Memorable Manitobans: George Albert Frith (1910-1974)

Educator.

Born at Hazelridge on 6 November 1910, son of George Frith (1860-1927) and Jane Elizabeth Smith (1888-?), he accompanied the family to Winnipeg at a young age. He attend Daniel McIntyre Collegiate and the University of Manitoba, earning BA (1938), BEd (1943), and MEd (1946) degrees. He began working as a teacher in 1929. Teaching in rural Manitoba, including service at Manson School (Principal, 1934-1937) and Brennan School, he was a substitute teacher with the Winnipeg School Division before joining the East Kildonan School District for a brief tenure at Prince Edward School.

He was a personnel officer at the Transcona Cordite Plant and began offering private lessons at the Enderton Building under the name of the Winnipeg Tutorial Institute (WTI) before enlisting with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was an instructor at the Central Navigation School and an Education Officer in Labrador where he helped to organize a 30-class school system. Returning from active military service, he resumed the WTI and also ran for a position as School Trustee with the Winnipeg School Board. In the face of four previous election defeats (1937, 1949, 1950, and 1951) as an Independent, he first won office in 1952 and was returned to the Ward 2 position several times with large majorities. He was a candidate in the 1958 provincial general election but was defeated by a large margin. He was Vice-Principal of Brooklands Collegiate then at Portage la Prairie before retiring.

He died unmarried at Winnipeg on 5 July 1974 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Sources:

Birth and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [George Frith], Winnipeg Free Press, 5 February 1927, page 5.

“Daniel McIntyre exam. results are announced,” Winnipeg Tribune, 12 July 1927, page 5.

“Educational [Fall Term, GR I-IX...],” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 September 1942, page 22.

“Summer School [Winnipeg Tutorial Institute],” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 July 1943, page 19.

“Convocation [Master of Education],” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 1946, page 6.

“Lone “dark horse” appears today,” Winnipeg Tribune, 1 October 1947, page 1.

“George A. Frith,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 October 1947, page 7.

“Who’s who - Candidates in Winnipeg Civic election [Ward 2, George A. Frith],” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 October 1949, page 8.

“Ward Two bound to get one new trustee,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 October 1951, page 3.

“5 Trustee candidates in Ward 2 contest,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 October 1952, page 8.

“The busy tutor from Ward 2,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 November 1954, page 25.

“City voters to elect 6 Trustees Wednesday [Ward 2],” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 October 1960, page 71.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 July 1974, page 30.

Winnipeg Estate file 1743/74, George A. Frith, Archives of Manitoba.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 12 February 2023

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