Lawyer, municipal official.
Born at Pawpaw, Illinois on 2 November 1881, son of W. B. St. John, and brother of Charles William St. John, he graduated from United College in Winnipeg then taught at Ravens Glen School (1901), Gretna School (1902), and at Portage la Prairie. He practiced law at Minnedosa from 1908 to the time of his death. He was made a King's Counsel (1925) and served as a Bencher (1937-1952) and Life Bencher (1952-1963) for the Law Society of Manitoba.
On 1 June 1911, he married Elizabeth “Bessie” Drummond (1880-1976) at Minnedosa and they had four children: Woodrow Parke St. John (1912-?), Olive Margaret St. John (1914-?, wife of Adam Sandilands), Robert Lorne St. John (1917-1969), and Donald Drummond “Don” St. John (1926-2009). He served as the Mayor of Minnedosa (1920-1923) and was an Independent candidate for the Minnedosa constituency in the 1932 provincial general election. A keen athlete in his youth, he played football, lacrosse, golf, curling, and bowling. He was a member of the Elks, Odd Fellows, and United Church.
He died suddenly in his law office on 2 August 1963 and was buried in the Minnedosa Cemetery.
Marriage registration [Cecil Lorne St. John, Bessie Drummond, Robert Lorne St. John], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Birth registrations [Woodrow Parke St. John, Olive Margaret St. John], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“15 Manitoba lawyers made King's counsels,” Winnipeg Tribune, 7 November 1925, page 1.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 August 1963.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 6 August 1963.
Obituary [Donald Drummond St. John], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 July 2009.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 30 November 2024
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