Grain merchant.
Born at Perth, Ontario on 30 September 1868, son of Robert Cleghorn Howden (1836-1897) and Mary Martina Nichol (1840-1918), brother of John Power Howden, he came to Winnipeg in 1882. He started in the grain business with the firm of Bready, Love and Tryon, later serving as Secretary-Treasurer when it became the Winnipeg Elevator Company. In later years, he worked in partnership with Benjamin Reade and later by himself.
On 6 August 1898, he married schoolteacher Margaret Adelaide “Maggie” Nimmons (1870-1947) at Winnipeg and they subsequently had two daughters: Dorothy G. Howden (1899-?, wife of Forbes McIntosh) and Margaret Nichol Howden (1900-?, wife of Noel Smith). He was a member of the Masons and Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
He died at the Winnipeg General Hospital on 12 August 1943 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Death registration [Robert Cleghorn Howden], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Robert James Howden, Margaret Adelaide Nimmons], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Howden - Nimmons,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 August 1898, page 8.
Birth registration [Margaret Nicho Howden], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Robert J. Howden, grain broker, dies in hospital,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 August 1943, page 13.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 13 August 1943, page 5.
Obituary [Margaret A. Howden], Winnipeg Tribune, 12 March 1947, page 19.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 November 2025
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
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!
