Robert A. Davis, Premier of Manitoba from 1874 to 1878, arrived in the Red River Settlement from Quebec in 1870. He bought the Emmerling Hotel and saloon formerly located along Main Street in Winnipeg. Renaming it the Davis House, he expanded it to include a barber shop, billiard hall, and store. A founding member of the Winnipeg Board of Trade, he served as a trustee for the Protestant School Board and on local citizens’ committees.
Elected to the Manitoba Legislature in April 1874, Davis engineered the resignation of the administration of Henry Joseph Clarke. The formation of the new Cabinet under Marc-Amable Girard resulted in the introduction of responsible government in Manitoba. Davis became Premier in December 1874, following Girard’s resignation. He provided moderate and stable government, achieved economic development, obtained better financial terms from Ottawa, and eliminated the provincial debt. Davis resisted Anglo-Canadian agitation for the elimination of the rights accorded French-speaking and Metis residents by the Manitoba Act.
Davis retired from politics in 1878, sold his hotel and moved to Chicago, where he became a prosperous real estate developer. The Davis House was demolished in 1890 and its site was later occupied by the McIntyre Block. In 1997, a plaque was erected nearby by the Manitoba Heritage Council.
Davis commemorative plaque (May 2014)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89678, W97.13909
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Robert Atkinson Davis (1841-1903)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba / Manitoba Heritage Council
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bank of British North America Building / Newmac Building (436 Main Street, Winnipeg)
“McIntyre Block, Mall Hotel sold,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 June 1946, page 1.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 March 2020
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