Memorable Manitobans: William Wilber Wilfred Wilson (1885-1964)

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William Wilber Wilfred Wilson
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Lawyer, MLA (1916-1920), MLA (1920-1922), MLA (1941-1945), MLA (1945-1949).

Born at Birtle on 6 October 1885, son of Edmund James Wilson and Mary Ann Dunsmore (1861-1953), he was educated at the Birtle Public School and Wesley College at Winnipeg. He practiced law for 55 years at Russell, with a branch office at Rossburn. On 31 March 1909, he married Bertha Cairns (1888-1977, daughter of John Thomas Cairns) of Kelloe. They had six children: Edith Eileen Wilson (1909-?, wife of Jack Nazur), Marjorie Jean Wilson (1911-?, wife of Bud Glasman), Wilma Hazeldean Wilson (1914-?, wife of Elmer S. Smith), Gwen Noreen Wilson (1915-?, wife of J. L. Clarke), Beth Elmer Wilson (1916-?, wife of George Sparrow), and John Edmund Norris “Jack” Wilson (1925-?). First elected to the Manitoba Legislature at the 1915 general election, he was re-elected in 1920 but defeated in 1922 and 1927, then elected in 1941 and 1945. He was also Mayor of Russell from 1915 to 1918. He was a member of the Elks (Russell Lodge), Kiwanis, Masons, and Manitoba Curling Association. He died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 27 January 1964 and was buried in the Russell Memorial Garden.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Wilson Block (227 Main Street, Russell)

Sources:

The Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1917.

Birth registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1921 Canada census, Ancestry.

“Under The Golden Boy, Manitoba’s M.L.A.s,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 March 1943. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B9, page 129]

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 January 1964, page 34.

Obituary, Russell Banner, 6 February 1964, page 4.

Obituary [Bertha Wilson], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 August 1977, page 36.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Jan Dixon for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 June 2023

Memorable Manitobans

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.

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