History
1984: first annual Business Achievement Awards took place to honour excellence and outstanding achievement of London business
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The Chamber's origins stem from protecting London's business interests and making the city a better place to live and work.
From the outset, the London Chamber has been actively engaged in debate and legislation that affects local business and community planning.
Areas of concern have included: law reform, fair taxation, labour markets and wages, consumer protection, and the municipal, provincial, and federal budgets.
It was in 1857 that 44 of London's prominent business, civic and political leaders gathered at the old Mechanic's institute to establish the London Board of Trade (LBOT).
Notable London businessmen included John Kinder Labatt, Lionel Ridout, and Sir John Carling. With a membership fee of one pound, the LBOT set a mandate to avoid government funding and rely on financial and moral support from its members.
Past Presidents
It is significant to note that many of the early Chamber presidents were community icons and that many of our streets and buildings now carry their names. This underscores their contribution to the economy of London and marks their place in London's ongoing history.
Of the 44 founders of the London Chamber:
- 4 were school trustees
- 6 served in their turn as Mayor of the Municipality
- 17 served as municipal councilors
- 4 become members of parliament
- 5 were anointed members of the Canadian senate
- 2 were made Privy Councilors
- 2 were knighted
- 2 served as Members of Dominion Cabinets
- 1 of these two served in five Canadian Cabinets
| President & Term |
| Adam Hope (1857 - 58) |
| Lionel Ridout (1858 - 59) |
| .J. Mackenzie (1859 - 60) |
| D. Farrar (1860 - 61) |
| Charles Hunt (1861 - 62; 62 - 63) |
| C. D. Shaw (1863 64) |
| Charles James Hope (1864 65) |
| Charles P. Smith (1865 66) |
| Walter Simson (1866 67) |
| Frank Smith (1867 68) |
| Fred Rowland (1868 69) |
| Charles Hunt (1869 70) |
| Charles P. Smith (1870 71; 71 72) |
| Joseph Atkinson (1872 73) |
| Thomas Thompson (1873 74; 74 75) |
| Henry D. Long (1875 76) |
| George Moorehead (1876 77) |
| George Birrell (1877 78) |
| John Beattie (1878 79) |
| Isaac Waterman (1879 80) |
| Robert Lewis (1880 81) |
| Thomas Beattie (1881 82) |
| George S. Birrell (1882 83) |
| Thomas McCormick (1883 84) |
| Charles S. Hyman (1884 85; 85 86) |
| J.W. Little (1886 87) |
| W. J. Reid (1887 88) |
| John Campbell (1888 89) |
| T. Herbert Marsh (1889 90; 90 91) |
| M. Masuret (1891 92; 92 93) |
| John Bland (1893 94; 94 95) |
| John Bowman (1895 96; 96 97) |
| A. B. Greer (1897 98; 98 99) |
| James Mattinson (1899 1900; 00 01) |
| Charles B. Hunt (1901 02; 02 03) |
| J. R. Minhinnick (1903 04; 04 05) |
| Arthur W. White (1905 06) |
| Mayor Samual Stevely (1907 08; 08 09) |
| Adam T. McMahen (1909 10) |
| H. T. Reason (1911 12; 12 13) |
| John I. A. Hunt (1913 14) |
| E.C. Mitchell (1924 15) |
| T. W. McFarland (1915 16) |
| George H. Belton (1916 17) |
| A. E. Silverwood (1917 18) |
| George Reid (1918 19; 19 20) |
| Ald. John Bridge (1920 21) |
| E. S. Little (1921 22) |
| James Gray (1922 23) |
| Major Gordon Ingram (1923 24) |
| R H. Dowler (1924 25) |
*Title Changed to Chairman of the Board in 1988, back to president in 1997
In 1918, following World War I, the London Board of Trade changed its name to the London Chamber of Commerce. At this time programs were restructured to reflect a greater diversity of functions relating to cultural concerns including education, health care, city beautification and air transport.
The Great Depression and lingering memory of the First World War gave the Chamber a new perspective on business at the local, provincial, national and international levels. By 1937, the onset of World War II, the Canadian economy had begun to stabilize and the London Chamber continued its policy advocacy and prudent planning to ensure London remained a strong, growing economy. With war abroad in 1940, the Chamber launched a tourism campaign across America advertising London as a little bit of the Old England in an attempt to attract tourist dollars and grow the local economy.
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