William John McKeag

William John McKeag , CM , OM (born March 17, 1928 in Winnipeg , † August 23, 2007 ibid) was a Canadian entrepreneur . From 1970 to 1976 he served as lieutenant governor of the province of Manitoba .

biography

When McKeag was 18 months old, he survived a car crash into a train; his mother and older sister were killed. With the consent of the father, he was adopted by a cousin. McKeag graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a degree in economics in 1949 and worked for Security Storage Ltd. until it was acquired by British Electric Traction in 1956 . He then founded his own real estate company.

In 1958 McKeag ran for the Manitoba Liberal Party in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba , but was defeated in the constituency of River Heights. From 1966 to 1969 he was a member of the city council of the suburb of Tuxedo, shortly before it was incorporated into Winnipeg. From 1968 to 1970 he was chairman of the Winnipeg metropolitan area electoral commission. Governor General Roland Michener swore in McKeag on September 2, 1970 as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. He was only 42 years old at the time, making him the youngest lieutenant governor in the history of the province. He held this representative office until March 15, 1976.

McKeag received honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba . In 1976 and 1977 he was president of the ice hockey franchise Winnipeg Jets , in 1984 and 1985 president of the conservation organization Ducks Unlimited . In 1996 he was awarded the Order of Canada , four years later the Order of Manitoba .

Web links

• Listing on the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba website
• Biography on the Manitoba Historical Society website