and Goderich.
[12] The ST. ANDREW served Playfair for five seasons but, on September 20, 1900, she stranded on an island on Lake Superior and became a total loss.
The ships of the Hamilton firm were: NEEPAWAH, WAHCONDAH, ROSEDALE, GLENELLAH, DUNDEE, DUNELM, WINONA, STRATHCONA, DONNACONA, DUNDURN and STADACONA.
The new company was incorporated as Inland Lines Ltd.[18] In mid-January 1911, James Playfair made a bid to purchase the Northern Navigation Co. on behalf of himself and his associates.
At a special meeting of shareholders held on June 26, it was decided to increase the stock from $5,000,0000 to $10,000,000, with the distribution of new shares to be issued by the directors.
He was a passenger on the HAMONIC somewhere on Lake Superior, when the wireless operator received word that James' father, had passed away in Toronto.
[27] Two of the first ships operated by this firm were the GLENMAVIS and the GLENFOYLE reported to have been built for Playfair interests at Derry, Ireland,[28] Both were owned by James Richardson and Sons, of Kingston Ont.
[30] The Glen Transportation Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1920, the purpose of the company was to own and operate canal sized ships on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and coastal waters.
The first three ships of this company were the GLENCADAM and the GLENCLOVA, formerly operated by the Great Lakes Transportation Co. and the 259 foot GLENAFTON built at the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. in 1921.
[33] Playfair was involved in numerous other activities, among them: Midland Towing And Wrecking Co. Ltd.[34] Canadian Dredge And Construction Co. incorporated in 1906[35] Toronto Elevators.
[40][41] On October 25, 1918, Mr. and Mrs. Playfair celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary, with the launching of the WAR FIEND, the first steel cargo ship built at Midland Shipyards.