 |
Joseph Gustave Van Belleghem
|
Hotelier, MLA (1950-1953).
Born at St. Vital on 6 September 1901, he attended Provencher School and St. Boniface College. After working railway construction with his father, he and his brother Frank became joint owners of the Tourist Hotel until his retirement in 1960.
Elected for St. Boniface in the 1949 provincial general election, becoming the first MLA of Belgian ancestry, he served a single term before being defeated in the 1953 general election. He was a St. Boniface alderman for 18 years between 1932 and 1965, and was Mayor of St. Boniface (1954-1960). His mayoral portrait for the City of St. Boniface was painted in 1961 by artist Pauline LeGoff Boutal.
On 3 January 1929, he married Clara Ysenbaert (?-2005) and they had four sons and one daughters. He was a brother-in-law of Theodore Bockstael. For many years he was the Belgian consul for Manitoba. He was a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.
He died at St. Boniface on 5 January 1967 and was buried in the Belgian Sacred Heart Cemetery. He is commemorated by École Van Belleghem and Van Belleghem Park. Biographical information is available at the Le Centre du patrimoine of La Société historique de Saint-Boniface.
See also:
Joseph Van Belleghem: A Biography by James B. Wyndels, Ottawa: J. Merriam Print, 2004.
Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Ville Cathedral de Saint Boniface: The Cathedral City, promotional pamphlet, c1958.
“Van Belleghem gets portrait,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 December 1961.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 1967, page 28.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
Obituary [Clara Van Belleghem], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 July 2005.
This page is based, in part, on information provided by Louise Van Belleghem, daughter of J. G. Van Belleghem.
We thank Anthony Wlock and Oliver Bernuetz (Legislative Library of Manitoba) for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 February 2024
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 SearchBrowse 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 | ZBrowse 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.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
