Timothy Eaton Statue - History

History

In 1919, employees of the Eaton's department store decided to present the Eaton family with a special gift, in honour of the store's fiftieth anniversary. The First World War had just ended, and Eaton's, unlike many employers, had made a pledge to all of its employees serving overseas that their jobs, or jobs of equal value, would be waiting for them when they returned home. Married men who enlisted voluntarily received full pay for the duration of the war, while single men who enlisted voluntarily received half-pay. Men serving in the field regularly received parcels from their pre-war employer, containing coffee, chocolate, socks and other items from the shelves of the Eaton's stores. Moreover, Eaton's donated all profits from its many government war contracts back to the war drive. This corporate generosity and loyalty during trying times engendered much affection for the Eaton family from its thousands of employees, and in gratitude the employees presented the two bronze statues to the family, on the occasion of the chain's golden jubilee and in tribute to the store's founder.

The employees commissioned Ivor Lewis (1882–1958), from the Eaton's advertising department, to create the statues. Two castings were made: one for the main store in Toronto, and one for the Winnipeg store. The Toronto statue was unveiled on December 8, 1919, with thousands of employees in attendance. The Eaton Choral Society sang "O Canada", and the statue was presented to Margaret Eaton and John Craig Eaton, Timothy Eaton's widow and son respectively. A similar unveiling took place in Winnipeg on December 11, 1919.