Memorable Manitobans: William Henry Beck “Harry” Hill (1857-1940)

Merchant, municipal official.

Born at Toronto, Ontario on 11 August 1857, he was educated at Seaforth, Ontario. In 1881, in ill health, he went to New Orleans, Louisiana in search of a better climate. He worked there for 14 years until he came to Manitoba where, in partnership with his brother Alfred Edward Hill, he established a general store at Griswold. In 1896, he came the manager of a branch of the store at Hartney and he operated it until his death.

On 26 September 1898, he married Irene Stone Hooper (1870-?) of New Orleans, at Griswold and they had three daughters: Flora Virginia Hooper Hill (1899-?), Lydia Beck Hill (1901-?, wife of Pelleran Lagloire), and Irene Catlett Hill. He served several terms as Mayor of Hartney (1907-1909, 1918-1927) and was a Liberal candidate for the Avondale constituency in the 1907 provincial general election. He was a member of the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and Hartney Masonic Lodge.

He died at Hartney on 17 April 1940 and was buried in the Griswold Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hill Building / Hart-Cam Museum (310 Poplar Street, Hartney)

Sources:

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Birth, marriage and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Former Mayor dies at Hartney,” Winnipeg Tribune, 19 April 1940, page 5.

The Mere Living: A Biography of the Hartney District by Hazel McDonald Parkinson, 1957. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.H37 Par]

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 September 2022

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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