Sir Byron Edmund Walker was a banker, philanthropist, and arts patron. He was the president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce from 1907 to 1924.
Byron Edmund Walker was born on the outskirts of Caledonia in Seneca Township, Haldimand County, in 1848. After leaving school at the age of 13, Walker entered his uncle’s private banking business in Hamilton as a discount clerk. In 1868 he joined the Canadian Bank of Commerce, becoming general manager in 1886 and president in 1907.
Byron Edmund Walker was a generous patron of the arts, helping to found and nurture many of Canada’s cultural and educational institutions.
In 1910, King George V knighted Walker for his contributions to business and the arts.
