William Antrobus Griesbach
Encyclopedia
Major General
William Antrobus Griesbach CB
CMG
DSO
(January 3, 1878 – January 21, 1945) was a Canadian
politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton
, and member of the Canadian House of Commons
and Senate of Canada.
, the son of Henry Arthur Griesbach, a North-West Mounted Police officer. In 1883, Henry was transferred to command Fort Saskatchewan
; the family travelled on the Canadian Pacific Railway
to Calgary
and then by wagon train
to Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan, on occasion having to build or repair bridges in order to cross rivers.
William Griesbach left the rest of the family in 1891 in order to attend St. John's College
in Winnipeg
, from which he graduated in 1895. Upon graduating, he returned to Edmonton and worked in a law firm for two years and in the Imperial Bank
for one year, before returning to Fort Saskatchewan to work in a milling business for six months. He returned to Edmonton to study law.
in 1899 to fight in the Second Boer War
. He knew from being weighed in at boxing
tournaments that he fell short of the minimum one hundred and forty pound weight to enlist, so on his way to being weighed he surreptitiously grabbed a large piece of coal
from the enlistment centre's coal box and held it behind his back while he stood on the scales. During his service, he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal
and received four bars.
Upon his return in 1901, he opened a law office of his own. An Edmonton Bulletin
article in 1927 quoted him as saying of these early years
, when he made an unsuccessful bid for election to Edmonton Town Council, placing fourth of nine candidates in an election in which the top three were elected. He was more successful in the 1904 election
when he was elected to a one year term as an alderman to Edmonton's first city council
placing eighth of seventeen candidates (in that first election as a city, Edmonton elected four aldermen to two year terms and four to one year terms, with the idea that four of the city's eight aldermen would be elected to two year terms each year). He was re-elected to a two year term in 1905
, finishing first of ten candidates.
That same year, he ran as a Conservative
in the riding of Edmonton
in Alberta's first provincial election
. He was defeated by Liberal Charles Cross, and continued his service on city council.
Griesbach resigned as alderman one year into his term in order to run for mayor in the 1906 election
. He was victorious, collecting more than sixty percent of the vote in a three person race and becoming, at twenty-eight years old, the youngest mayor in the city's history, before or since. He served a one year term, but did not seek re-election and stayed out of municipal politics thereafter.
He ran as a Conservative
in the 1911 federal election
, finishing second of three candidates in the riding of Edmonton
(the victorious candidate was Liberal
Frank Oliver).
Griesbach's final involvement in provincial politics would come during the 1913 election
, when he ran as a Conservative in Edmonton. He finished fourth of five candidates.
. He was promoted to captain in 1907
When World War I
broke out, the Dragoons volunteered as a unit. In December of that year, Griesbach was promoted to major assigned to command the 49th Battalion. He was able to recruit 1000 men in eight days in January 1915. The unit served in various engagements, including the Battle of Vimy Ridge
, the Battle of Arras
, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the liberation of Mons
. In 1917, Griesbach was promoted to Brigadier-General and assigned command of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division
.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
twice and the Victorian Decoration for long service. He was also made a companion of the Order of Bath and a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. After the war, he was made Inspector General
of the Canadian Army for Western Canada, and was promoted to Major-General.
as a Government member for the riding of Edmonton West
in the 1917 election
, defeating incumbent Laurier Liberal
Frank Oliver. He served until 15 September 1921 (less than three months before the 1921 election
), when he was appointed to the Canadian Senate
, in which he served until his death.
and played ice hockey
and soccer for Edmonton teams. He was a member of the Masonic Order
, the Oddfellows
, the Edmonton Veteran Association, the Canadian Club, and the Northern Alberta Pioneer and Old Timers' Association.
In 1906, he married Janet Scott McDonald Lauder.
William Antrobus Griesbach died in Edmonton on January 21, 1945, of a sudden heart attack.
CFB Griesbach
, the Griesbach Garrison (part of CFB Edmonton
), Griesbach Masonic Lodge, and Edmonton's Griesbach neighbourhood are named in his honor.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
William Antrobus Griesbach CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(January 3, 1878 – January 21, 1945) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, and member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
and Senate of Canada.
Early life
Griesbach was born in Fort Qu'Appelle, SaskatchewanFort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan
These figures do not include the substantial population living along the shores of the Fishing Lakes.-Origins:The current site is the third Fort Qu'Appelle. The first was a North West Company trading post , also in the valley but near what is now the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border...
, the son of Henry Arthur Griesbach, a North-West Mounted Police officer. In 1883, Henry was transferred to command Fort Saskatchewan
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Fort Saskatchewan is a city in Alberta, Canada, located northeast of downtown Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, along the North Saskatchewan River. Fort Saskatchewan is part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area and is one of 24 municipalities on the Capital Region Board...
; the family travelled on the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and then by wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
to Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan, on occasion having to build or repair bridges in order to cross rivers.
William Griesbach left the rest of the family in 1891 in order to attend St. John's College
St. John's College, University of Manitoba
St John's College is a small Anglican college located on the University of Manitoba campus in Winnipeg, Canada. It is home to the Institute for Anglican Ministry, a ministry of the Diocese of Rupert's Land that seeks to train Anglican lay people.-History:...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, from which he graduated in 1895. Upon graduating, he returned to Edmonton and worked in a law firm for two years and in the Imperial Bank
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
for one year, before returning to Fort Saskatchewan to work in a milling business for six months. He returned to Edmonton to study law.
Boer War and legal career
Griesbach enlisted with the Canadian Mounted RiflesCanadian Mounted Rifles
Canadian Mounted Rifles was part of the designation of several mounted infantry units in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.* The Canadian Mounted Rifle Corps, formed in 1885, now part of The Royal Canadian Dragoons...
in 1899 to fight in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. He knew from being weighed in at boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
tournaments that he fell short of the minimum one hundred and forty pound weight to enlist, so on his way to being weighed he surreptitiously grabbed a large piece of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the enlistment centre's coal box and held it behind his back while he stood on the scales. During his service, he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
and received four bars.
Upon his return in 1901, he opened a law office of his own. An Edmonton Bulletin
Edmonton Bulletin
The Edmonton Bulletin was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Frank Oliver, a politician and future minister in the Canadian Government....
article in 1927 quoted him as saying of these early years
Pre-war political career
Griesbach's first bid for political office took place in the 1903 Edmonton electionEdmonton municipal election, 1903
The 1903 municipal election was held December 14, 1903 for the purpose of electing a mayor and three aldermen to sit on the Edmonton Town Council, as well as five public school trustees and five separate school trustees...
, when he made an unsuccessful bid for election to Edmonton Town Council, placing fourth of nine candidates in an election in which the top three were elected. He was more successful in the 1904 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1904
The 1904 municipal election was held December 12, 1904 for the purpose of electing a mayor and eight aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council, as well as five public school trustees and five separate school trustees. It was Edmonton's first election as a city, and the first in which there were...
when he was elected to a one year term as an alderman to Edmonton's first city council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
placing eighth of seventeen candidates (in that first election as a city, Edmonton elected four aldermen to two year terms and four to one year terms, with the idea that four of the city's eight aldermen would be elected to two year terms each year). He was re-elected to a two year term in 1905
Edmonton municipal election, 1905
The 1905 municipal election was held December 11, 1905 for the purpose of electing a mayor and four aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council, as well as five public school trustees and five separate school trustees. There were eight aldermen on city council, but four of the positions were...
, finishing first of ten candidates.
That same year, he ran as a Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
in the riding of Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
in Alberta's first provincial election
Alberta general election, 1905
The Alberta general election of 1905 was the first general election held in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on 9 November 1905, to elect members of the Alberta legislature to the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly, shortly after the province was created out of the Northwest Territories...
. He was defeated by Liberal Charles Cross, and continued his service on city council.
Griesbach resigned as alderman one year into his term in order to run for mayor in the 1906 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1906
The 1906 municipal election was held December 10, 1906 for the purpose of electing a mayor and four aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council, as well as five public school trustees and six separate school trustees...
. He was victorious, collecting more than sixty percent of the vote in a three person race and becoming, at twenty-eight years old, the youngest mayor in the city's history, before or since. He served a one year term, but did not seek re-election and stayed out of municipal politics thereafter.
He ran as a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in the 1911 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1911
The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:...
, finishing second of three candidates in the riding of Edmonton
Edmonton (electoral district)
Edmonton was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons. It was located initially in the Northwest Territories, and following its creation in 1905, the province of Alberta...
(the victorious candidate was Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Frank Oliver).
Griesbach's final involvement in provincial politics would come during the 1913 election
Alberta general election, 1913
The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...
, when he ran as a Conservative in Edmonton. He finished fourth of five candidates.
World War I
In 1906, Griesbach was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 19th Alberta Dragoons19th Alberta Dragoons
The 19th Alberta Dragoons originated in Edmonton, Alberta on 1 February 1908, when the 19th The Alberta Mounted Rifles were authorized to be formed and was redesignated as the 19th Alberta Dragoons on 3 January 1911. On 16 February 1936, it was amalgamated with The Alberta Mounted Rifle. It was...
. He was promoted to captain in 1907
When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out, the Dragoons volunteered as a unit. In December of that year, Griesbach was promoted to major assigned to command the 49th Battalion. He was able to recruit 1000 men in eight days in January 1915. The unit served in various engagements, including the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
, the Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the liberation of Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
. In 1917, Griesbach was promoted to Brigadier-General and assigned command of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division
1st Canadian Division
Formed in August 1914, the 1st Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The division was initially made up from provisional battalions that were named after their province of origin but these titles were dropped before the division arrived in Britain on October 14,...
.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
twice and the Victorian Decoration for long service. He was also made a companion of the Order of Bath and a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. After the war, he was made Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
of the Canadian Army for Western Canada, and was promoted to Major-General.
Federal Parliament
William Griesbach was elected to the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Government member for the riding of Edmonton West
Edmonton West
Edmonton West was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1988 and from 1997 to 2004.-Demographics:-History and geography:...
in the 1917 election
Canadian federal election, 1917
The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription...
, defeating incumbent Laurier Liberal
Laurier Liberals
Prior to the 1917 federal election in Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two factions:* the Laurier Liberals, who opposed conscription of soldiers to support Canada's involvement in World War I and who were led by former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier; and* the Liberal Unionists who...
Frank Oliver. He served until 15 September 1921 (less than three months before the 1921 election
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
), when he was appointed to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
, in which he served until his death.
Personal life, death, and legacy
Griesbach was an accomplished cyclistCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and played ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and soccer for Edmonton teams. He was a member of the Masonic Order
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, the Oddfellows
Oddfellows
The name Oddfellows refers to a number of friendly societies and fraternal organisations operating in the United Kingdom. It also refers to a number of Lodges with histories dating back to the 18th century. These various organisations were set up to protect and care for their members and...
, the Edmonton Veteran Association, the Canadian Club, and the Northern Alberta Pioneer and Old Timers' Association.
In 1906, he married Janet Scott McDonald Lauder.
William Antrobus Griesbach died in Edmonton on January 21, 1945, of a sudden heart attack.
CFB Griesbach
CFB Griesbach
CFB Griesbach is a former army base in the north end of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The site is named after Major-General William Antrobus Griesbach , a veteran of the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War...
, the Griesbach Garrison (part of CFB Edmonton
CFB Edmonton
CFB Edmonton is a Canadian Forces base located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is also known as Edmonton Garrison or "Steele Barracks".-History:...
), Griesbach Masonic Lodge, and Edmonton's Griesbach neighbourhood are named in his honor.