William Hespeler
Encyclopedia
William Hespeler was a German
- Canadian
businessman and immigration agent and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
. He served as Speaker of the Legislature
and as honorary consul of Germany to Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories
. He was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle
for his services to Germany.
Born as Wilhelm Hespeler in Baden-Baden
, Grand Duchy of Baden
, the son of Georg Johann and Anna Barbara (Wick) Hespeler, Hespeler was educated at the Polytechnic Institute at Karlsruhe
. He left school at the age of nineteen and emigrated to Canada with his mother in 1850 (his father having died in 1840). He worked for his older brother Jacob Hespeler
before becoming a partner in the firm of Hespeler and Randall, which ran both a distillery (which later became Seagram's) and a grain mill. He married a Canadian woman and became a naturalized British subject at some time before 1867, adopting the first name of "William". In 1870 he returned to Baden-Baden, serving briefly as a stretcher-bearer during the Franco-Prussian War
before being hired by the Government of Canada
as an immigration agent in 1871. While he was in Baden he heard that a number of Mennonite
families in Russia
were intending to immigrate to the United States
. He reported back to his superiors in Canada, who sent him to Russia to persuade the Mennonites to choose Canada instead. Despite considerable opposition both from British
and Russian
authorities, he was able to arrange for thousands of Mennonites to immigrate. Most settled in the area around Winnipeg.
Impressed with his success, the Minister of Agriculture, John Henry Pope
, appointed him Dominion Immigration and Agriculture Agent for Manitoba
and the Northwest Territories. Hespeler moved to Winnipeg, residing in the suburb of Fort Rouge for the rest of his life. He arranged for further Mennonite immigration and also encouraged Iceland
ic immigrants and Jewish refugees from Germany and elsewhere to settle in Manitoba. During this time he combined his work for the government with his private business of grain merchant, but he also worked to ensure the welfare of new immigrants through the provision of emergency supplies and temporary shelter. He planned the town of Niverville, Manitoba
and (with his son) erected the first grain elevator
on the Canadian Prairies.
In 1876 Hespeler was elected alderman for Winnipeg's South Ward and was appointed a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Council of Keewatin
. In 1882 the German government appointed him honorary consul for Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories; in 1903 he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle in thanks for twenty years of service to the German Empire.
Hespeler was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
in the 1899 general election
as an independent for the rural riding of Rosenfeld. On March 29, 1900 he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, one of the first men not born a British subject to be appointed to this level of government in the British Empire. Despite his conservative leanings he did not support the government of Conservative
premier Hugh John Macdonald
. Redistribution eliminated the riding of Rosenfeld in 1903
and Hespeler chose not to run again. His retirement was marred during World War I
by hostility from residents of Winnipeg arising from his German connections; he was opposed for attempting to assist German immigrants who had lost their jobs due to anti-German sentiment. After the war he found himself forgotten by the city and the province he had helped to populate.
Hespeler was married three times. After the death of his third wife in 1920, Hespeler moved to Vancouver
to live with his son Alfred. He died the next year at the age of 90. Hespeler Avenue
in Winnipeg's East Kildonan ward was named for William Hespeler. Hespeler Road in the Rural Municipality of Hanover
and Hespeler Park in Niverville are also named after him.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman and immigration agent and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
. He served as Speaker of the Legislature
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba is the presiding officer of the provincial legislature.-List of Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba:-References:* *...
and as honorary consul of Germany to Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. He was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, or other achievements...
for his services to Germany.
Born as Wilhelm Hespeler in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
, the son of Georg Johann and Anna Barbara (Wick) Hespeler, Hespeler was educated at the Polytechnic Institute at Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. He left school at the age of nineteen and emigrated to Canada with his mother in 1850 (his father having died in 1840). He worked for his older brother Jacob Hespeler
Jacob Hespeler
Jacob Hespeler was a prominent businessman in Canada West and the founder of the town of Hespeler .- Early life :...
before becoming a partner in the firm of Hespeler and Randall, which ran both a distillery (which later became Seagram's) and a grain mill. He married a Canadian woman and became a naturalized British subject at some time before 1867, adopting the first name of "William". In 1870 he returned to Baden-Baden, serving briefly as a stretcher-bearer during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
before being hired by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
as an immigration agent in 1871. While he was in Baden he heard that a number of Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
families in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
were intending to immigrate to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He reported back to his superiors in Canada, who sent him to Russia to persuade the Mennonites to choose Canada instead. Despite considerable opposition both from British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
authorities, he was able to arrange for thousands of Mennonites to immigrate. Most settled in the area around Winnipeg.
Impressed with his success, the Minister of Agriculture, John Henry Pope
John Henry Pope
John Henry Pope, PC was a Canadian farmer, lumberman, railway entrepreneur, and politician.Born in Eaton Township, Lower Canada , the son of John Pope and Sophia Laberee, he served with the local militia during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 and opposed those who supported annexation of...
, appointed him Dominion Immigration and Agriculture Agent for Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and the Northwest Territories. Hespeler moved to Winnipeg, residing in the suburb of Fort Rouge for the rest of his life. He arranged for further Mennonite immigration and also encouraged Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic immigrants and Jewish refugees from Germany and elsewhere to settle in Manitoba. During this time he combined his work for the government with his private business of grain merchant, but he also worked to ensure the welfare of new immigrants through the provision of emergency supplies and temporary shelter. He planned the town of Niverville, Manitoba
Niverville, Manitoba
Niverville is a small town in the Canadian province of Manitoba, located 28.6 km south of the Perimeter Highway which encircles the provincial capital, Winnipeg. This primarily farming community has seen an influx of people moving from the city looking to raise a family outside of the 'big...
and (with his son) erected the first grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
on the Canadian Prairies.
In 1876 Hespeler was elected alderman for Winnipeg's South Ward and was appointed a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Council of Keewatin
Council of Keewatin
The Council of Keewatin was an unelected legislative body and territorial government for the now-defunct District of Keewatin in Canada. The District of Keewatin was created by the passage of the Keewatin Act on April 12, 1876 from a portion of Canada's North West Territories...
. In 1882 the German government appointed him honorary consul for Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories; in 1903 he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle in thanks for twenty years of service to the German Empire.
Hespeler was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
in the 1899 general election
Manitoba general election, 1899
This was the tenth Manitoba general election and was held on December 7, 1899....
as an independent for the rural riding of Rosenfeld. On March 29, 1900 he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, one of the first men not born a British subject to be appointed to this level of government in the British Empire. Despite his conservative leanings he did not support the government of Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
premier Hugh John Macdonald
Hugh John Macdonald
Sir Hugh John Macdonald, PC was the only surviving son of the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, and was a politician in his own right, serving as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and a federal cabinet minister, and briefly as the eighth Premier of Manitoba.-Early...
. Redistribution eliminated the riding of Rosenfeld in 1903
Manitoba general election, 1903
Manitoba's general election of July 20, 1903 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a second consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party of Manitoba, now led by Premier Rodmond Palen Roblin...
and Hespeler chose not to run again. His retirement was marred during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
by hostility from residents of Winnipeg arising from his German connections; he was opposed for attempting to assist German immigrants who had lost their jobs due to anti-German sentiment. After the war he found himself forgotten by the city and the province he had helped to populate.
Hespeler was married three times. After the death of his third wife in 1920, Hespeler moved to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to live with his son Alfred. He died the next year at the age of 90. Hespeler Avenue
Winnipeg Route 37
Route 37 is a major east-west arterial route in Winnipeg, Manitoba which connects the suburbs of Transcona and Elmwood with the downtown core.- Route :...
in Winnipeg's East Kildonan ward was named for William Hespeler. Hespeler Road in the Rural Municipality of Hanover
Hanover, Manitoba
Hanover is a rural municipality in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. It is located southeast of Winnipeg. It is located in Division No. 2. The city of Steinbach is located in the northeastern part of the municipality, although it is self-governing and is not technically part of the Hanover...
and Hespeler Park in Niverville are also named after him.