Hr: A Biography of H.R. Macmillan by Ken Drushka

by Ken Drushka

Harvey Reginald MacMillan (1885-1976) is one of the most significant figures in Canadian corporate history. Born into extreme poverty in rural Ontario, MacMillan continued his education after high school and went on to study at Yale. Despite serious setbacks, including a bout with tuberculosis, MacMillan persevered, and in 1912 became the first chief forester in BC. He distinguished himself at once by selling BC lumber abroad in quantities that would have a lasting impact on the province's economy. By 1919 he had entered the private sector, establishing the first locally owned lumber export company in BC. That company grew to become MacMillan Bloedel, one of the most powerful forestry corporations in the world.MacMillan also served his country in both World Wars and gave away millions of dollars during the last two decades of his life. For more than half a century, his speeches and arguments on public policy exerted an enormous influence on Canada's business and political leaders, although he often broke ranks with his colleagues to call for long-term resource management policies that were far ahead of their time. H.R. was a prominent and influential man, always forthcoming on matters of principle. But he was also very reserved, private and complicated. Drushka's portrait of him, compiled over years of reading through public record and working closely with MacMillan's family and business associates, is a respectful but clear-eyed look at the real the ardent conservationist who was also a ruthless business tycoon; the strait-laced businessman who had a lifelong friendship with his eccentric cousin, Mazo de la Roche; the shy, retiring gentleman who was also described as an "elemental force of nature."

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main fault of this book is that it comes off as a hagiography. By his own account, the archives from which Ken Drushka based this book had been filtered by his long time secretary and family before the author was given access. Drushka seems to hold H.R. MacMillan in high regard and this bias shows through. It's possible there were conditions put on its publication. Regardless, Drushka is a great writer, knew the subject matter, and was passionate about forests and the logging industry, so I can only fault him using what he had and adding his own opinions to a certain extent.

The book is detailed and you can tell he had intimate access to the records and letters of MacMillan's estate. I found the personal aspects less interesting personally than the narrative and history of the company and MacMillan Bloedel's impact on British Columbia. You truly can see that up until H.R.'s death in 1975, B.C. was a forestry province, and both his and his company's impact is foundational.

However despite the arguments repeated through the book, that MacMillan favoured "free enterprise"
and smaller firms/producers, as Drushka mentions several times in the book, MacMillan would often fall to "do as I say, not as I do", and the ethos which the author argues was the essence of the man seems to have been consistently toppled by the profit motive. Even with his somewhat glowing perspective of its MacMillan, it's hard not to read a story of him building a monopoly and squeezing out the smaller producers himself (Seabord and Astexo in particular), using his old-boys club connections in London.

Overall, the book was good because it was very well written, balanced the big picture with the smaller anecdotes that make a biography intriguing, and I leave it feeling much more informed about the history of not only logging in B.C. but also the political and economic history of the province. I would recommend it but only in context, and with some other reading to counterpoint.