Memorable Manitobans: George Fraser Munroe (1849-1912)

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George Fraser Munroe
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Lawyer.

Born at Kildonan on 25 August 1849, son of Robert Munroe and Christina Fraser, grandson of James Fraser, he was educated in Kildonan. As a boatman he escorted the Wolseley Expedition into Winnipeg in 1870 and was associated with various pioneer journeys to St. Paul and across the prairies.

After attending St. John’s College, in 1881 he received his BA from Manitoba College. He taught school briefly at Kildonan, but studied for admission to the Bar at the same time. He later practiced law on his own for a year before forming a partnership with George Henry West. In 1890, the firm was reorganized with the admittance of Thomas Graham Mathers as a partner. With the elevation of Mathers to a judgeship and the death of West, the firm of Munroe, Mackenzie, and Macqueen was formed, with which he remained affiliated for the rest of his life.

On 10 September 1885, he married Matilda Inman Hopper (?-?), daughter of John Hopper who arrived in the Red River Settlement in 1878. They had three daughters: Mary McWilliams Munroe (1889-?), Christina Fraser Munroe (1892-?), and Marjory Hopper Munroe (1894-?, wife of David Jeffery Allan). He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the East Kildonan School Board, Secretary-Treasurer for 37 years of the Municipality of Kildonan, and a trustee of Manitoba College. He was an active member of the Kildonan Presbyterian Church and Masons.

He died at his home in East Kildonan on 5 June 1912 and was buried in Kildonan Cemetery. He is commemorated by Munroe Avenue in Winnipeg.

Sources:

Birth and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Death comes to George F. Munroe,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 June 1912, page 28.

A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.

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

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

We thank Susan Gillmeister for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 25 August 2020

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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