History

The school proudly bears the name of trailblazing entrepreneur John Molson (1763-1836), an innovator and philanthropist whose contributions to Montreal have left an indelible mark on the city’s history.

Born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1763, Molson was the eldest son of a farmer. At age 18, due to an illness requiring sea air, he embarked on an ocean voyage to the New World.

At a time when Montrealers drank wine, he founded and developed a thriving brewing business on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. John Molson founded one of the first commercial steamship enterprises and the first railway in the country, developed one of Canada’s first banking businesses and built Montreal’s first luxury hotel. He built the city’s first theatre, helped found the Montreal General Hospital and sat in the Lower Canada Legislative Assembly.

Succeeding generations of Molsons have followed in his path, lending the Molson name to important national institutions: Molson’s Bank, Molson Stadium, Molson Library, Molson Breweries, and Molson Centre.

The Molson Family’s most recent involvement with Concordia, beginning in the 1990s, was led by Eric H. Molson, distinguished Canadian businessman, former chairman of Molson Coors and a sixth-generation direct descendant of John Molson.

In the early 1960s, Eric Molson worked at Molson Breweries and attended night school to study accounting at Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions. In addition to earning a degree in chemistry from Princeton University, Eric Molson took night courses in business to take over the family brewery — a goal he eventually reached, moving his way up from apprentice brewer in 1959 to chairman of the board in 1988.  

A prolific donor, Eric Molson has made contributions to numerous Concordia initiatives over the years. He has given to the university’s Community Campaign and has walked side by side with Concordians in the Concordia Shuffle.

In 1993, Eric Molson became Concordia chancellor — an honorary, titular position as senior advisor to the board of governors. When asked why he decided to take the position, Molson remarked, “The thrill of joining Concordia was its multicultural mix of people of different ages and experiences.” In his first act as the fifth chancellor in Concordia’s history, Molson conferred honorary degrees on Mary Eberts, a Toronto constitutional lawyer, and celebrated Canadian pediatrician and politician Victor Goldbloom. 

Molson came on board as chancellor right before the university embarked on its Campaign for a New Millennium. As then-chairman of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation — the same hospital his forefather, John Molson, helped found — he brought valuable fundraising expertise to the campaign.