Memorable Manitobans: Richard Forbes Townsend Greer (1888-1974)

Lawyer, civil servant.

Born in County Down, Ireland, 1888, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Greer, he was educated at Dulwich College, England. He articled in law to Crawford & Lockhart of Anglesa Street, Dublin and was admitted as a solicitor in 1912. He emigrated to Canada later that year and settled at Winnipeg, where he worked in the law office of Campbell, Pitblado & Company. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1913 and a barrister in 1919. During the First World War, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteers (London Division) in October 1915 and served in the North of Scotland (1915), Mediterranean (1916), and the Adriatic (1918), later commissioned as a Lieutenant. He returned to Canada and demobilized in March 1919. He joined the law firm of Pitblado, Hoskin & Company.

He moved to Carman in 1920 where he continued the practice of law. He was appointed a Police Magistrate in 1928 and, in 1939, became Registrar of the Carman Land Titles Office. In 1918, he married Mary Tomlinson (?-?). They had no children. He served as a member of the Carman town council, was Mayor of Carman (1931-1939), served on the Carman Hospital Board, and was President of the Carman Curling Club (1935-1936). He returned to Winnipeg in 1943 where he served as an administrator for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He retired from the post in 1954 and moved with his wife to Northern Ireland.

He died in 1974.

Sources:

Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.

“R. F. T. Greer retires from hospital post,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 June 1954.

“D.V.A. Administrator,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 September 1948. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B10, page 53]

We thank Rick Mutton for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 23 October 2023

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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