Raised in a working-class household in Scotland, Muir left school in July 1907 at the age of 15 to work for the
Commercial Bank of Scotland. In 1911, he met a Canadian who introduced him to the Royal Bank of Canada. In January 1912, he emigrated to Canada to work for the bank. While first working on the prairies, he eventually was assigned to Montreal. In 1919, Muir married Phyllis Marguerite Brayley. In 1949, he replaced
Sydney Dobson as president. During his time as RBC's president, the bank grew significantly, in part due to his close relationships with elite politicians, bankers, and corporate attorneys including Quebec's premier
Maurice Duplessis, Canadian prime minister
Louis St. Laurent, Canadian cabinet minister
C. D. Howe, bankers such as
Graham Towers, and corporate attorneys like
Lazarus Phillips. On 10 April 1960, he died of a massive heart attack while driving in Scotland. He is buried at
Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. ==References==