Bronfman, Charles, 1931-

Charles Bronfman was born on June 27, 1931, to Samuel Bronfman and Saidye (Rosner) Bronfman. He is a retired Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist. He attended Selwyn House School in Montreal, Quebec, Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, and McGill University in Montreal. He was co-chairman of the Bronfman family business Seagram, the world’s largest producer, and distributor of distilled spirits. He also owned the Montreal Expos baseball club from 1968 to 1990. As a dedicated philanthropist, he established the CRB Foundation to promote the study of Canadian and Jewish affairs, and co-founded and endowed the Historica Foundation of Canada, which later became Historica Canada (publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia). In an effort to encourage a stronger sense of national identity, he supports The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. He was Chairman of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies Inc., a family of charitable foundations operating in Israel, the USA and Canada until its end in 2015. The Philanthropies were committed to encouraging young people to strengthen their knowledge and appreciation of their history, heritage, and cultural identity. In 2002, Mr. Bronfman joined the Board of Trustees of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He established the Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine in 2007.