Memorable Manitobans: Jacob John Siemens (1896-1963)

Farm leader.

Born near Altona on 23 May 1896, he was educted at the Mennonite Educational Institute and Manitoba Normal School. He was an active member of the co-operative movement, and helped found over 30 co-operatives in the region. An advocate of agricultural education, he organized the Rhineland Agricultural Institute for youth training in 1937 and helped found the Western Co-operative College at Saskatoon. During the Second World War he advocated the growth of sunflowers and marketed the idea of extracting oil from them, eventually organizing Co-op Vegetable Oils Limited in Altona. He was a candidate in the 1958 federal general election but came in a distant fourth place. He is a member of the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame.

See also:

The Spirit of the Post Road by R. R. Myer (1955).

In Search of Utopia by E. K. Francis (1955).

Sources:

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

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

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 13 November 2017

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.

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:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 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!