According to Judith Gellers wonderful book - Titanic:Women and Children first,page 54, " 'Diamond' Jim Baxter was a parvenu (parvenu: french - one that has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it - Merriam-Webster online) - from the Canadian Hinterlands born into an emigrant family of what was derogatorily called 'Black Irish'." it goes on to say that he left Ontario for Montreal where he became brokerage firm owner. He also built the first shopping mall in North America, Montreal's Baxter Block - still in existence today. Eventualy things went south, he went to jail, was released and papers claimed he died penniless, but as it turns out he was a smart cookie and hid the cash which his family inherited. Buy this great book for further details.
