Auctioneer.
Born at Paisley, Scotland in 1879, he moved to a village near Stirling soon after. In Scotland, he trained as a cooper and worked in Kilmarnock and Glasgow before coming to Canada at age 23 to become a farmer. Initially employed as a farm labourer in the Yorkton and Indian Head districts of Saskatchewan, he later homesteaded at Canora. In March 1905, a friendship with auctioneer Bert Owens brought him to Winnipeg. This began a career as an auctioneer that lasted over 42 years.
Interested in art, he was active on the board of the Winnipeg School of Art for around 27 years, during which time he served as its President. He was also an original member of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and served as a board member. He also belonged to the Manitoba Jockey Club. He died suddenly at his summer home on West Hawk Lake on 30 June 1957 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
“A humorous auctioneer,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 August 1948. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B10, page 45]
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 July 1957 page 24.
Obituary [Maud McPherson], Winnipeg Free Press, 17 February 1959, page 20.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Sarah Ramsden.
Page revised: 6 May 2024
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