Memorable Manitobans: Andrew Kelly (1852-1930)

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Andrew Kelly
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Miller and businessman, Mayor of Brandon (1889-1891).

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Andrew Kelly
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Born at North Middlesex, Ontario on 10 July 1852, , the son of John and Sarah Kelly, he was educated at the local high school. He stayed on the family farm until age 25, then worked for G. Carter, Son & Co, millers and grain dealers at St. Mary’s, Ontario from 1878 to 1881.

In 1881, he arrived in Manitoba where he established the A. Kelly Milling Company (traded under the name of Fisher and Company) at Brandon. In 1882, Messrs. Alexander, Kelly and Sutherland purchased Fisher’s interests and, two years later, increased capacity of mill to 200 barrels/day and erected an oatmeal mill. The firm was known as Alexander, Kelly & Sutherland until 1885 when it changed to Alexander, Kelly & Company. In 1884, the mill burned. It was rebuilt, increasing its capacity to 400 barrels/day and 150 barrels/day of oatmeal. Alexander retired in 1901, at which time the firm became A. Kelly Milling Company. It amalgamated in July 1903 with Parrish & Lindsay, then on 1 May 1905, with Lake Huron & Manitoba Milling Co. to form Western Canada Flour Mills. Kelly was also one of the original directors of Great-West Life Assurance Company of Winnipeg.

In 1882, he married Mary Louise Bremner (1857-1935) of Toronto, with whom he had three children: Ewart Cameron Kelly (1883-1941), Allen Bremner Kelly, and Vieva May Kelly (1889-?). Kelly was a keen baseball and lacrosse player. In addition to his business interests, Kelly served as Brandon city alderman (1887-1889) and Mayor (1889-1891), and was an Opposition candidate for the Brandon City constituency in the 1896 provincial general election. He was President of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange (1912-1913).

Kelly died at Winnipeg on 5 January 1930 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery. He is commemorated by Kelly Place in Brandon.

Sources:

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.

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

“Andrew Kelly, pioneer flour miller of west, dies, aged 78 years”, Manitoba Free Press, 6 January 1930, pages 1, 5.

Death registration [Mary Louise Kelly], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Ewart C. Kelly], Brandon Sun, 11 February 1941, page 9.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank James Burns for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 June 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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