Railwayman.
Born at Aultsville, Ontario on 5 November 1859, he began his railway career in 1877 when he began working as a telegrapher for the Grand Trunk Railway at Montreal. For six years, he worked as a relief agent between Kingston, Ontario and Montreal and, for a time, was a telegrapher and ticket agent at Cornwall. In 1883, he resigned his position and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he was a telegrapher at the Union Station. He was an assistant train master, train despatcher, chief despatcher, and train master for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad. He left the railroad in 1900 to join the Great Western line at Chicago, Illinois where he was train master for a year then was appointed superintendent in 1901. He resigned this post in 1912 and moved to Winnipeg where he organized the Manitoba office of the Midland Railway. He held the positions of General Superintendent and General Freight and Passenger Agent. He retired in December 1934. On 24 May 1887, he married Effie Marcella Hudgins and they had two daughters: Mrs. M. E. Olmstead and Gretchen Dafoe. He died at the Winnipeg General Hospital on 16 December 1936 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.
Ontario marriage registration, Ancestry.
“Charles Dafoe pioneer railway official, dead,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 December 1936, page 19.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 June 2019
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