Memorable Manitobans: Thomas M. Harrington (1847-1937)

Building contractor.

Born at Montreal, Quebec on 3 January 1847, he attended country schools in Maryboro County, Ontario. At the age of 16 he took up the carriage-making trade until 1881, when he came to Manitoba with his wife and children. He worked as a general contractor in Winnipeg, as a partner in the firm of Harrington and Thompson, then moved to Brandon and continued work in this area. In 1906, the Brandon Construction Company was incorporated, with him as its managing director. It became the city’s largest building firm doing business throughout western Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

On 26 January 1870, he married Margaret Thomson (1852-1929) and they had six children: William James Harrington, Lilly Harrington (1874-1890), Mary J. Harrington (1877-?), Ida May Harrington (1879-?. wife of William Henry McKinnon of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan), Carrie A. Harrington (1883-?), and Herbert Baldwin Harrington (1885-?). He was a member of the Masons (Royal Arch), Winnipeg Building Society, and Young Methodist (United) Church. He retired from business in 1916 and returned to Winnipeg, where he lived successively at 153 Hargrave Street and 141 Sherbrook Street.

He died at Winnipeg on 30 January 1937 and was buried in the St. James Anglican Cemetery.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Old Mulvey School	Winnipeg	?
Westminster Block	330 Donald Street, Winnipeg	?
Caldwell Block	Winnipeg	?
Wesley Methodist Church	520 William Avenue, Winnipeg	1898
Brandon College	270 Eighteenth Street, Brandon	1901
Carman School No. 176	Third Avenue SW, Carman	1902	Demolished (c1961)
Bank of Montreal Building	940 Rosser Avenue, Brandon	1903
Park School	Lorne Avenue, Brandon	1904	Demolished (1978)
Brandon Court House	1104 Princess Avenue, Brandon	1908-1910
A. E. McKenzie Building	30 Ninth Street, Brandon	1909-1910
Canadian Pacific Railway Station	1000 Pacific Avenue, Brandon	1911
Brandon Normal School	1129 Queens Avenue, Brandon	1912-1913
Bank of Commerce	Brandon	?
Great Northern Railway Station	Brandon	?
Indian Industrial School	Brandon	?
Brandon Winter Fair Building	Eleventh Street, Brandon	?
First Methodist Church	Brandon	?
Brandon Power House	Brandon	?

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

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

“Old-time city resident dies, aged 69 years,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 August 1929, page 5.

“His 90th birthday,” Brandon Sun, 7 January 1937, page 9.

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“T. Harrington, pioneer in city building, dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 February 1937, page 17.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 July 2022

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. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!