Manitoba History December 25 - 28
12/27/2007 at 3:04 AM
----- December 24, 1887 Premier John Norquay resigns his office due to ill health.
Norquay broke the mold for what a politician of his day was expected to be.
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/05/honourablejohn.jpg
He was an athlete and educator, rather than a lawyer. He was the first Manitoba-born person to hold the seat (it would take almost 50 years for the next one) and was also thought to be Metis, though it was never officially confirmed. A burly man of 300 lbs he also did not fit the mold of what a premier should look like either.
“Honourable John” would resign due to heart problems and die the following year at the age of 48.
His gravestone at St. John’s Cemetery reads:
"To the Memory of The Hon. John Norquay
Who was for many years Premier of Manitoba.
By his sudden and all too early death
His native land lost an eloquent speaker
An honest Statesman and a true friend.
Born May 8, 1841, Died July 5, 1889
This monument is a Public expression of his sterling worth."
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2399/2140777862_074bd35beb.jpg?v=0
----Dec. 25, 1875 In what must have made for embarrassing Christmas dinner conversation for members, the Winnipeg Fire Department’s main hall on Lombard Ave. burns to the ground.
http://www.winnipegfiremuseum.ca/archives/archives04/1875wfb_lombard.jpg
---- December 26, 1958: Eddie ‘Dynamite’ James dies. He played football for the Winnipegs, Regina Pats, Winnipeg St. Johns and Regina Roughriders in the 1920s and 30s. He is a member of both the CFL and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
For More:
http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/2004/eJames.htm
http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/images/hounored/2004/eddie_james.jpg