Baker, Mayor of Winnipeg (1921-1922).
Born at Dover, England in April 1859, he came to Canada as a boy and later opened a bakery at London, Ontario. While there he served as a London city alderman and ran for Mayor. He moved to Winnipeg and went into partnership with John Tully Speirs in the bread-making firm of Speirs-Parnell.
He and wife Mary Jane Harwood (?-?) had seven children, including Matilda Parnell (1879-?), Frederick Edward (1880-?), William Charles (1882-?), Pearl Blanche Parnell (1887-?, wife of Percy Woolner), and Charles Ernest (1890-?). He was a member of the Royal Society of St. George and Sons of England. He was elected Chairman of the Canadian Manufacturers Association (1918-1919) and was the President of the Winnipeg Board of Trade (1920-1921). In November 1920, he was elected Mayor of Winnipeg, defeating Seymour James Farmer. He was acclaimed to the position two years later. He served on the founding Advisory Board of The Winnipeg Foundation.
He left Winnipeg in poor health in February 1922, for a three-month leave of absence from his mayoral duties. He died at his residence in Victoria, British Columbia on 9 June 1922 and was buried there. He is commemorated by Parnell Avenue in Winnipeg. His official portrait was painted by artist Louie Belrose Alexander.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Parnell House (826 Wolseley Avenue, Winnipeg)
Manitoba Business: Quality Cakes Limited
Birth registrations, Ancestry.
1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Mayor of Winnipeg dies at Victoria, B.C.,” newspaper clipping dated 10 June 1922. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B7]
“Mayor Parnell passes away at Victoria,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 June 1922, page 1.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 October 2022
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