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McGill was built with the help of a number of generous patrons. Perhaps one of the most interesting of these benefactors is Sir William Macdonald, a man who made his fortune in the tobacco industry. Macdonald grew up on a farm in rural Prince Edward Island, and donated a large portion of his money to McGill in order to improve the quality of education. This funding eventually led to the creation of buildings on campus like the Macdonald Engineering Building and the Macdonald Physics Building (later renamed the Schulich Library). He was also behind the creation of Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, as he had particular interest in agriculture.

In addition to his philanthropy, Macdonald was an odd fellow. He lived a quiet, reclusive existence, never married, and spent little money on himself. Macdonald, despite growing rich on the tobacco industry, could not stand people smoking around him. Whenever he was spotted entering the Physics Building, it is said that warnings would immediately circulate among the students, who would hurriedly extinguish their cigarettes and throw open the windows to air out the rooms before Macdonald arrived. If he caught anyone smoking, he could often be heard exclaiming “Disgusting habit!” and students would know they had just received the ultimate admonishment.

Tobacco’s involvement in the university’s expansion did not end with Macdonald. During the Depression, McGill was in desperate need of funds and resorted to creating a brand of cigarettes that came in packs of 10s, 20s, 25s, and 50s. They were emblazoned with the McGill logo, and half of the proceeds from their sales facilitated the construction of the Arthur Currie Memorial Gym.