Educator, lawyer, judge.
Born at England on 20 September 1879, he immigrated to Canada in 1887 and initially worked as a farm labourer. He attended Brandon Collegiate (1898), St. John’s College (1899, 1901-1902), and Regina Normal School (prior to 1900), was an Assistant Teacher at Brandon College Institute (January-April 1900), taught at Oxbow School (April-November 1900) in Saskatchewan, and studied at Winnipeg (1901). To help pay for educational pursuits, he worked as Principal of Minnedosa School / Minnedosa South School (1903-1904, 1905), and earned a BA (1902) from University of Manitoba.
Starting in July 1904, he studied law at Indian Head, North West Territories [now Saskatchewan], from which he briefly reprised his role at Minnedosa, en route to a career in law in Saskatchewan. He was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1907 and was made Kings Counsel some time prior to 1932. Of note, he lead the Moose Jaw police inquiry (1921) and was involved with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on the Saskatchewan Natural Resources Appeal in 1931. In August 1935, was appointed a Federal District Court Judge at North Battleford. He was also President of the Saskatchewan Fish and Game League (1932) and the Saskatchewan Law Society (?-?; Bencher, 12 years).
On 1 January 1908, he married Christina Grey Armit (1877-1966) at Minto and the couple had at least two children: Alfred Henry Bence (1908-1977; Saskatoon City Member of Parliament, 1940-1945) and Edward Alexander [Alesander?] Bence (1909-?).
He died at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 11 January 1949 and was buried locally in the Woodlawn Cemetery.
Birth [Alfred Henry Bence] and marriage [Alfred Edward Bence to Christina G. Armit] registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
“University examinations [Brandon - A. E. Beuce],” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 9 May 1898, page 5.
“The Exams,” Brandon Western Sun, 9 June 1898, page 18.
“Examination results [Scholarships - Arts - Junior B.A.],” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 June 1899, page 3.
“Local & District [Owing to Principal McDiarmid ...],” Brandon Western Sun, 18 January 1900, page 15.
“Local & District [From Friday's Daily - Mr. A. E. Bence ...],” Brandon Western Sun, 5 April 1900, page 11.
“St. John's College,” Manitoba Free Press, 15 November 1900, page 5.
“Chess,” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 28 January 1901, page 3.
“University results [Mathematics - Special Course; Scholarships - Third Year],” Manitoba Free Press, 10 May 1901, page 8.
“University Examinations [Degrees - B.A. - St. John’ College],” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 16 May 1902, page 3.
“St John's College [The boys desire to congratulate Mr. A. E. Bence, B.A. ...],” Manitoba Free Press, 23 March 1903, page 8.
“Minnedosa,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 July 1903, page 4.
“Matter of regret for Minnedosa,” Manitoba Free Press, 15 August 1903, page 8.
“Minnedosa Doings,” Manitoba Free Press, 23 July 1904, page 3.
“Teachers wanted [Wanted - Students desiring summer schools in Manitoba and Assiniboia ...],” Manitoba Free Press, 25 March 1905, page 13.
“People you know and some others [From Saturday's Daily - Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Bence],” Brandon Weekly Sun, 9 January 1908, page 47.
“Candidates in Saskatchewan,” Manitoba Free Press, 5 July 1912, page 4.
“Saskatchewan Game Act may have amendment,” Miniota Herald, 14 December 1932, page 3.
“Appointments announced by Ottawa today ,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 August 1935, page 1.
“Saskatchewan Judges,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 August 1935, page 11.
“Bence-Borland wedding takes place in Saskatchewan,” Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 1 August 1936, page 17.
“Judge A. E. Bence of Saskatoon dies age 70,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 January 1949, page 23.
“Judge Bence, 70, dies in Saskatoon,” Lethbridge Herald, 12 January 1949, page 2.
Federal: Members of Parliament, Privy Councillors, and Senators for the North-West Territories and Saskatchewan, 1887-2000, Section 3.7-1 - Federal Members of the House of Commons for Saskatchewan, [Alfred Henry Bence], page 32, Archives of Saskatchewan.
Woodlawn Cemetery [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan] burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 11 November 2025
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