William Rowen Granger (December 13, 1873April 24, 1925) was an American-born Canadian sports administrator and businessman. He served as president of the Montreal AAA from 1918 to 1920, oversaw the revival of the association's ice hockey, baseball and soccer teams after World War I, and previously served as president of the Montreal Lawn Bowling Club and the Montreal Bicycle Club. He helped establish the Province of Quebec Lawn Bowling Association and became its president in 1919. He also served as president of the Inter-Club Road Race Association of Montreal, helped organize the Cyclists' Rights Committee in Montreal, and was a director of the Canadian Wheelmen's Association.
Granger was instrumental in founding the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association (QAHA) in 1919, and was its second president. He committed to amateurism in sport, to eliminate veiled professionalism, and standard registration cards with the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. Granger and the QAHA were defendants in a court case that challenged the denial of an amateur registration card to a player who participated in semi-professional baseball prior to reaching the age of majority. The case necessitated QAHA constitutional changes, and that registration forms be printed in both English and French. He served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1921–22 season, established a national registry of players and a residency rule to restrict players from touring the country from team to team; began the practice of charging registration fees to provide income to branches of the CAHA, and collected a portion of gate receipts to assist weaker teams by revenue sharing.
In business, Granger worked in importing and manufacturing, as the son of American industrialist A. O. Granger. Granger was a member of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association and the Canadian Association of British Manufacturers. He also served as president of the Montreal Winter Sports Association which aimed to attract tourists to Montreal and benefit local businesses. The Gazette wrote that Granger was "one of Montreal's most popular businessmen", that he was respected for his opinions, and that his funeral was reported to be one of the largest ever known in Montreal.
Early life and family
William Rowen Granger was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1873, to parents Arthur Otis Granger and Caroline Dickson Gregory. A. O. Granger served as the private secretary to General William Tecumseh Sherman during the American Civil War, then became an industrialist in the United States and Canada. W. R. Granger married Ida Glassford with whom he had two daughters, and became a naturalized Canadian citizen after he moved to Montreal in autumn 1892.
During the 1890s and early 1900s, Granger was the general manager and secretary for the Auer Incandescent Light Manufacturing Company, while his father served as the company's president. Granger joined Glassford Brothers Limited , an importing and manufacturing company founded and presided over by his father-in-law, Hugh Glassford.
Montreal AAA
Bicycling
Granger became a member of the Montreal AAA (Amateur Athletic Association) and the Montreal Bicycle Club during the 1890s. He was an umpire and starter for the club's road races, and was elected to its governing committee in 1897. He was named to the Montreal AAA board of directors to represent the bicycle club in 1897, and was chairman of both the Montreal AAA grounds committee and the Montreal Bicycle Club in 1899 and 1900.
Granger was elected president of the Inter-Club Road Race Association of Montreal in August 1897, and presided over the road race board for Districts 10 and 11 of the Canadian Wheelmen's Association (CWA). He sought to maintain the ideals of amateur competitions, and cautioned that cyclists could be suspended from amateur status by racing against professionals or in events not sanctioned by the CWA. In January 1898, he assisted in organizing the Cyclists' Rights Committee to liaise with Montreal City Council. Two months later, the city's bicycle clubs mutually agreed to support and subscribe to using the Queen's Park bicycle track which was constructed in time for the season's races. Granger was elected to the CWA board of directors in February 1899, in advance of Montreal hosting the 1899 World's Meet at Queen's Park.