Civil servant, community activist.
Born at Bloomfield, Ontario on 9 September 1920, son of James Edwin Baxter and Gertrude Burr, he grew up helping in the family canning business. He graduated from Queens University with a BA degree in Mathematics and Economics, and an MA degree in Public Finance. After service as an Army officer in the Second World War, he entered the public service as an Economist in the Department of Reconstruction.
In 1947 he transferred to the Canadian Grain Commission serving as Chief Statistician at Fort William, as Director of Economics and Statistics at Winnipeg and ultimately as Executive Director of the Commission. He played a major role in the introduction and development of electronic accounting and communication in the Canadian grain industry, chairing a number of grain studies. He also played a key role in the metrification of the Canadian grain industry. In 1977 he led a special grain mission to China. In 1984 he received a Meritorious Service Award from the Governor General of Canada.
He was a long-time member of the Mouse Trap Club and was active in the Boy Scouts. He served on the Boards for Westworth United Church, Westminster United Church, Knox United Church, Manitoba Health Organization, Grace Hospital, and Golden West Lodge.
He died at Winnipeg on 18 January 2007.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 24 January 2007.
“They left their mark,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 December 2007, page B2.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 31 May 2024
Memorable Manitobans
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