George Norgan

George William Norgan (July 11, 1885 – September 13, 1964) was a Canadian alcohol distributor, curler, and baseball team owner.

Early life

Norgan was born in Palmerston, Ontario on July 11, 1885.[1] Despite leaving the town over 25 years prior, in 1947, Norgan built a 433-seat movie theatre in Palmerston with the stipulations that children receive a discounted rate and any revenue go towards beneficial works in the community.[2]

Business

Norgan worked as an alcohol distributor. In 1927, he was indicted for conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act.[3] In 1929, he was a founding officer and director of United Distillers of Canada.[4] In 1952, Hyman Harvey Klein, a Baltimore liquor dealer who established a Cuban company with Norgan and his fellow United directors to sell Duncan Harwood whisky in Central and South America, testified before a United States House Committee on Ways and Means subcommittee investigating tax evaders. He stated that the company made about $20 million on a $4,000 investment despite never shipping liquor to Latin America.[5] The following year, United Distillers was sold to a subsidiary of Seagram. In 1954, the United States government charged Norgan and eight others with evading $16.4 million in federal income taxes by setting up foreign corporations to receive profits from liquor sales.[6] He could not be extradited and never went on trial.[7] United Distillers, Norgan, and two fellow directors were also sued by the widow of a former UDC director seeking a share of the profits made in the Latin American companies. The suit was settled out of court in 1957.[8]

In 1954, Norgan was elected president of Coast Breweries, which changed its name to Lucky Lager.[9] He was previously the brewery's managing director.[10] In 1958, controlling interest was sold to Labatt and Norgan moved to the position of chairman.[11]

Norgan also held interest in three Vancouver hotels – the Castle, Abbotsford, and Belmont.[12]

Curling

Norgan began curling in 1932 and was the lead for the British Columbia team in the 1937 Macdonald Brier.[13] He was president of the Vancouver Curling Club and British Columbia's representative on the Dominion Curling Association executive committee.[14] In 1939, he broke ground on the VCC's new rink in Heather Park.[15] He was elected president of the Dominion Curling Association in 1942 and led the organization until 1946.[16] He was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1976.[17]

Baseball

In 1942, Norgan purchased E. J. Schefter's interest in the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League and was elected team president.[18] In 1946, he purchased the interest of general manager Bill Klepper.[19] Norgan also owned the Salem Senators of the Western International League.[20] Following his tax invasion indictment, a lien was placed on the Beavers.[21] After the 1954 season, the club was sold to a group of Portland businessmen.[22] He was elected president of the PCL's Vancouver Mounties in 1962, but the club was dropped from the league at the end of the season when the Minnesota Twins ended their affiliation with the club.[23][24] Norgan died in his sleep on September 13, 1964.[25]

References

  1. ^ Who's Who in British Columbia. Vancouver: S. Maurice Carter. 1941. p. 178. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Vancouver Millionaire Gives Town Theatre". Victoria Daily Times. August 21, 1947. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  3. ^ "61 Are Indicted As Rum-Runners". The New York Times. March 6, 1927.
  4. ^ "BC Distillery and Three Men Face Suit Over US Deals". The Financial Post. November 8, 1952. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  5. ^ Knowles, Clayton (March 25, 1952). "Liquor Man Denies Appeal To Bridges". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Five Plead Not Guilty To Tax Evasion Counts". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. May 29, 1954. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  7. ^ "$10 Million Tax Suit Faces City Resident". The Sunday Sun. July 27, 1960. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  8. ^ "United Distillers Shareholders Meeting Sept. 25". The Calgary Herald. September 19, 1957. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  9. ^ Young, Harry (August 11, 1954). "Mine May Be All-B.C. Deal". The Daily Colonist. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Big Brewery Deal Is Off". The New York Times. December 24, 1952.
  11. ^ "Lucky Lager Control Passes To John Labatt". The Financial Post. June 21, 1958. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  12. ^ "New Owner Takes Over In Three City Hotels". The Vancouver Sun. February 11, 1956. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  13. ^ "They Seek Honors In Brier Curling Event". The Vancouver Sun. February 24, 1937. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Curlers Open Big Bonspeil". The Vancouver Sun. February 14, 1938. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  15. ^ "It Was Tough Shovelling (sic), But Prexy George Norgan Gets Ceremony Divot". The Vancouver Sun. August 17, 1939. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Geo. Norgan Heads Dominion Curlers". Ottawa Citizen. May 4, 1942. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Norgan, George". Curling Canada Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Norgan Will Head Portland Club". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 11, 1942. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Bill Klepper Sells Interest in Portland Team to Norgan". Eugene Register-Guard. September 30, 1946. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Rumor Transfer Of Franchises In WIL to Alberta". Ellensburg Daily Record. June 1, 1950. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Government Lien Against Beavers". The Bulletin. August 10, 1954. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Portland Group To Buy PCL Club". Toledo Blade. October 14, 1954. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  23. ^ May, Danny (March 2, 1962). "Training's Valuable for Baseball Umps". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  24. ^ "The Mounties Are Out!". The Deseret News. November 30, 1962. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  25. ^ "George Norgan". The New York Times. September 15, 1964.
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