Memorable Manitobans: George Broughall (1861-1927)

Journalist, playwright, civil servant.

Born at Lindsay, Ontario on 2 April 1861, he was educated at the public and high schools of Port Hope. His journalistic career began with positions at the Port Hope Guide, Chicago Tribune, and Montreal Gazette. He came to Winnipeg to work on the Manitoba Free Press. He became secretary of the Manitoba Shorthand Writers’ Association, and he served as an officer in the 90th Regiment during the 1885 North West Rebellion. Later that year, he published The 90th on Active Service, or, Campaigning in the North West: A Musical and Dramatic Burlesque in Two Acts, which had played in the Princess Opera House in Winnipeg on 29 and 30 July of that year. He published TheTearful and Tragical Tale of the Truly Troubador in 1886. It too had been performed in the Princess Opera House, in September and October 1886.

Broughall reputedly owned the first bicycle in Western Canada, making the first ride on a high-wheel bicycle in August 1883.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Christie-Broughall Block / Union Building (536-542 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

A Political Manual of the Province of Manitoba and the North-West Territories by J. P. Robertson, Winnipeg: Call Printing Company, 1887.

“Do you know?,” Manitoba Free Press, 3 December 1927, page 73.

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

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 25 August 2023

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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