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George Johnson
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Physician, MLA (1958-1959), MLA (1959-1962), MLA (1962-1966), MLA (1966-1969), Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (1986-1993).
Born at Winnipeg on 18 November 1920, son of Jonas George Johnson (c1894-1951) and Laufey Johnson (1898-1989), he attended Daniel McIntyre Collegiate and studied Botany at the University of Manitoba (BSc 1941). He served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1941 to 1945 in the North Sea, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. After his military discharge, he returned to Winnipeg and attended the Manitoba Medical College, graduating in 1950 and moving to Gimli to establish a medical practice.
Elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1958, he entered the Cabinet immediately and served there under Premiers Roblin and Weir. Re-elected in the 1959, 1962, and 1966 general elections, he served as Minister of Health and Public Welfare (1958-1961), Minister of Health (1961-1963, 1968-1969), and Minister of Education (1963-1968). He was responsible for bringing the early stages of Medicare to Manitoba and played a role in the establishment of Red River College and the granting of charters to the University of Winnipeg and Brandon University. In 1986, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the first of Icelandic descent, serving to 1991.
In 1943, he married Doris Marjorie Blondal (1921-1996) in New York and they had six children, including Jennifer Ann Johnson (1947-2017). In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of Canada (1986) and the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame (1994) and he received honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg (1992) and University of Manitoba (1995).
He died at his cottage at Gimli on 8 July 1995 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery. He is commemorated by George Johnson Middle School in Gimli. His papers are at the Archives of Manitoba.
Marriage registration [Jonas George Johnson, Laufey Johnson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Birth registration [George Johnson, Doris Marjorie Blondal], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“City man’s body found in harbor at Toronto,” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 September 1951, page 5.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 April 1989, page 45.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 July 1995, page 13.
Obituary [Doris Marjorie Johnson], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 1996, page 14.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
Obituary [Jennifer Ann Johnson], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 November 2017.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Oliver Bernuetz (Legislative Library of Manitoba) for providing additional information used here.
We thank Gillian Johnson for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 June 2025
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