Memorable Manitobans: Walter Foster Barfoot (1893-1978)

Cleric.

Born at Collingwood, Ontario on 17 October 1893, he was educated at Wycliffe College. During the First World War, he served in the British Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Sussex Regiment, later claiming “the war taught me basically to know and understand men.” His first parish was in Melita, in 1923, and he was appointed to the faculty of Emmanuel College in Saskatoon in 1926. He subsequently served as Warden of St. John’s College from 1935 to 1941 and Canon of St. John’s Cathedral from 1934 to 1941 before becoming Bishop of Edmonton. He was Anglican Primate of All Canada in 1951 and was elected Archbishop of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land in 1953. The University of Manitoba awarded him an honorary degree in 1958. In December 1960, he retired due to ill health. He died at Vancouver, British Columbia on 28 June 1978. There are extensive papers at the Rupert’s Land Archives.

See also:

I Have Chosen You: The Life and Ministry of Walter Foster Barfoot by William E. Harrison, 1986.

Sources:

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

“Archbishop Barfoot to resign,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 November 1960.

“Former Anglican primate dies at 85 in Vancouver,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 June 1978, page 6.

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

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 10 July 2022

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.

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