Memorable Manitobans: William Henry Sharpe (1868-1942)

Merchant, MP (1908-1911), MP (1911-1915), Senator.

Born in Scott Township, Ontario on 19 April 1868, son of George Sharpe and Mary Ann Simpson, he attended Uxbridge (Ontario) public schools and Belleville (Ontario) Business College. After graduation he moved to Douglas and took up a homestead and later operated an implement business.

In 1907, he moved to Manitou where he operated a general store and also owned large tracts of agricultural land southeast of town. He was President of the R. A. Garret Company and the Quebec Manitou Mining Company. During the First World War, he raised the 184th Battalion in 1916 and took it to England as Lieutenant-Colonel.

He was married twice, first on 15 March 1891 to Cora Alice Breston (c1872-1898) with whom he had three children: George Breston Sharpe (1893-?), Mabel Mary Sharpe (1896-?), and Cora Alice Sharpe (1898-1899). His second marriage on 14 February 1900 was to Ida Jane Armstrong (1877-?). He served as Councillor (1901-1907) and Mayor (1908) of Manitou. An unsuccessful candidate in the 1904 federal general election, he was elected in 1908 and 1911 but resigned in July 1915 to stand as a candidate for Manitou in the provincial general election. Defeated in that election, he was called to the Senate in February 1916.

He died at Ottawa, Ontario on 19 April 1942.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Parnell House (826 Wolseley Avenue, Winnipeg)

Sources:

Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

“Senator Sharpe of Manitou dies in East,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 April 1942. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B9, page 112]

The Canadian Directory of Parliament, 1867-1967, edited by J. K. Johnson, Public Archives of Canada, Ottawa [Library and Archives Canada], 1968. Online version 2008, Manitoba Historical Society.

Biographical sketch of W. H. Sharpe, PARLINFO.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Linda Maendel for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 January 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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