Civil servant.
Born at Glasgow, Scotland on 13 February 1866, he was educated at Harrow, England. In 1886, he began working as a press reporter and accountant in London, England. He came to Canada in 1887 and was the Inspector of Legal Offices, based in the Manitoba Legislative Building, for 16 years. He served as Secretary to William Johnston Tupper when he was Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (1934-1940).
In 1887, he married Sarah Jane “Allie” Thompson (?-?) of London, England and they had five children: Frank Leonard Willis Irving (1894-?), Dorothy Esther Victoria “Dolly” Irving (1897-?, wife of Edmond Osborne Ryan), Arthur Ernest Faulkner Irving (1900-?), Edward Victor Manley Irving (1902-?), and Harold Bernard Charles “Bob” Irving (1904-1978). The family lived at 503 Gertrude Avenue, Winnipeg. He was a member of the Adanac Club (Honorary Treasurer), Carleton Club, Manitoba Club, St. George’s Club, and AOUW of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta (Grand Master and Grand Recorder of the Loyal Grand Lodge). He wrote on fraternal insurance, publishing in 1905 the work entitled “A Self Evident Proposition”. Until 1900, he was a member of the Winnipeg Cricket Club and played for Canada in Chicago in championship matches. After 1900, he was associated with the Civil Service Lawn Bowling Club, winning in 1907 the provincial doubles, singles, and the Gerhard Heintzman Provincial Grand Challenge. Around 1947, he moved to Walla Walla, Washington to live with one of his sons.
He died at Walla Walla, Washington on 1 May 1949 and was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery there.
Birth registrations [Frank Leonard Willis Irving, Dorothy Esther Victoria Irving, Arthur Ernest Faulkner Irving, Edward Victor Manley Irving, Harold Bernard Charles Irving], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 Canada census, Ancestry.
Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.
Marriage registration [Dorothy Esther Victoria Irving, Edmond Osborne Ryan], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“R. C. Irving, legal official, dies in U.S.,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 May 1949, page 22.
Obituary [Harold Bernard Irving], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 January 1978, page 106.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 April 2024
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