Born in Montreal\'s Golden Square Mile, he was the second son of Sir Hugh Allan of Ravenscrag and Caroline Matilda Smith (1828–1881), daughter of John Smith (d. 1872) of Athelstane Hall, Montreal, and his wife Betsy Rae. From 1878, he was known as H. Montagu Allan to avoid confusion with his cousin Hugh Andrew Allan (1857–1938). He studied at Bishop\'s College School in Lennoxville, Quebec, then in Paris, before joining the family\'s shipping business, the Allan Line.\n', '

Allan rose to become Deputy Chairman of the Allan Line before retiring from the family business in 1912. By then, he was President of the Royal Securities Corporation, Acadia Coal Company, the Canadian Rubber Company, the Canadian Paper Company, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, which he co-founded. He was a director and President of the Merchants Bank of Canada (which had assets of $190 million in 1921) during its amalgamation into the Bank of Montreal in 1922. He also served as a Councillor and Treasurer of the Montreal Board of Trade.\n', '

He served on the board of directors of several major companies, including Canada Steamship Lines, Royal Trust Company, Montreal Light, Heat & Power, Montreal Rolling Mills, the Montreal Street Railway Company, the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, the Montreal Investment Trust and the Guarantee Company of North America.\n', '

Return to Montagu Allan Autograph Profile