Robert Campeau
A former real estate mogul, Robert Campeau started his career by establishing his construction company in 1953 and went on to accumulate a fortune with holdings in Ottawa, Toronto, California, Texas, and Florida. He lost most of his wealth in 1990 when an $11-billion investment in the U.S.-based Allied and Federated department store chains collapsed under a mountain of junk-bond debt. Campeau spent his later years devoting much of his time to philanthropic activities through a family foundation that bore his name.
- Robert Campeau engineered largest retailing bankruptcy at the time in U.S. history
- Campeau's formal education ended in Grade 8, at the age of 14. He talked himself into jobs at Inco as a general labourer