Billionaire businessman James K. Irving dead at 96
CBC
The billionaire businessman James K. Irving, chairman of J.D. Irving Ltd., has died at the age of 96, according to a news release from the company Friday evening.
J.K. Irving died peacefully Friday in Saint John, the release said.
He was the son of Irving patriarch K.C. Irving, who died in 1992. K.C. was an industrialist who turned a single gas station and sawmill into a family-controlled business conglomerate, making him and his three sons among Canada's wealthiest businessmen.
That business, based in Saint John, includes forestry, energy, agriculture, transportation, retail, food, construction and shipbuilding, its website says. It was founded in 1882 and operates in Canada and the United States.
J.K. Irving's networth at the time of his death was $5.5 billion, according to Forbes.
The Forbes website says the company has planted over a billion trees since 1957, and Irving Woodlands, a division of the company, is the sixth-largest landowner in the United States.
The forestry and paper operations overseen by J.D. Irving are New Brunswick's largest private-sector employers.
J..K. Irving's death marks the end of a generation of Irving brothers who split their father's company into three.
His brother Arthur died in May at age 93 and had been chairman emeritus of Irving Oil. Their brother Jack Irving died in 2010.
J.K. Irving is predeceased by his wife, Jean Irving, and is survived by four children, Jim, Robert, Mary-Jean and Judith, as well as 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
"New Brunswick has lost a significant presence who left an indelible mark on this province," said Premier Blaine Higgs in an email statement late Friday evening.
Higgs said Irving "built an empire" through his companies and was proud that his company was based in Saint John.
"J.K. leaves an enduring legacy which will live on through the lives of his loved ones and his company's employees across New Brunswick, Canada and internationally," Higgs said.
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon shared her condolences in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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