MHS Centennial Business: Great-West Life Assurance Company / Canada Life

A Centennial Business Award was presented to Great-West Life Assurance on 16 September 2016. The company was renamed to Canada Life in April 2019.

Chairmen

Period	Chairman
1943-1944	Melbourne Francis Christie (1864-1944)
1944-1951	?
1951-1959	Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)
1959-1969	Joseph Harris (1892-1976)

Presidents

Period	President
1892-1926	Alexander Macdonald (1844-1928)
1926-1940	George William Allan (1860-1940)
1940-1943	Melbourne Francis Christie (1864-1944)
1943-1951	William Pitt Riley (1870-1954)
1952-1959	Joseph Harris (1892-1976)
1959-1971	David Eckford Kilgour (1912-1973)
1971-1979	James William “Jim” Burns (1929-2019)
1979-1990	Kevin Patrick Kavanagh (1932-2020)

Vice-Presidents

Period	Vice-President
1892-1896	F. G. Vernon
1892-1894	James Henry Ashdown (1844-1924)
1893-1893	William Bain Scarth (1837-1902)
1894-1910	J. H. Mason
1896-1910	Hugh John Macdonald (1850-1929)
1896-1928	George Frederick Galt (1855-1928)
1910-1943	Robert Thomas Riley (1851-1944)
1910-1925	Augustus Meredith Nanton (1860-1925)
1928-1933	Daniel Hunter McMillan (1846-1933)
1933-1940	Melbourne Francis Christie (1864-1944)
1940-1951	William Pitt Riley (1870-1954)
1943-1967	Henry William “Harry” Manning (1889-1980) - Managing Director
1943-1951	Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)
1951-1960	?
1960-1966	John Edward Morrison (1911-1966)
?-?	George Aitken (1906-1983)

General Managers

Period	General Manager
1938-1955	Henry William “Harry” Manning (1889-1980)

Assistant General Managers

Period	Assistant General Manager
1912-1927	Arbuckle Jardine (1856-1932)
1927-1931	?
1931-1938	Henry William “Harry” Manning (1889-1980)

Secretaries

Period	Secretary
1892-1927	Arbuckle Jardine (1856-1932)

Directors

Officer	Period
G. H. Aikins	1940-1954
George William Allan (1860-1940)	1904-1926
James Henry Ashdown (1844-1924)	1892-1900
Simon Amable Damien Bertrand (1849-1943)	1892-1901
Nixon John Breen (1872-1954)	1929-1954
Jeffry Hall Brock (1850-1915)	1892-1915
Manlius Bull (1849-1929)	1921-1929
I. Campbell	1900-1900
Melbourne Francis Christie (1864-1944)	1920-1944
Samuel Lawrence Cork (1877-1971)	1943-1964
Thomas Alexander Crerar (1876-1975)	1928-1964
William Henry Cross (1852-1928)	1916-1928
George Reading Crowe (1852-1924)	1896-1924
E. Crowe-Baker	1896-1902
A. C. Flumerfelt	1910-1921
John Charles Gage (1876-1930)	1929-1930
George Frederick Galt (1855-1928)	1892-1928
William Garland	1897-1902
Frank Ernest Halls (1872-1950)	1930-1950
Joseph Harris (1892-1976)	1943-1959
Andrew Kelly (1852-1930)	1892-1930
W. Logan	1892-1897
Alexander Macdonald (1844-1928)	1892-1928
Hugh John Macdonald (1850-1929)	1895-1910
H. W. Manning	1942-1967
William Allan Mather (1885-1961)	1945-1955
T. J. McBride	1892-1896
Peter Campbell McIntyre (1854-1920)	1892-1894, 1897-1920
G. McLean	1939-1967
J. McLenaghen	1892-1901
Daniel Hunter McMillan (1846-1933)	1892-1933
William Henry McWilliams (1860-?)	1930-1942
T. B. Millar	1896-1897
Stephen Nairn (1838-1900)	1892-1895
Augustus Meredith Nanton (1860-1925)	1898-1925
Frederick Nation (1861-1955)	1910-1921
Hugh Farquharson Osler (1881-1943)	1925-1943
Francis Lawrence “Frank” Patton (1857-1932)	1924-1932
J. Y. Payzant	1901-1904
J. Redmond	1896-1898
James Armstrong Richardson (1885-1939)	1928-1939
Conrad Stephenson Riley (1875-1960)	1943-1953
Robert Thomas Riley (1851-1944)	1892-1943
William Pitt Riley (1870-1954)	1921-1954
J. Robson	1892-1892
William Bain Scarth (1837-1902)	1892-1896
Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)	1933-1967
F. G. Vernon	1892-1896

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Great West Life Building / Chamber of Commerce Building (177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Milner House (51 Balmoral Street, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Great West Life War Memorial (60 Osborne Street, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: Recipients of Manitoba 150 Honours

Sources:

Obituary [Henry W. Manning], Winnipeg Free Press, 10 March 1980, page 44.

“A House of Quality It Has Ever Been”: History of The Great-West Life Assurance Company by Richard E. Bennett, Winnipeg: The Great-West Life Assurance Company (1992).

“Well insured,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 April 2019, page B5.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 February 2023