Ralph Holley Keefler

Ralph Holley Keefler
Born	(1902-09-12)September 12, 1902 Weston, Ontario
Died	September 17, 1983(1983-09-17) (aged 81) Ireland
Years of service	1940–1945
Rank	Major General
Commands	6th Canadian Infantry Brigade 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
Awards	Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order[1]
Other work	President of Northern Electric

Major General Ralph Holley Keefler, CBE DSO ED (September 12, 1902 – September 17, 1983^[2]) was a Canadian soldier and businessman. He was commander of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division during the final stages of World War II and was chairman and president of Northern Electric (now Nortel Networks).

Senior commanders of the First Canadian Army, May 1945. Seated from the left: Stanisław Maczek (Polish Army), Guy Simonds, Harry Crerar, Charles Foulkes, Bert Hoffmeister. Standing from the left: Ralph Keefler, Bruce Matthews, Harry Foster, Robert Moncel (standing in for Chris Vokes), Stuart Rawlins (British Army).

Born in Weston, Ontario, the son of Joseph Keefler and Margaret Isabel Holley, he received a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1924 and later joined the Bell Telephone Company. During World War II, he was the Major-General in command of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.

After the war, he became chairman and president of Northern Electric. In 1965 he was president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

See also

• John Roth

External links

• "Ralph Holley Keefler". Canadian Veterans Hall of Honour.
• Generals of World War II

References

1. "No. 36961". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 1945. p. 1185.
2. "The Montreal Gazette". September 21, 1983. p. 84.

Military offices
Preceded by Daniel Spry	GOC 3rd Canadian Infantry Division 1945	Succeeded by Post disbanded
Business positions
Preceded by Paul Fleetford Sise	President of the Northern Electric Company 1948 –1964	Succeeded by Vernon Oswald Marquez