James Irving

James K. Irving, OC ONB is a Canadian billionaire businessman who is the eldest son of industrialist K.C. Irving. With an estimated net worth of US$6.9 billion, Irving was ranked by Forbes as the 4th richest person in Canada.

• James Irving owns J.D. Irving, a conglomerate with more than two dozen companies in frozen foods, retail, shipbuilding, transportation and more.
• His timber and forestry operation, based in New Brunswick, has planted over a billion trees since 1957.
• His family’s fortune dates back to the 19th century, when his grandfather left Scotland and launched a general store and lumber and farming companies.
• His father added to the empire with oil operations in the 1920s; upon his 1992 death the three brothers James, Arthur and John split the assets.
• Irving Woodlands, a division of J.D. Irving, is the sixth-largest landowner in the U.S. with 1.25 million acres of land.
• Jim and Robert Irving, James Irving‘s sons, are co-CEOs of the J. D. Irving empire, which also includes one of Canada’s biggest shipbuilders.