James Muir

James Muir (11 November 1891 – 10 April 1960) was a Scottish-Canadian banker who was CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) from 1949 to 1960.

Raised in a working-class household in Scotland, Muir left school in July 1907 at the age of 15 to work for the Commercial Bank of Scotland. In 1911, he met a Canadian who introduced him to the Royal Bank of Canada. In January 1912, he emigrated to Canada to work for the bank. While first working on the prairies, he eventually was assigned to Montreal. In 1919, Muir married Phyllis Marguerite Brayley. In 1949, he replaced Sydney Dobson as president. During his time as RBC's president, the bank grew significantly, in part due to his close relationships with elite politicians, bankers, and corporate attorneys including Quebec's premier Maurice Duplessis, Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent, Canadian cabinet minister C. D. Howe, bankers such as Graham Towers, and corporate attorneys like Lazarus Phillips. On 10 April 1960, he died of a massive heart attack while driving in Scotland. He is buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.