Memorable Manitobans: Alexander Casimir Galt (1853-1936)

Alexander Casimir Galt Click to enlarge

Lawyer, judge.

Born at Toronto, Ontario on 15 March 1853, son of Sir Thomas Galt and Lady Galt, brother of George Frederick Galt, he was educated at Dr. Tassies’ School (Galt), Hellmuth College (London), Osgoode Hall (Toronto), and the University of Toronto. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1876, after which he practised in Toronto from 1876 to 1896 then at Rossland, British Columbia from 1897 to 1906.

He came to Winnipeg and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1906, becoming a member of the firm of Tupper, Galt, Tupper, Minty and MacTavish. He was appointed a King's Counsel in 1909, then appointed to the Court of King’s Bench in 1912. He presided controversially at the Frederick John Dixon trial in 1919, one of the leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike, where he made little effort to hide his opinion that the plaintiff was guilty, especially in his summation to the jury. He retired from the bench in 1933.

In 1885, he married Ella Grace Vivian (1866-1932), with whom he had three sons and two daughters. The family lived at 259 Oxford Street, Winnipeg (c1915). He was a member of the Manitoba Club and Anglican church.

He died at his Winnipeg home, 219 Montrose Street, on 29 July 1936 and was buried in the St. John's Cathedral Cemetery.

Sources:

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, edited by C. W. Parker, Vancouver: Canadian Press Association, 1911.

Who's Who and Why, Volumes 6 and 7, 1915-1916, page 635.

Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.

Death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Hon. A. C. Galt, of King's Bench Court, is dead,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 July 1936, page 1.

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

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 30 October 2021

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