George Herrick Duggan (1862-1946)

Champion Yachtsman & President of the Dominion Bridge Company, Montreal

Associated Houses

Braehead

Montréal

He was born at Toronto and was educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto (D.Sc.). He began his career as an engineer with the Canadian Pacific Railway and was Chief Engineer of the St. Lawrence Bridge Company when they completed the Quebec Bridge, then (1917) the world's longest cantilever bridge. He was Vice-President of the Dominion Steel & Coal Company and then President (1919-36) and Chairman (1936-1946) of the Dominion Bridge Company. In 1920, he established Dominion Engineering Works Ltd. to manufacture paper machines and hydraulic turbines - both achieving record-breaking performances. He was also known for the development of electric steel welding. He was President of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and in 1893 was awarded the Royal Human Society Bronze Medal.

In his private life he was known as the "Dean of Canadian Yachting". Not only was he a brilliant skipper, but he designed and built 142-yachts over the course of his career. In 1895, the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club of New York established the Seawanhaka Cup, an international competition for small classes of yachts. Duggan won continuously from 1896 to 1904 in the yacht he designed himself, Glencairn, beating every yacht the Americans and British sent against him. In 1888, he married Mildred Stevenson and they had 3-children (listed), but tragically lost both their sons in World War I. From 1911, they lived at Braehead that is now part of McGill University and known as "Duggan House".
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 26/05/2023 and last updated on 18/08/2023.