Gordon Fisher
 Gordon Fisher  (publisher) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1929 |
| Died | 1985 (Age 56) |
Cause of death | liver cancer |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Lower Canada College, Trinity College School, McGill University |
Newspaper CEO charged with a cartel conspiracy to reduce competition. | |
Gordon Neil Fisher of Southam Inc. attended the 1981 Bilderberg Meeting. At the time of his attendance, he had been president and chief executive officer of Southam Inc.[1], Canada's second largest chain of newspapers. [2]
Family Background
His father, Philip, married a granddaughter of founder William Southam, who bought into his first paper in Hamilton in 1877. Fisher père passed the presidential torch to St. Clair Balfour, who in turn recruited his nephew Gordon Fisher to the firm in 1958 and handed on to him the top post in 1975.
Career
"In 1981, three men were named as unindicted coconspirators for company deals between 1978 and 1980 in four cities. They were: Gordon Fisher, 52, president of Southam Inc., out of a long line of blue blood; George Currie, 53, ex-president of FP Publications Ltd. (which once owned eight Canadian newspapers), scion of an investment fortune who has had his fill of take-overs; and John Tory, 51, deputy chairman of Thomson Newspapers Ltd., a Bay Street acquisition architect."[3]
Their companies were charged with conspiracy to reduce competition so that newspaper markets “would be dominated by one owner in the absence of a major publishing competitor.”
"Southam and Thomson had to answer in court in 1983 to conspiracy, merger and monopoly charges brought under Canada’s Combines Investigation Act. Both companies, with a number of subsidiaries, were acquitted after a long trial,"[2] mostly because of Canada's weak anti-combines legislation[4]
Death
Gordon Fisher died of liver cancer aged 56.[2]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1981 | 15 May 1981 | 17 May 1981 | Switzerland Palace Hotel Bürgenstock | The 29th Bilderberg |
