Irving Gould
Irving Gould (September 26, 1919 – December 17, 2001) was a canadian businessman, most known for first being Chairman of the Board of Directors of Commodore Business Machines (Canada) Ltd. and later Commodore International Ltd. and related companies.
Personal life
Irving Gould was born to a jewish family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the second son of Joseph L. Gould and Rayna Gould (née Wilson), being Albert Gould his older and Melville Earl Gould younger brothers. <ref>[1] familysearch.com, retrieved September 9, 2020</ref>
He was married to Denise Gould and had a daughter, Jaye Penny Gould. <ref>Toronto Star Newspaper, Canada, November 14, 1983, Rayna Gould Wilson obituary</ref>
Irving Gould was a collector of netsuke, gathering an important number of these small japanese sculptures. <ref>[2] National Post Newspaper, Canada, February 19, 1988, page 17</ref>
He had a residence in Bahamas, and during his life was he always sharing living and working time between his home residence in Toronto, the United States and Bahamas, so he would pay taxes only in the islands. He has been defined as an avid diver, fisherman and boater <ref>[3] hgcristie.com, retrieved September 9, 2020</ref><ref>The Home Computer Wars: An Insider's Account of Commodore and Jack Tramiel, Michael S. Tomczyk, 1984</ref>
Public business life
Irving Gould was involved in many different business ventures during his life, in several industries and sectors.
1940's
The forties were the years when Irving Gould would be mostly in the family business sector.
In 1945, Irving Gould was president of Valley Apparel, Ltd.<ref>[4]Book Might's Greater Toronto city directory, 1945, White Pages, page 1426</ref>.
On late December of 1946 Irving Gould was appointed Sales Manager of Joseph Gould and Sons Ltd., a textile company his father ran in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His brother Albert would be appointed General Manager.<ref>[5]The Leader-Post Regina Newspaper, Canada, December 16, 1946, Market News, page 14</ref>
1950's
The fifties were the years when Irving Gould would invest on, and control mostly mining companies.
On May of 1950 Irving Gould was acting as secretary of Acme Glove Works Limited<ref>[6]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, May 18, 1950, page 21</ref>, a textile company that was already in business on 1913.<ref>[7]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, May 24, 1913, page 21</ref> Acme Glove Works would buy a couple of years later all the outstanding shares of Joseph Gould and Sons Ltd<ref>[8]Newspaper National Post, Canada, July 12, 1952, page 23</ref>.
On late December of 1952, it was announced <ref>[9]Newspaper National Post, Canada, December 27, 1952, page 29</ref> that Irving Gould had bought 300,000 shares of Antone Petroleums a company formed earlier that year by Toronto and Cleveland businessmen.<ref>[10]Calgary Herald, Canada, March 17, 1952, page 25</ref>
On July, 1954, it was announced the Irving Gould had been elected member of the Board of directors of New Mylamaque Explorations Ltd.<ref>[11]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, July 1, 1954, page 20</ref>. Later that year, news related to the company would list him about being the company president.<ref>[12]Newspaper The Vancouver Sun, Canada, August 18, 1954, page 14</ref>
On January, 1955, A company by the name of Jaypen Holdings Ltd. would underwrite 100,000 shares of New Mylamaque Explorations Ltd.<ref>[13]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, January 31, 1955, page 32</ref>.
On February, 1955, it was announced that the Klondike - Keno Mines Ltd company had a stockholders meeting and approved a company reorganization and a change of name to Jaye Explorations Ltd.<ref>[14]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, February 8, 1955, page 26</ref>. Following year, news related to the company would announce Irving Gould being elected president of the company.<ref>[15]Newspaper The Vancouver Sun, Canada, February 3, 1956, page 19</ref>
Later that year in March, Jaypen Holdings would underwrite 50,000 shares of Arjon Gold Mines, a mining company<ref>[16]Newspaper The Financial Times, Canada, March 11, 1955, page 9</ref>. In April, Jaypen Holdings would underwrite 200,000 shares of Glenora Gold Mines, Ltd., also a mining company<ref>[17]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, April 9, 1955, page 30</ref>. Some years later, 1958 would be the first time that the former, a company defined once as "a money lending enterprise"<ref>[18]Book Report of the Royal Comission Appointed to Inquire Into the Failure of Atlantic Acceptance Corporation, Limited, 1969, Vol. I, page 486</ref>, was first announced with Irving Gould listed as president<ref>[19]Book Might's Greater Toronto city directory, 1958, White Pages, page 747</ref>. Both Jaye Explorations Ltd. and Jaypen Holdings Ltd. would share a physical address<ref>[20]Book Might's Greater Toronto city directory, 1958, Pink Pages, page 9</ref>.
On May, 1958, it was announced that the British Guiana Diamond Mining Corp., a company formed and offering shares in 1949<ref>[21]Newspaper The Windsor Star, Canada, October 20, 1949, page 16</ref> was achieving production in his concessions in the Meamu River. Irving Gould was mentioned as one of the associated financers of the operation.<ref>[22]Newspaper National Post, Canada, May 10, 1958, page 8</ref>
On Early 1959, Irving Gould resigned as president and director of Jaye Explorations Ltd., being replaced by W.C. Campbell<ref>[23]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, January 20, 1959, page 27</ref>.
Later that year, Irving Gould was arrested along with lawyer John Jules Bussin<ref>[24]Newspaper The Windsor Star, Canada, June 4, 1959, page 2</ref>, charged with perjury in connection to sworn testimony given during an investigation involving his brother Albert Gould, charged with acussations of theft and fraud while he was member of the Board of directors of Cabanga Developments Ltd., a mining company operating in Cuba<ref>[25]Newspaper Edmonton Journal, Canada, December 23, 1957, page 15</ref>. Irving Gould would be remanded to June 10 on his charges. A couple of years later, Irving Gould would admit that he was lying and got his sentence suspended, while his brother would be sentenced to six years<ref>[26]Newspaper The Ottawa Citizen, Canada, January 21, 1960, page 8</ref>.
1960's
The sixties would be the years when Irving Gould would reinvent himself and go into new ventures, away from his previous involvements.
On August, 1963, Irving Gould was mentioned while being chairman in Superpack Corp. Ltd., a manufacturer of vending machines<ref>[27]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, August 29, 1963, page 14</ref>. Some years later, he would still be serving the same role in that company<ref>[28]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, April 26, 1966, page 11</ref>.
On late 1964, Irving Gould was mentioned as member of the Board of directors of Gill Interprovincial Lines Ltd.<ref>[29]Newspaper National Post, Canada, December, 26, 1964, page 14</ref>. A couple of years later, he would be still involved in that company<ref>[30]Newspaper The Province, Canada, April 2, 1966, page 26</ref>.
Later that year, Irving Gould was elected chairman of Commodore Business Machines (Canada) Ltd., being quoted as having said that his family trust had effective control of Commodore <ref>[31]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, December, 14, 1966, page 27</ref>. He would never leave this role in this particular company or the group of companies under the Commodore International Ltd. umbrella, until its liquidation in 1994.
In October, 1967, Irving Gould was first mentioned as being the chairman of Steadman Industries Ltd. <ref>[32]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, October, 17, 1967, page 28</ref>, a company that in 1961 had developed and patented a system that would allow the movement of containers on flatcars instead of truck bodies, allowing for a much faster transfer from trains to trucks<ref>[33]Newspaper The Gazette, Canada, May, 12, 1961, page 40</ref>. This system would be implemented in Europe trough join ventures with UK and Germany companies. Years later, Irving Gould would tell David Pleasance how while he was on a bathroom break during lunch, he talked to a person who told him how his bosses wanted nothing to do with this system, having the opportunity to implement it in the USA. Irving would take advantage of that moment to take over this business and get most of his fortune from it. The best piss of my life, he would say.<ref>Book Commodore: The Inside Story, David Pleasance, 2018</ref>. The company would be renamed to Interpool International Ltd.<ref>[34]Newspaper National Post, Canada, May 8, 1971, page 3</ref> during 1971.