Born in Russia in 1880, he came to Canada in 1903 and settled at Winnipeg the following year. He was active in construction and real estate development, erecting many buildings around the city. In 1912, he founded and was President of A. Akman and Son Limited (later Akman Construction).
He was married twice, first to Sarah Ida Kaplan (1884-1921) with whom he had four children: Esther Catherine Akman (1907-1993, wife of Charles Oscar Swartz), Abram “Lefty” Akman, Annette “Anna” Akman (1916-2013, wife of Abraham Averbach), and Bertha Akman (?-?, wife of Morris J. Rusen). His second wife was Jenny Robbins (1891-1963). The family lived at 284 St. Johns Avenue (circa 1926). He was active in the community as a member of the Winnipeg B'Nai B'Rith, YMHA, and Hebrew Sick Benefit Association.
He died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 27 July 1962 and was buried in the Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery. He is commemorated by an engineering scholarship at the University of Manitoba.
See also:
Manitoba Business: A. Akman and Son / Akman Construction
Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1926 Canada census, FamilySearch.
“University announces new student awards,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1961, page 40.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 27 July 1962, page 43.
Obituary [Jenny Akman], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 December 1963, page 29.
Obituary [Esther Swartz], Winnipeg Free Press, 26 December 1993, page 44.
Obituary [Abram Akman], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 September 1996, page 32.
Obituary [Annette Hecter Averbach], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 April 2013.
We thank George Penner and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 February 2024
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