Charles Vance Millar
Encyclopedia
Charles Vance Millar (1853 - October 31, 1926) was a Canadian
lawyer
and financier
. However, he is now best known for his penchant for practical joke
s and his unusual will
which reflected that sense of humor.
and graduated with an average of 98% in all his subjects. He chose to study law, passed the bar examination
and opened up his own law office in Toronto
.
from Stephen Tingley
and took over the government mail delivery contracts for the Cariboo
region in British Columbia
.
When it was announced that the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
would go through Fort George
(later to named Prince George
) Millar expanded the company's services to Fort George and built two sternwheelers
, the BX
and the BC Express
.
Millar also foresaw that Fort George would become a major center in Northern British Columbia and he made arrangements to purchase the First Nations
reserve
at Fort George. However, the railway was already planning to purchase the property and they convinced the Department of Indian Affairs to cancel their negotiations with Millar. When Millar took the railway to court, the railway agreed to sell him 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the property, which became known as the Millar Addition
.
Millar's greatest and final prank was his will
, which says in part:
The will was full of hilariously playful bequests:
But the final bequest of his will was the largest and strangest. In the will's tenth clause, it required that the balance of Millar's estate was to be converted to cash ten years after his death and given to the Toronto woman who gave birth to the most children in that time. In the event of a tie, the bequest would be divided equally. The resulting contest became known as the Great Stork Derby
.
Although the Supreme Court of Canada
attempted to invalidate the will as being contrary to public policy, Millar had prepared it with care. The will survived ten years of litigation including attempts by Millar's distant relatives to have it declared invalid, and the Derby continued uninterrupted. Because of Millar's long-term investments, particularly one with the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel that turned a $2 investment into over $100,000, his estate increased drastically during the 10 years, and was worth $750,000 when it was finally liquidated with its value enhanced with it accumulating during a deflationary economic period. Most of this prize was shared by four Toronto women who each had 9 children. The estate also settled $12,500 each for two women with dubious claims to a share in the prize. The childless Millar ended up 'fathering' (howbeit indirectly) 36 children.
The contest would be immortalized by a made-for-television movie The Great Stork Derby
, which starred Megan Follows
.
It was speculated that Millar prepared this clause in his will as a means to discredit indiscriminate births and prohibitions against birth control
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
. However, he is now best known for his penchant for practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
s and his unusual will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
which reflected that sense of humor.
Early years
Charles Millar attended the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and graduated with an average of 98% in all his subjects. He chose to study law, passed the bar examination
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
and opened up his own law office in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
The BC Express Company and the Millar Addition
In 1897, Millar purchased the BC Express CompanyBarnard's Express
Barnard's Express, later known as the British Columbia Express Company or BX, was a pioneer transportation company that served the Cariboo and Fraser Fort George regions in British Columbia, Canada from 1861 until 1921....
from Stephen Tingley
Stephen Tingley
Stephen Tingley was a stagecoach driver and one of the original owners of the pioneer transportation company BC Express that served the Cariboo region in British Columbia, Canada for 60 years, from 1860, when it was first founded as Barnard's Express, until 1920, when it ceased its sternwheeler...
and took over the government mail delivery contracts for the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
region in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
When it was announced that the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
would go through Fort George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
(later to named Prince George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
) Millar expanded the company's services to Fort George and built two sternwheelers
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, the BX
BX (sternwheeler)
The BX sternwheeler was the first of two river steamers built for service on the upper Fraser River by the BC Express Company during the busy era of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway construction....
and the BC Express
BC Express (sternwheeler)
The BC Express was a stern wheel paddle steamer that operated on the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada, from 1912 to 1919. The BC Express was built for the BC Express Company by Alexander Watson Jr to work on the upper Fraser River between Tête Jaune Cache and Fort George during the busy...
.
Millar also foresaw that Fort George would become a major center in Northern British Columbia and he made arrangements to purchase the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
at Fort George. However, the railway was already planning to purchase the property and they convinced the Department of Indian Affairs to cancel their negotiations with Millar. When Millar took the railway to court, the railway agreed to sell him 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the property, which became known as the Millar Addition
Millar Addition
The Millar Addition is a suburb of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It is named in honor of its developer, Charles Vance Millar, who later became famous for leaving behind the most notorious will in Canadian history, which was the catalyst for the Stork Derby.-History:When the construction...
.
The Stork Derby
Though highly successful in the law and in his investments, Millar is now known primarily for his love of jokes and pranks which played on people's greed and hypocrisy. One favourite was to leave money on a sidewalk and watch from hiding as passers-by furtively pocketed it.Millar's greatest and final prank was his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, which says in part:
"This Will is necessarily uncommon and capricious because I have no dependents or near relations and no duty rests upon me to leave any property at my death and what I do leave is proof of my folly in gathering and retaining more than I required in my lifetime."
The will was full of hilariously playful bequests:
- Three men who were known to despise each other were granted joint lifetime tenancy in Millar's vacation home in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. - Seven prominent Toronto Protestant ministers and temperanceTemperance movementA temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
advocates were to receive $700,000 worth of O'Keefe Brewery stock, a Catholic business, if they participated in its management and drew on its dividends. - Three fervid anti-horse-racing advocates were to receive $25,000 worth of Ontario Jockey Club stock.
But the final bequest of his will was the largest and strangest. In the will's tenth clause, it required that the balance of Millar's estate was to be converted to cash ten years after his death and given to the Toronto woman who gave birth to the most children in that time. In the event of a tie, the bequest would be divided equally. The resulting contest became known as the Great Stork Derby
Great Stork Derby
The Great Stork Derby was a contest during the period from 1926 to 1936, where women in Toronto, Canada, competed to produce the most babies in order to qualify for an unusual bequest in a will....
.
Although the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
attempted to invalidate the will as being contrary to public policy, Millar had prepared it with care. The will survived ten years of litigation including attempts by Millar's distant relatives to have it declared invalid, and the Derby continued uninterrupted. Because of Millar's long-term investments, particularly one with the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel that turned a $2 investment into over $100,000, his estate increased drastically during the 10 years, and was worth $750,000 when it was finally liquidated with its value enhanced with it accumulating during a deflationary economic period. Most of this prize was shared by four Toronto women who each had 9 children. The estate also settled $12,500 each for two women with dubious claims to a share in the prize. The childless Millar ended up 'fathering' (howbeit indirectly) 36 children.
The contest would be immortalized by a made-for-television movie The Great Stork Derby
Great Stork Derby
The Great Stork Derby was a contest during the period from 1926 to 1936, where women in Toronto, Canada, competed to produce the most babies in order to qualify for an unusual bequest in a will....
, which starred Megan Follows
Megan Follows
Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows is a Canadian/American actress. She is most known to international audiences for her role as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.-Biography:Follows was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as the...
.
It was speculated that Millar prepared this clause in his will as a means to discredit indiscriminate births and prohibitions against birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
.
Further reading
- Wilton, Elizabeth (1994). Bearing the Burden: The Great Toronto Stork Derby, 1926-1938. (Ottawa) National Library of Canada. ISBN 0-6121583-6-5.
External links
- Charles Vance Millar's will
- The Great Stork Derby at Snopes.com