Motion Picture Executive.  A movie industry pioneer, he was one of the first to produce movies independent of Thomas Edison and the Motion Picture Patents Company. Along with his brother Roy, he founded a number of early motion picture production and distribution companies, most notable being the Mutual Film Corporation, the Epoch Producing Corporation, and the Triangle Pictures Corporation.  Through a partnership with filmmaker D.W. Griffith, he produced and distributed the landmark 1915 motion picture “Birth of a Nation” to great success.  Family links:  Parents:  Elvin Aitken (1847 – 1908)  Sarah J Hadfield Aitken (1851 – 1929)  Siblings:  Bertie Hadfield Aitken (1876 – 1877)*  Harry E. Aitken (1877 – 1956)  Roy E. Aitken (1882 – 1976)*  Mabel A Aitken Griswold (1885 – 1963)*  Gladys Aitken Armitage (1894 – 1980)* *Calculated relationship