Einar Sigurjon Jonasson (1887-1935)

Municipal official, MLA (1933-1936).

Born at Mountain, North Dakota on 7 June 1887, son of Einar Jonasson and Jonina Sigfusdottir, he was educated at Vernon, British Columbia and Gimli. He came of one of the real pioneer families of Manitoba. His father came to Canada from Iceland in 1874 with the first Icelandic colony in Canada, located at Kinmount, Ontario. The location did not prove suitable and Jonasson and others were delegated by the Canadian Government to come in Manitoba and survey a suitable location. This they did at Gimli on Lake Winnipeg in 1875.

He and wife Anna Tergersen had one son and two daughters. Jonasson was the first clerk of the village of Gimli, from 1908 to 1920, and was Secretary-treasurer of the Rural Municipality of Gimli for fourteen years. He was a member and Chairman of the School board, and was elected Mayor of Gimli from 1924 to 1926. He ran unsuccessfully for election to the Manitoba Legislature in 1914. He was President of the Gimli Athletic Association.

Sources:

“Einar S. Jonasson, M.L.A. for Gimli, dies Monday after lengthy illness” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 July 1935.

Profile revised: 23 September 2009

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