Memorable Manitobans: William Cornwallis King (1845-1940)

Fur trader.

Born at Madras, India on 6 April 1845, son of Col. H. R. Cornwallis King, he was educated in England at the “Blue Coat” School, at Bedford, and at King William College in the Isle of Man, where his family eventually settled. He went to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company at the age of 17 and set sail for York Factory, arriving at Lower Fort Garry in October 1862. He was employed in the Mackenzie River district and, for 20 years, was in charge of York Factory. He became a Chief Trader in 1896, retiring on pension in 1903. He then did exploration work for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway. He died at Winnipeg on 18 December 1940.

Sources:

“Veteran northern fur trader”, Winnipeg Tribune, 19 December 1940. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B9, page 100]

Page revised: 16 December 2009

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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