Memorable Manitobans: John Hume Agnew (1863-1908)

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John Hume Agnew
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Lawyer, MLA (1903-1907), MLA (1908-1910).

Born at Whitby, Ontario on 18 October 1863, son of Niven Agnew and Jane Somerville Ross (c1835-1889), he was educated in Toronto Public Schools and Upper Canada College. In 1879 his family moved to Winnipeg. He studied law, articled to James Albert Manning Aikins, and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1884. He practised law in Winnipeg from 1884 to 1886 under the firm name of Agnew, Craig and Ross. From 1886 to 1904 he practised in Virden then transferred it to Archibald William Hunter Smith.

On 26 June 1888, he married Anna Mary Dickson (1861-1948) and they had four children: Anna Stella Agnew (1889-?), Margaret Louise Agnew (1891-1964, wife of Francis Ogilvie Woodman), Cecil Hume Agnew (1892-1950), and Laura Millicent “Bun” Agnew (1898-1982). He was a member of the Anglican Church, Upper Canada College Old Boys’ Association (Manitoba Vice-President), Manitoba Club, Carleton Club. He served two terms as Virden town councillor and ten years as a school trustee. He was Secretary-Treasurer of the school district, and it was through his efforts that the Virden School became a model for the Province. He was elected to the Manitoba Legislature for Virden (Conservative) at the 1903 and 1907 general elections. He was appointed Provincial Treasurer in 1904, being succeeded in 1908 by Hugh Armstrong.

He died at Winnipeg on 9 November 1908 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery.

See also:

MHS Resources: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks: People

Sources:

Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

Obituary [Cecil Hume Agnew], Winnipeg Free Press, 4 May 1950, page 27.

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 14 June 2019

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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