Memorable Manitobans: George Hughes Archibald (1877-1959)

Engineer, building contractor.

Born at Sydney, Nova Scotia on 22 July 1877, son of William Henry and Eleanor Georgina Hughes, he trained in structural and gas engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was later employed as a designer and construction engineer by several large engineering firms in the United States before he came to Winnipeg in 1905 and opened his own engineering office.

His first project was the design of a flour mill for the Maple Leaf Milling Company at Kenora, Ontario. Over the next five years, he was involved in the construction of several flour mills across western Canada, and was also engaged in general contracting. In time, he established branch offices of his firm at Calgary, Edmonton and Sasktoon with the head office in Winnipeg. In mid-1915, the firm of George H. Archibald was wound up.

In 1907, he married Jane T. Kester (?-?) of Virginia at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had two children: George Hughes Archibald (1908-?) and Robert Livingston Archibald (?-?). He was a member of the Masons (Scottish Rite), Manitoba Club, and St. Charles Country Club.

He died on 26 April 1959 and was buried at North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

Henderson Directories Building

279-281 Garry Street, Winnipeg

1906

Demolished (1972)

Canadian Fairbanks-Morse Company Building

300 Princess Street, Winnipeg

1911

 

Canada Bread Building

258 Burnell Street, Winnipeg

1911-1912

Demolished (2020)

Sources:

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

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Notice to creditors,” Manitoba Free Press, 11 September 1915, page 2.

George Hughes Archibald, FindAGrave.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 March 2024

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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