William Garson
Encyclopedia
William C. W. Garson was a Scottish
-born Ontario
and Manitoba
businessman and political figure. He represented Lincoln
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
as a Liberal member from 1886 to 1890.
He was born in Kirkwall
, Orkney Islands
in 1856, the son of Robert Garson, and moved to St. Catharines
, Canada West with his family in 1857. He served as a captain in the local militia. Garson was trained as a mason
and became a construction contractor. In 1895, he married Margaret Annable. Garson moved to Winnipeg
in 1901 where he served on the Board of Control and helped establish the city's publicly-owned hydroelectric system. He helped develop limestone
quarries near Tyndall
, the source of the Tyndall Stone
later used in the construction of the provincial parliament buildings and the Canadian Museum of Civilization
.
Garson continued to operate as a contractor until his death in Winnipeg due to pneumonia
in 1911.
His son Stuart
later served as premier of Manitoba. The village of Garson, Manitoba
was named after William Garson.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
businessman and political figure. He represented Lincoln
Lincoln (electoral district)
Lincoln was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1883 and from 1904 to 1997. It was on the Niagara Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario...
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
as a Liberal member from 1886 to 1890.
He was born in Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
in 1856, the son of Robert Garson, and moved to St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, Canada West with his family in 1857. He served as a captain in the local militia. Garson was trained as a mason
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
and became a construction contractor. In 1895, he married Margaret Annable. Garson moved to 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...
in 1901 where he served on the Board of Control and helped establish the city's publicly-owned hydroelectric system. He helped develop limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries near Tyndall
Tyndall, Manitoba
Tyndall is a community in Manitoba. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Brokenhead.Tyndall is a community in Manitoba. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Brokenhead....
, the source of the Tyndall Stone
Tyndall Stone
Tyndall stone is a dolomitic limestone quarried from the Selkirk member of the Ordovician Red River Formation, in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada. It was first used in 1832 for building Lower Fort Garry, and has since become popular for building purposes throughout Canada and the United...
later used in the construction of the provincial parliament buildings and the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
.
Garson continued to operate as a contractor until his death in Winnipeg due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in 1911.
His son Stuart
Stuart Garson
Stuart Sinclair Garson, was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Premier of Manitoba from 1943 to 1948, and later became a federal cabinet minister....
later served as premier of Manitoba. The village of Garson, Manitoba
Garson, Manitoba
Garson is an inhabited place located within the Rural Municipality of Brokenhead, Manitoba, Canada. The ePodunk article on the village states it did amalgamate with Brokenhead in 2003 and that the population is 350. City-Data, however, placed it at 324...
was named after William Garson.