James Henry Gundy was a Canadian

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...

 businessman who co-founded Wood Gundy and Company

Wood Gundy Inc.

Wood Gundy Inc. was a leading Canadian stock brokerage and investment banking firm.The firm, which was founded in 1905 was acquired by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in 1988 as it attempted to build an investment banking business. The Wood Gundy name was used extensively by the bank's...

, stockbrokerage

Stock broker

A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...

 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...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 in 1905.

He was born in Harriston, Ontario

Harriston, Ontario

Harriston is a community in the town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Although Harriston was formerly a village, it was amalgamated with Palmerston and Clifford to create Minto. The village has one public school , as well as shops and restaurants...

 and at age eighteen moved to Toronto where he was employed by Central Canada Loan and Savings Co., a company started by George Albertus Cox

George Albertus Cox

George Albertus Cox was a very prominent Canadian businessman and a member of the Canadian Senate.He was born in Colborne, Upper Canada in 1840. He began work as a telegraph operator for the Montreal Telegraph Company and became their agent in Peterborough, Ontario. In 1861, he became an agent for...

. In 1900 he joined the newly formed stock broker

Stock broker

A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...

age, Dominion Securities In 1905 he and fellow Dominion Securities employee George Herbert Wood

George Herbert Wood

George Herbert Wood was a Canadian businessman who co-founded Wood Gundy and Company, stockbrokerage in Toronto, Ontario in 1905 with fellow former Dominion Securities employee James Henry Gundy. He retired from the business in 1930 and died in 1949....

 teamed up to go into the municipal and provincial bond underwriting business. They formed Wood Gundy and Company with offices on the corner of King and Yonge streets in downtown Toronto.

Gundy became a successful and influential member of the Canadian financial community. During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, he was Chair of Special Subscriptions Committee - Victory Loans 1911-1918. He served as President of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada 1920-1921, was a Governor of the Investment Bankers' Association of America, and served on the Board of Directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 of Canada Cement

Lafarge

Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...

, Massey-Harris, Simpsons Ltd

Simpson's

The Robert Simpson Company, or Simpsons , was a Canadian department store chain, founded by Robert Simpson. The chain was eventually bought by the Hudson's Bay Company.- History :...

, Dominion Steel and Coal Company.

James Gundy donated the land for Serena Gundy Park 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...

, named in his first wife's memory. His son Charles Lake Gundy became President of Wood Gundy and served until his death in 1978.

He died in 1951 and was buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...

.