Born on April 21, 1879, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a youth he was an excellent athlete who shone in his school rowing, rugby, football, and hockey teams. His first job was as a junior clerk with The Dominion Bank, and he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to open a new branch in 1907. On May 14, 1912, he married Aldyen Hendry and began work at the BC Mills Timber and Trading Company, a company owned by Aldyen's father John Hendry. Hamber later became the company's president.
In 1934 he built the Tudor Revival style, Minnekhada Lodge, in Coquitlam as a country retreat and hunting lodge. The land is now managed by Metro Vancouver Parks.
Both Eric Hamber Secondary School and one of the residences in Place Vanier on the UBC Vancouver campus are named after Eric Hamber. The Hamber Provincial Park on the BC side of the Canadian Rockies and Theatre BC's most prestigious award also bear his name.[1]
When Queen Elizabeth II was married in 1947, Hamber and his wife were the only Canadian private guests.
