Eric Laffery Harvie (1892-1975) was born and educated in Orillia, Ontario. He received his law degree from the University of Alberta, and practised law in Calgary, Alberta for many years with the firms Ford, Miller and Harvie and Harvie, Arnold and Crawford. He was involved with the petroleum industry through which he amassed a great fortune. Harvie's military career included serving as a lieutenant in the 15th Lighthorse, 103rd Calgary Regiment and overseas during World War 1 with the 56th and 49th Battalions. Beginning in the 1950s, he began to return his wealth to Canadians through his work with charities and historical foundations. A world traveller and avid collector, Harvie purchased artifacts, art and documents pertaining to the history of Canada, and all variety of historical, cultural and natural history items. In 1966, Harvie donated his large collections to the people of Alberta. By provincial legislation, the Glenbow-Alberta Institue was established to house the collections. The Glenbow is a leading Canadian cultural institution, comprising of a museum, art gallery, library and archives. Eric Harvie and his wife, Dorothy Southam (d. 1988) had three children: Donald Southam, Neil, and Joy (Maclaren).