Hotelier.
Born at Winnipeg on 22 July 1918, son of Frank Fowlie and Mary Jane Spence (1891-1929), he attended Lord Roberts School and St. John’s College School (now St. John’s-Ravenscourt) from 1920 to 1933, completing his education at Gordon Bell High School in 1936. During the Second World War, he served in India and Burma as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force and received the Burma Star.
Following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather James Fowlie, he entered a life-long career in the hotel industry, managing the St. Vital Hotel on St. Mary’s Road before acquiring the St. James Hotel. He served as President of Manitoba Hotel Association (1968-1970) and Canadian Hotel Associations and as a director of the Canadian and American Hotel Associations. He retired from ownership of the hotel in 1975.
In 1951, he married Gwendoline Mary Wright (1923-2009), with whom he had a son. He was an active member of the Niakwa Country Club. As a charter member of the Riverside Lions Club, he served as President for a time, and was also active in Freemasonry, joining Meridian Lodge 140 in 1967, later becoming a member of the Connought Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons. Also in 1967, he joined Khartum Temple, played with the Drum and Bugle Corps, was a director of the Royal Order of Jesters, and served as the housing chairman for the Shriners.
He died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 30 January 2004.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. James Hotel (1719 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)
Birth registration [Gordon James Fowlie], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Winnipeg Visitors Guide, August 1958.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 February 2004.
In Lumine: St. John’s College Newsletter, Spring 2004.
We thank Michael Juce for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 15 January 2026
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:
1975 | 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 | 2025 | 2026
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!
