Billionaire businessman Arthur Irving dead at 93
CBC
Arthur Irving, the hard-charging New Brunswick billionaire who ran Canada's largest oil refinery, has died at the age of 93.
For decades, Arthur Irving ran Irving Oil, including its Saint John refinery. He became famous for his obsession with customer service, especially his unannounced visits to check the cleanliness of Irving gas station washrooms.
Irving died on Monday surrounded by his wife and daughter, the company said in a statement.
Irving was the middle son of K.C. Irving, the industrialist who built a single gas station, sawmill and general store into a family-controlled industrial conglomerate, making him and his three sons among Canada's wealthiest entrepreneurs.
In a rare 1998 interview with CBC New Brunswick, Arthur Irving articulated the energy and drive that was his trademark.
"We want our employees to be proud of us, we want to be proud of them and we want to keep going down the road and making this part of the country a better place to live," he said.
Jabbing the air for emphasis, he added: "That's our drive, every day. Every day. Every day!"
The Arthur Irving Family Trust became sole owner of Irving Oil in 2018 when it bought out a one-third stake in the company owned by the children of Arthur's late younger brother Jack.
Forbes Magazine estimated Arthur Irving's wealth at $6.4 billion US, as of May 6, and ranked him as the eighth richest person in Canada in 2023.
He is survived by his second wife, Sandra, his children Jennifer, Kenneth, Arthur, Emily and Sarah, and his older brother J.K. Irving, 96. His younger brother Jack died in 2010.
During his 1980 divorce from his first wife, Joan Carlisle Irving, Arthur described his tight bond with his father and two brothers.
"When anybody takes on an Irving, they are going to take on all four of us, okay?" he said, according to a court transcript.
Jack Irving's son John issued a statement paying tribute to his uncle.
"I join with my family and all our employees in expressing our deepest condolences to his wife, Sandra, and his children, and their families," he said in a statement.
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