Frederick G. Tipping (1885-1973)

Labour leader.

Born in England, he came to Manitoba in 1905 as a Baptist preacher. He drifted from preaching into carpentry and then into industrial education as a schoolteacher (later associate principal) at Lord Roberts School. Tipping was a moderate socialist and a member of the Social Democratic Party. He was elected president of the Winnipeg Trades and Labor Council later in 1917, and deposed a year later because as a member of the Mather Industrial Commission he had signed a report more critical of labour than of management. He objected especially to the Metal Trades Union going on strike while its dispute was before the commission, which intended to settle it. The vote calling for his suspension passed the council on 5 September 1918 by a vote of 49 to 10, and his resignation was accepted two weeks later. The movement to depose him was led by R. B. Russell, and was indicative of a growing split between moderates and radicals on the Trades and Labor Council. He later helped to found the Manitoba CCF.

He received the Manitoba Centennial Medal of Honour in 1970, and a senior citizens’ block on Osborne Street was named after him in 1974. A frequent source for later interviews with historians about the Winnipeg General Strike, many of his contemporaries regarded him as discredited and outside the mainstream of events in that period.

Sources:

Profile revised: 14 June 2009

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 inquiries to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  |  Sources  |  Acknowledgements