The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce began as the Charlottetown Board of Trade in 1887 and was formed on the request of Mayor Heath Haviland. The Mayor asked merchants, traders and others to consider forming a Board of Trade so that representatives of the commercial sector of Charlottetown could participate in the International Congress of the Canadian and American Boards of Trade. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss commercial difficulties that existed between the two countries. Lewis Carvell was the first President of the Board and 100 signatures were on the original certificate. One of the first activities of the new board was to investigate steam transportation between Charlottetown, Pugwash, Tatamagouche, Wallace, River John, and Baie Verte. This investigation was the start of a long succession of delegations, investigations, and studies into improving transportation and communication to and from Prince Edward Island. In 1970 the Board of Trade changed its name to the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce.

Honorary Life Members & Past Presidents

1887-1891 Lewis Carvell
1892 L.L. Beer
1893-1896 Patrick Blake
1897-1899 Horace Haszard
1900 G.E. Hughes
1901 W.H. Aitken
1902 G.E. Auld
1903 J.A. Messervy
1904 Nelson Rattenbury
1906-1907 W.F. Tidmarsh
1908-1909 James Paton
1910 W.E. Bentley
1911 E.T. Higgs
1912 Edwin Aitken
1913 R.H. Jenkins
1914 W.S. Stewart
1915 J.O. Hyndman
1916 Alfred Pickard
1917 H.R. Hilson
1918 H.V. Buntain
1919 R.E. Mutch
1920 Isaac Carter
1921 A.A. Pomeroy
1922 E.H. Beer
1923 P.W. Turner
1924 S.A. MacDonald
1925 J.P. Gordon
1926 W.M. Rowe
1927 R.L. Cotton
1928 S.A. MacLeod
1929 H.F. MacPhee
1930 J.P. Crockett
1931 Hon. G.J. Tweedy
1932 Samuel Kennedy
1933 Dr. J.A. Clarke
1934 T.E. MacNutt
1935 R.L. McClure
1936 J.J. Morris
1937 R.R. Bell
1938 G.E. Full
1939 C.N. Bissett
1940 J.M. Murley
1941 K.S. Roger
1942-43 V.A. Ainsworth
1944 Morton Dew
1945 D.M. Gass
1946 Hon. F.W. Hyndman
1947 Carl F. Burke
1948-49-50 F.W. Curtis
1950-51 F.J. Storey
1951-52 E.M Robinson & M.A. Farmer
1952-53 J. Gordon MacDonald
1953-54 E.D. Reid
1954-55 Keith MacKinnon
1955-56 B.E. Rogers
1956-58 R.E Taylor
1958-59 William Hayward
1959-60 Capt. C.R. Hunter
1960-61 A.D. Cameron
1961 Brig. G.G. K Peake
1964-65 W. R. Brennan
1966-67 Charlie Downe
1967-68 Bill Hancox
1968-69 Robert Smith
1970-71 C. Alan MacLeod
1974 Harvey MacKinnon
1975 Edgar Goss
1976 Dorothy Corrigan
1977 Eric MacRae
1977-78 Walter Cox
1978-79 James Clements
1979-80 Gordon Miller
1980-81 Wayne Proud
1981-82 Arthur Howard
1982-83 John Pickard
1983-84 David Hooley
1984-85 Simon Compton
1985-86 Ron Russell
1986-87 Al Rach
1987-88 Charlie Lank
1988-89 Peggy Coady
1989-90 Bill Simmons
1990-91 Gary MacLeod
1991-92 Wayne R. Fudge
1992-93 Shawn Murphy
1993-94 Ray Murphy
1994-95 Wayne Hambly
1995-96 Marg MacKenzie
1996-97 John Ives
1997-98 Cathy Rose
1998-99 Kent Scales
1999-00 Jeane Coburn
2000-01 Don MacCormac
2001-02 Reagh Ellis
2002-03 Kathy Hambly
2003-04 Scott MacKenzie Q.C.
2004-05 Craig Thompson
2005-06 Cheryl Paynter
2006-07 John Gaudet
2007-08 Don Baker
2008-09 Douglas Coles
2009-2010 Sean Casey
2010-2011 Berni Wood
2011-2012 Kathryn Coll