John Craig Eaton II


John Craig Eaton II is a Canadian philanthropist and former businessman who is a member of the prominent Eaton family.

Family and career

He is the great-grandson of Timothy Eaton, founder of the former Eaton's department store. He is married to his third wife, Sally Horsfall Eaton, a philanthropist and former registered nurse.
He is the grandson of Sir John Craig Eaton, and the son of John David Eaton and Signy Hildur Stefansson Eaton. He is the brother of George Ross Eaton, Thor Edgar Eaton, and Fredrik Stefan Eaton.
In his youth, Eaton attended Upper Canada College. He started working in the family business at Eaton's in 1954, becoming a director in 1967 and being appointed Chairman of the Board in 1969. The company went bankrupt in 1999 and was purchased by Sears Canada, which also subsequently went bankrupt.
He is a supporter of Ducks Unlimited Canada and served as its president from 1990 to 1991. Eaton served as Chancellor of Ryerson University from 1999 to 2006. In 2000, he was appointed Chair of the Board of Governors of Ontario Parks.

Awards