Memorable Manitobans: James Alexander Dempsey (1867-1938)

Educator, farmer, businessman.

Born in Huron County, Ontario on 1 August 1867, the eldest of ten children of John Dempsey and Eliza Hodgson, he attended school until the age of 16, then taught school for ten years. Moving to Manitoba, he continued teaching and took up a farm, doing both for six years. He then leased his farm, resigned his teaching job, and moved to Neepawa where he conducted a commission business, dealt in real estate, and was the local representative for the Provincial Mutual Hail Insurance Company. On 30 December 1896, he married Mary Emma Jacobs (1877-?) at Neepawa. They had four children: Harold Jacobs Dempsey (1898-?), Elsie May Dempsey (1900-?), Samuel James Dempsey (1902-?), and Glen Lyman Dempsey (1911-?). He was a member of the Masons, Woodmen of the World, and Knights of Pythias. He served on the local municipal council and was manager of the Northwestern Agricultural and Art Association. He played baseball, football, lacrosse, and curling. He was a Liberal candidate in the 1922 provincial general election for the Beautiful Plains constituency. He died at Neepawa on 20 October 1938 and was buried in the Neepawa Cemetery.

Sources:

Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 6 June 2018

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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