Stewart Mulvey (1834-1908)
The Sash Our Forefathers Wore
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Stewart Mulvey was born in Sligo, Ireland in May 1834. He was the son of Henry Mulvey and Barbara McGee and was educated in Dublin.
Stewart was a teacher by trade starting at the age of 16 in the Irish National School system and the schools of the Church Educational Society. On the invitation of Dr. Egerton Ryerson, superintendent of education for Canada East, Stewart immigrated to Ontario in 1856 at the age of 21 settling in Haldimand County and spent fourteen years teaching in the province and working as the editor for the local newspaper. He also served as a lieutenant in the 37th (Haldimand) Battalion of Rifles. Upon settling in Ontario, Stewart married Rebecca A. Gilmore of Sligo. They had six children: William Robert Mulvey, John H. Mulvey, Stuart Mulvey, Winnifred Mulvey (wife of J.L. Wells), Frank Mulvey and Walter Mulvey At the time of the Red River rebellion in 1870 he joined Colonel Wolseley's Red River Expeditionary Force and setttled in Fort Garry. When the troops were disbanded, Stewart was asked to take charge of "The Manitoba Liberal" in 1871. The Manitoba Liberal was started in Winnipeg to advocate for the rights of new settlers in this part of the country. Stewart was a member of Pioneer Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1307 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He had been the Worshipful Master of No. 1307 and also the Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Manitoba and the North West Territories for twelve years. In 1871, Stewart mustered 75 to 80 Orangemen for the July 12th Parade in Winnipeg. In 1872, Stewart ran for the House of Commons for the electoral district of Selkirk however was unsuccessful. In 1873 he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue, his jurisdiction was from Lake Superior to the Rocky Mountains. Stewart held this position until 1882 when he resigned to run again for the House of Commons for the electoral district of Selkirk. He was was unsuccessful once again. During the North-West Rebellion of 1885, Stewart served as a major in the 95th Battalion, Manitoba Grenadiers. He would serve as a volunteer officer for over twenty-five years. He served as a secretary-treasurer for the Winnipeg school board for 37 years, also a Winnipeg City Alderman and member of the Provincial Board of Education. Stewart was elected as one of the first School Trustees in the City. Throughout his tenure as a School Trustee he endeavoured to secure an adequate portion of the City's taxes for the education of the children of Winnipeg. Not only was Stewart involved in education but was also instrumental in the forming of the first militia corps in Winnipeg and a director of the first organization of the General Hospital. On November 19th, 1891, Mulvey Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1631 in Hartney, Manitoba was named in Stewart's honour as he was the first Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Manitoba. In 1892, Stewart again ran for office for the provincial constituency of Morris however was unsuccessful. In 1896 he was elected as the Liberal-Conservative member for Morris and served until his defeat in 1899. In 1900, he married Jenny H. Rich of Los Angeles, California, widow of J. W. Rich of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway. Mulvey passed away in British Columbia on May 26th, 1908. He is commemorated by Mulvey Street and Mulvey School in Winnipeg. With information from the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography" and "Manitoba: History of Its Early Settlement, Development and Resources". |
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