Memorable Manitobans: John Jackson (1887-1986)

Businessman.

Born at Winnipeg on 29 March 1887, son of Thomas Jackson and Elisa Edmondson (1863-1920), he worked with his father and brother in Thomas Jackson and Sons, a building supply, fuel, and contracting business. In the 1960s, he retired as President of the company. He also organized other construction companies. In 1922, he and his brother James, along with partner Scott Fowler, organized the Nelson River Construction Company. In the 1930s, they established Scott Jackson Construction. His son John H. Jackson and Frank M. Fowler, son of Scott Fowler, carried on the business of these companies. In 1946, he helped to organized Supercrete Limited to manufacture concrete products for the construction industry and served as an officer and director of the company into the early 1960s.

A talented athlete, in the early 1900s, he played professional baseball and hockey in Winnipeg and California. He was also an active curler and bowler, playing competitively through the 1920s. He had a lifelong interest in horse racing, owning the world champion pacer "Winnipeg" with his brother and trainer William Flemming. They purchased the horse in 1926 at Portage la Prairie and raced successfully in Canada and the USA until it was sold to C. J. Baker of Illinois, under whose ownership it set a record time for a one-mile pace at the Kentucky State Fair. An early supporter of the Winnipeg Football Club, he supported it financially from the early 1930s to 1970s, along with the Winnipeg Maroons Baseball Club and an amateur club, The Rosedale, that played in Winnipeg in the 1940s and 1950s. He and his brother hosted the Coal Hole, an open house for the sporting fraternity in the backroom of their company office at 370 Colony Street.

On 19 January 1910, he married Nell Rae Hollands (1887-1977) at Winnipeg and they had three daughters and two sons.

He died at Winnipeg on 7 January 1986. He was inducted posthumously (2004) into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame for his role as a builder of many sports.

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Nell Rae Jackson], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 May 1977, page 59.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 11 January 1986, page 58.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 April 2023

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 Search Browse 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 | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 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 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!