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George Frederick Galt
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Wholesale merchant.
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George Frederick Galt
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Born at Toronto on 1 March 1855, son of Chief Justice Thomas Galt and Francis Louise Galt, brother of Alexander Casimir Galt, he was educated at Galt Collegiate Institute. He came west in 1882 to found the wholesale tea importing firm of G. F. and J. Galt, with John Galt, which eventually had offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, as well as Winnipeg.
During his business career, Galt was President of Blue Ribbon Limited, President of the Northern Trusts Company Limited, Vice-President of the Great-West Life Assurance Company, Director of the Canadian Fire Assurance Company, Director of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, member of the Advisory Committee of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Director of the Northern Mortgage Company, and Director of the Manitoba Bridge and Iron Works. During the First World War, he was a member of the Canadian Government War Purchasing Commission.
He was married twice, first (in 1883) to Margaret Jane Smith (1862-1915) of Montreal, with whom he had five children: Edith Frances Galt (1884-?, wife of Frederic Edouard De Sieyes), Hubert Campbell Galt (1886-1897), Marjorie Mary Galt (1888-1985, wife of Gerald Bate Aldous), Alice Margaret Galt (1893-?, wife of Karl Cletus Weiss), and Louisa Elizabeth Galt (1898-?). His second marriage, in 1918, was to Muriel Julyan Maunsell (1892-?), with whom he had two children: Patricia Galt (1919-?) and Thomas Maunsell Galt.
In 1882, he founded the Winnipeg Rowing Club, which he led to prominence, and later was Honorary President. He was a founding member, in 1905, of the St. Charles Country Club. He served as President of the Winnipeg Board of Trade (1888), Winnipeg General Hospital (1890-1921), Manitoba Red Cross Society, Assiniboine Curling Club (1899-1900), and Manitoba Curling Association (1891-1892). He was a member of the Manitoba Club, York Club (Toronto), and Rideau Club (Ottawa).
Galt died at his Winnipeg home, 460 Wellington Crescent, on 15 April 1928 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery. His honorary pallbearers were Francis Lawrence Patton, William Martin, Dr. Harvey Smith, Sir Daniel McMillan, Patrick Anderson Macdonald, Manlius Bull, James Turnbull, William Johnston Tupper, Isaac Campbell, George William Allan, and Sir Hugh John Macdonald.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Anne Building / Blue Ribbon Building (87 King Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Anne Building / Blue Ribbon Building (88 Arthur Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Galt Building (103 Princess Street, Winnipeg)
Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.
A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.
1921 Canada census, Ancestry.
Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.
Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“G. F. Galt, noted Canadian, dies in city at 73,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 April 1928, page 1.
“George F. Galt, noted citizen, is buried today,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 April 1928, page 3.
Obituary [Marjorie Aldous], Winnipeg Free Press, 29 March 1985, page 47.
Crescentwood: A History by R. R. Rostecki, Crescentwood Home Owners Association, 1993.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
We thank Rick Mutton and Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 October 2024
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