Descendants of a Russian immigrant tobacco farmer, Ekiel Bronfman, members of the Bronfman family own and control huge financial empires that have been built from the profits of the family liquor business. Until recently the best-known member of the family was Samuel Bronfman (b at Soroki, Bessarabia, or en route from Russia 27 Feb 1889; d at Montréal, Qué 10 July 1971).

In 1924 Sam founded Distillers Corporation Ltd in Montréal, merging it with Joseph E. Seagram and Sons of Waterloo, Ont, in 1928 and building the new company into the world's largest distilling firm. Sam played a leading role in Canadian Jewish affairs and was president of the Canadian Jewish Congress from 1939 to 1962.

Soon after their arrival in 1889, the Bronfman family left their homestead near Wapella, Sask, for Brandon, where Ekiel started a wood-fuel delivery business with sons Abe (b in Russia 15 Mar 1882; d at Safety Harbor, Fla 16 Mar 1968), Harry (b in Russia 15 Mar 1886; d at Montréal, Qué 12 Nov 1963) and Sam. In 1903 the family borrowed money to buy the Anglo-American Hotel in Emerson, Man.

The hotel business boomed with railway construction and by the middle of WWI the family was running 3 profitable hotels in Winnipeg. With the coming of PROHIBITION in Canada, the Bronfmans turned their energies to the interprovincial package liquor trade, purchasing stocks of spirits which were sold at a good profit.

During the later years of prohibition in the US (1920-33) Sam Bronfman, who was the driving force in Seagrams, developed a large business in export sales to that country. When prohibition ended in 1933, Seagrams was ready with huge amounts of well-aged and carefully blended spirits which were sold bottled to the consumer through a network of distributors, a marketing approach developed by Sam.

Success in the US brought huge profits and led to the company's expansion throughout the world. Seven Crown and Seagram's VO became the largest-selling brands of whisky in the world. Under Sam's leadership the company invested in wineries and distilleries and by 1965 reached sales in 119 countries of over $1 billion.

In time, the SEAGRAM COMPANY LTD was controlled by Sam's descendants, along with large real estate and financial investments. Edgar Miles Bronfman (b at Montréal, Qué 20 June 1929), Sam's eldest son, was chairman of the board and chief executive officer (until 1994) of the company. He ran the US operations from New York and in 1981 became president of the World Jewish Congress. He was instrumental in the 1997 deal which saw Swiss banks agree to provide restitution to the families of exiled or murdered Jews whose assets had been frozen during WWII.

Sam's second son Charles Rosner Bronfman (b at Montréal, Qué 27 June 1931), was co-chairman and directed Seagram's Canadian business.

A Canadian nationalist, Charles owned the Montreal Expos baseball club and in 1986 created the CRB Foundation to promote studies on Canadian and Jewish affairs. Sam's daughter, Phyllis LAMBERT (b at Montréal, Qué 24 Jan 1927), founded the Canadian Centre for Architecture and was consulting architect for the museum's building in Montréal, completed in 1989, to house the centre's substantial collection.

Financiers in their own right were Edward (b at Montréal, Qué 1 Nov 1927) and Peter (b at Montréal, Qué 2 Oct 1929; d at Toronto 1 Dec 1996), the sons of Allan Bronfman (b at Brandon, Man 21 Dec 1895; d at Montréal, Qué 26 Mar 1980). Sam excluded his brother Allan's family from Seagrams. However, Edward and Peter had, through Edper Investments, built their own financial empire, at one time considered by many to rival that of Sam's heirs. For example, in 1987, Edper indirectly controlled Canada's largest forestry company and largest trust company, and in 1992 accounted for 10% of the Toronto Stock Exchange's value. The brothers divested themselves of their Edper interest in 1995, and Edward became president of Maured Ltd and a director of Ranger Oil Ltd and Astral Communications Inc.

Edgar Miles Bronfman Jr. (b at New York, NY 16 May 1955) spent time in Hollywood as a script reader and producer before joining Seagram in 1982. He became president in 1989 and replaced his father Edgar M. Sr as CEO in 1994. Edgar M. Jr was the main force behind Seagram's expansion into the entertainment industry: in 1993 Seagram bought a 15% stake in Time Warner Inc and in 1995 it sold its $12 billion interest in E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co to buy 80% of MCA Inc (renamed Universal Studios). In 1997 Seagram bought the 50% interest in USA Networks it did not already control, and in 1998 acquired Polygram NV for $10.6 billion.