The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Monday, June 29, 2026
Sir Henry Pellatt, once one of Canada's richest men with investments in railroads, breweries, and electricity, faced a dramatic downfall. His financial empire crumbled due to market downturns during World War I, increased property taxes, and the provincial takeover of electricity generation, leading to his bankruptcy and eventual reliance on his former chauffeur for housing.
“Business. He turned as a teenager when he joined his dad's stock brokerage. And then Henry went on to make money on like everything, over the years he invested in railroads, breweries, mining, a mogul.”
“So, the trouble started around World War I. A lot of Henry's investments were in real estate. He'd buy and sell land. And a lot of his deals were funded by loans. And during World War I, people stopped buying as much property, and suddenly he was stuck with all this land and loans that had come due.”
“And then he died not long after, in 1939, at 80 years old.”