William Johnston Tupper

William Johnston Tupper, K.C. was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on June 29, 1862. He was the son of the father of Confederation Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., G.C.M.G., C.B and Frances Amelia Morse.

Mr. William Tupper was a member of the legal firm of Tupper, Tupper, McTavish & Company, Winnipeg. He was Vice-President, Arctic Ice Company, Limited and Director of the Houghton Land Company; Havergal College.

Mr. William Tupper was educated at Galt Collegiate Institute; Upper Canada College, Toronto; Harvard University Law School; called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1885 and to the Manitoba Bar in 1886.
Mr. William Tupper was appointed King's Counsel in 1913 and a Member of the Council, Manitoba Bar Association in 1913. He was a member of the firm of Macdonald, Tupper and Phippen, 1886-1899; Tupper, Phippen and Tupper, 1899-1906; Tupper, Galt, Tupper and McTavish, 1906-1912. Mr. Tupper served as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba during 1934 - 1940.
Mr. William Tupper served as a private, Halifax Battalion, Northwest Rebellion, 1885 and was a Member of Executive, His Majesty's Army and Navy Veteran's Association.

                        Law Society Excerpt On W. J. Tupper, K. C. 

The Benchers of The Law Society of Manitoba feel it fitting that a permanent tribute to the person and services of the late William Johnston Tupper, K.C., should appear in the records of the Society.

The feelings of the members of the Society toward Mr. Tupper were two fold, admiration of his abilities and affection for his personality.

At the time of his death Mr. Tupper was the oldest practising member of the Society, having been called and admitted when both he and the Society were young. For over sixty years he was a lawyer in the highest sense of the word.

He was born in Halifax, five years before the Dominion of Canada, in the creating of which his father played so important a part. If his father was one of the Fathers of Confederation, he was one of its finest sons and served Canada truly and well.

He was educated at Upper Canada College and Harvard Law School. He was called to the Bar of Nova Scotia in January, 1885 and in February, 1886, was called to the Bar of Manitoba and admitted as Attorney-at-Law and Solicitor.

On the 4th of January, 1913, he was appointed one of His Majesty's Counsel, learned in the Law. On the 15th of June, 1915, he succeeded his brother, J. S. Tupper, as a Bencher of the Society, and became a Life Bencher on the 1st of May, 1937.

In 1931 he was elected President of the Society and held that office for three years. From December 1, 1934 to November 1, 1940 he held the high position of Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba.

On 1st day of December, 1936, the Society tendered a dinner to Mr. Tupper and Mr. A. J. Andrews on the occasion of their having completed a half century in the profession. The sparkling wit of Mr. Tupper's address will always be remembered by those who heard it.

Mr. Tupper's services to Canada, to Manitoba and to the profession cannot be measured by titles or honours won, but by his quiet deeds and efforts.

His kindliness, friendliness and courtesy earned for him a degree of affection that made him in his later years easily the best loved man in Winnipeg.

His memory will live as long as there is a lawyer alive who knew him.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jan 5 2016, 16:13:56 UTC