During his forty-five years of practicing law in Ontario, Charles Millar became an expert in wills. He also became quite wealthy and gained a reputation as a practical joker. So, following his death on October 31, 1926, having never married and with no close relatives, it was no surprise to learn that his will distributed his wealth in a mischievous way.
Millar's Will
Millar left lucrative shares in the Ontario Jockey Club to a judge and minister who were strong opponents of gambling and other shares to a rival of the club. He gave equal shares in a vacation home to three fellow lawyers. The only problem was, although they were all friends of Millar, they intensely disliked each other. He gave shares of the O’Keefe Brewery Company to every Protestant minister and every Orange Lodge in Ontario, all strong supporters of prohibition. The fact that the company was owned by Catholics only added to the discomfort felt by the “heirs”.
