Memorable Manitobans: Gerald Sydney “Syd” Halter (1905-1990)

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Sydney Halter
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Lawyer, sports executive.

Born at Winnipeg on 18 April 1905, son of Maurice Halter and Rhoda Lechtzier (1893-1973), brother of Aubrey Halter, he attended Laura Secord School and graduated in arts and law from the University of Manitoba, then practised law in Winnipeg, and was appointed a King’s Counsel in 1948.

He was President of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada (1938-1946). He served as an executive of the Winnipeg Football Club for years (President, 1942), becoming commissioner of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (1953-1957) and then commissioner of the Canadian Football League (1958-1967). He was Chair of the Manitoba Horse Racing Commission (1965-1971, 1978-1981), and served on an athletic committee of the Manitoba Centennial Corporation.

In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame (1984), Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (1982). He was given a Manitoba Golden Boy Award (1961), a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (1962), a Manitoba Centennial Medal from the Manitoba Historical Society (1970), and a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977). He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada (1977).

He died at his Winnipeg home on 25 October 1990 and was buried in the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery.


Front


Back

Halter’s member card for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Source: Reese Halter.

Sources:

Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Secord School to celebrate golden year,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 November 1962, page 14.

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

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 26 October 1990.

“Sports legend Halter dies at 85,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 October 1990.

We thank Reese Halter for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 February 2024

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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