Memorable Manitobans: Geoffrey Hitzler Walton (1878-1951)

Real estate and financial broker, land developer, builder.

Born at Barbados, British West Indies on 11 August 1878, son of Dr. George O’Donnell Walton and Sarah Louisa Gall, he was educated at Harrison College Institute in the Barbados. He worked as a plantation overseer in British West Indies before coming to Manitoba in 1898. He founded a real estate and financial brokerage firm in 1903, later going into building construction as President of the Rookery Building Syndicate Company. He moved to British Columbia in 1911.

On 4 November 1906, he married Helen Josephine Lyon (1878-1961, sister of Silas Herbert Redmond Lyon) at Winnipeg and they had five children: Geoffrey Hitzler Walton (1907-1963), Grace Helen Louise Walton (1909-1999), Terrence O'Donnell Walton (1911-1991), Mary Josephine Walton (1914-2010), and Amy Walton (1916-2015). In 1911, the family lived at 300 Balfour Street, Winnipeg. He was a member of the Canadian Club, West India Club (Vice-President), AF & AM, and Anglican church. His recreations included cricket and tennis.

He died at Coquitlam, British Columbia on 30 August 1951.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Broadway Court	251 Broadway, Winnipeg	1906	Demolished (1982)
Strathmore Apartments	326 Broadway, Winnipeg	1908
St. Regis Hotel	285 Smith Street, Winnipeg	1910
Tupper House	147 West Gate, Winnipeg	1910
Fortune House	393 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg	1910-1911

Sources:

Marriage registration, 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.

Death registration, British Columbia Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Herbert Redmond Lyon], Winnipeg Free Press, 24 January 1969, page 31.

Geoffrey Hitzler Walton, FindAGrave.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 January 2022

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. 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 Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!