Memorable Manitobans: William John Ptolemy (1850-1920)

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William John Ptolemy
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Civil servant.

Born at Painsville (near Smithville), Ontario on 29 March 1850, son of John and Elizabeth Ptolemy and brother of Jessie Isabella Ptolemy, he was educated at local public schools. G.W. Railway Company of Canada, 1873-1875; on Government Telegraph Construction, 1875; in commercial life, 1876-1882; Deputy Provincial Treasurer since 1883; Municipal Commissioner for Manitoba, 1886; Commissioner in B.R. and Justice of the Peace over twenty years; Auditor, City of Winnipeg, 1882-1883; chartered accountant, Manitoba, since 1876. He was the Returning Officer for the Winnipeg North constituency in the 1883 provincial general election.

In 1877, he married Isabella Muir (?-?) of Winnipeg. They had six children: William G. Ptolemy (1878-?), Edna Isabella Ptolemy (1880-?, wife of John Gibb), Thomas Bertram Ptolemy (1883-?), Gertrude Ptolemy (1887-?, wife of Henry C. Kennedy), John A. Ptolemy (1888-?), and Laura Irene Ptolemy (1892-?, wife of Robert J. Cameron). He was a member of the Canadian Club, AF & AM, IOF, and AOUW. His recreations included golf, lawn bowling, and shooting.

Brother-in-law of Robert Hance Shanks.

He died at Winnipeg on 10 September 1920 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Sources:

A Political Manual of the Province of Manitoba and the North-West Territories by J. P. Robertson, Winnipeg: Call Printing Company, 1887.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

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.

“W. J. Ptolemy, veteran public servant, is dead,” newspaper clipping dated 10 August 1920. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B7]

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 October 2023

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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