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Edward Gurney Vaux Evans
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MLA (1953-1958), MLA (1958-1959), MLA (1959-1962), MLA (1962-1966), MLA (1966-1969).
Born at Winnipeg on 3 September 1907, son of William Sanford Evans and Irene Gurney, at the age of four he flipped a switch in Winnipeg Hydro Substation No. 3 to turn on the first hydroelectric-powered street lights in the city. He was educated at Ridley College and the University of Manitoba. He served with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in the Second World War, receiving the Order of the British Empire and retiring as Lieutenant-Colonel.
He was Executive Director of the Carswell-Shaw Commission which calculated flood damages to Manitoba in 1950, and was Executive Director of the Red River Valley Board after the 1950 flood. He also served as Chairman of the Civil Service Commission of Manitoba and President of the Canadian Club of Winnipeg (1954-1955).
He represented Fort Rouge in the Manitoba Legislature as a Progressive Conservative, being elected at general elections in 1953, 1958, 1959, 1962, and 1966, serving as Minister of Industry and Commerce (1958-1966), Minister of Mines and Natural Resources (1958-1959, 1966-1967), Provincial Secretary (1959-1963), and Provincial Treasurer (1966-1969). His political career ended when he was defeated by New Democratic candidate Cyril W. Gonick in the 1969 general election.
He and wife Lillian Jean Minnis (1918-2001) adopted two children: Jane Evans (?-?) and Douglas William “Doug” Evans (1950-2012).
He died at Winnipeg on 8 January 1987. There are papers at the Archives of Manitoba.
Birth registration [Edward Gurney Evans], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Everybody had pull upon switches at power station,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 October 1911, page 5.
“Gurney Evans Canadian Club Head,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 May 1954, page 3.
The Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1956.
Members of the Legislative Assembly (Deceased), Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
Obituary [Lillian Jean Evans], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 January 2001.
Obituary [Douglas William Evans], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 August 2012.
We thank Susan Bracken, Nathan Kramer, and Katherine Maki for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 December 2024
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