The millions of the late Canadian Jewish tobacco magnate and philanthropist, Sir Mortimer B. Davis, have become involved in a court action here, taken by his widow and son, who seek to depose Lord Shaughnessy and Alexander M. Reaper from the executorship.
Sir Mortimer’s widow, is his second wife, a Christian and a former manicurist who is now in France. His son is in New York. The plaintiffs complain that maladministration of the estate has caused a depreciation in value and demand an account of monies.
Sir Mortimer Davis died March 22, 1928, in Cannes, France, leaving his wife and son $67,000 a year for the period of their life. Lord Shaughnessy, a well-known barrister, was appointed executor of the fortune of many millions. According to the will if at the end of 50 years Sir Mortimer has no legal heirs the entire estate is to be devoted to Jewish and non-sectarian charitable institutions.
Just before his death Sir Mortimer contributed $300,000 for a new Y. M. H. A. building.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.