Memorable Manitobans: John Somerset Aikins (1850-1911)

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John Somerset Aikins
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Financier, MLA (1879-1883).

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John Somerset Aikins
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Born on 27 February 1850, eldest son of James Cox Aikins, he was educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto.

He came west in 1875, taking up residence in Winnipeg in 1879. Later that year, he was elected to represent Rockwood in the Manitoba Legislature, serving a single term. He was a director of the Winnipeg General Hospital and a member of the real estate firm of Aikins and Montgomery, Aikins and Pepler, and Aikins and Muttlebury.

In 1887, he married Abby Lemira Colby (1859-1943, daughter of the Honourable C. C. Colby) and they had two children: Carroll Aikins (1888-?) and Mary Aikins (1896-?). He was a founding member of the St. Charles Country Club and President of the Assiniboine Curling Club (1900-1901).

He died at Winnipeg on 5 May 1911 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Osborne Block (110-118 Osborne Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

“Free Press Necrology Files,” Winnipeg Elite Study, G. Friesen Fonds, Mss 154, Box 15, File 16, University of Manitoba Archives]

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 November 2022

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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