Memorable Manitobans: William James Doig (1867-1924)

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William James Doig
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Mason, hardware merchant, MLA (1903-1907).

Born at Owen Sound, Ontario on 16 May 1867, son of Scottish immigrants Andrew Doig (1824-1902) and Ann Spalding (1830-1913), he came to Manitoba in 1883 and served with Boulton’s Scouts during the 1885 North West Rebellion. In 1891, he was employed as a mason, living with his mother, brother Arthur, and sister Jessie, at Birtle. Five years later, he was a hardware merchant at Russell. On 17 January 1918, he married Mary Maude Heath (?-?) at Winnipeg. They had no children. He served for many years on the Russell town council. In July 1903, he was elected as a Liberal to the Manitoba Legislature for the Russell constituency, beating out conservative Angus Bonnycastle. In the following general election, Bonnycastle defeated Doig. He died at Russell on 9 May 1924 and was buried in the Birtle Cemetery. His pallbearers were all staff members of his hardware store.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Doig Block (236 Main Street, Russell)

Sources:

1891 Canada census, Ancestry.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

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

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“William James Doig is called by death,” Manitoba Free Press, 13 May 1924, page 5.

We thank Kenneth F. Doig for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 24 September 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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