John Molson, 1763-1836

John Molson was born in 1763 in Lincolnshire, England. In 1782 he came to Canada, which had heard described as a land of exciting opportunity. The next year he and a partner joined forces in a brewing venture. Molson later assumed full control of the business, and the brewery has operated within the Molson family since 1786. The business was successful, and Molson branched out into banking, hotels, a theatre, a foundry and politics. He built Canada's first steamship, the Accomodation, in 1809 and he financed Canada's first railway. Molson was co-founder of the Montreal General Hospital. He sat in both the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. For Molson, Canada indeed proved to be a land of opportunity. By combining the only known portrait of John Molson with illustrations of the Theatre Royal, the Accomodation and the first Canadian steam train, Montreal designer Clermont Malenfant has recreated a period atmosphere while commemorating several of Molson's greatest achievements.