Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Johnson (1852-?)

Merchant.

Born at Manchester, England in 1852, he emigrated to Canada in 1871 and took a job as a travelling salesman based at Toronto, Ontario. He eventually arrived in Manitoba and sold supplies to the builders of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1881 he went to work for the Blue Ribbon Limited owned by G. F. Galt and J. Galt, eventually becoming its manager before his retirement in 1910. He was a founding member of the North West Commercial Travelers Association, holding membership certificate number 1.

In 1871, he married Elizabeth Jackson in England. Their only son, Alfred, died at the age of 18. Johnson’s hobbies included dog breeding, and he wrote articles for the Sporting Press, Town Topics, and other papers. He had a lavish hunting lodge on Lake Manitoba.

Sources:

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

This profile was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Profile revised: 18 April 2010

A collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Send corrections and additions to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  |  Sources  |  Acknowledgements Support the MHS and