| 1852. WILLIAM HENRY CUSHING |
| Sex: M
Birth: 21 August 1852 in Kenilworth, Ontario, Canada Death: 25 January 1934 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Burial: 29 January 1934 in Pioneer Section, Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 
Alberta's First Cabinet in 1905, W.H.Cushing on the left Hon. William Henry Cushing married Elizabeth Rinn March 1877 in Arthur Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. She died 21 July 1880 in Arthur Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada and is buried on the Cushing farm. Later that year he married Mary Jane Waters. In 1883 William followed his brother John and moved to Calgary in the Northwest Territories arriving in the same year as the railroad. He started in the sash and door business with his partner as "Jarret and Cushing". Their first two contracts were for two churches, one of which was the Methodist Church he attended. In 1885 he bought Jarrett out and was the founder and President of W.H.Cushing Lumber Company in Vancouver, British Columbia and Cushing Brothers of Calgary and Edmonton growing into one of the leading enterprises of its kind. In the 1891 Alberta Census he is listed as 39 years of age and living in Calgary. He is also listed in the 1901 Alberta Census as 48 years of age and living in Calgary North. He entered politics in 1890-1893 as Town Councillor, and served a total of six terms as Alderman: 1895-1897, 1899-1900, and 1902-1905. He was also elected Mayor of Calgary 1900-1901. And when Alberta became a Province of Canada in September 1905, he was appointed as the Minister of Public Works in Alberta's first Provincial Cabinet. After re-election in 1909, he resigned from Premier Rutherford's government in a letter dated 14 February 1910 stating: "There are several matters in which I am not in accord with you, the most prominent of these being the manner in which you have handled the railway policy of the Province, especially that part pertaining to the guaranteeing of the bonds of the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway. This transaction, put through without my knowledge or consent, is, in my judgment, such that I cannot with sincerity of heart and honesty of purpose defend before the electorate of this province, because in the agreement and specification signed by yourself you have utterly failed to protect the interests of the people." Premier Rutherford later resigned also. Prior to his death William also married his secretary, Isobel McNabb in 1926. Apparently they honeymooned in Egypt as he was photographed riding a camel there. He was elected first Chairman of Mount Royal College's Board of Governors and served in that capacity from 1910 to 1926, at which time he was made Honorary Chairman. He was also a member of the Bowness Golf Club, Calgary Board of Trade and the Central Methodist Church. Hon. William Henry Cushing, pioneer, alderman, mayor, Provincial Cabinet Minister and philanthropist died 25 January 1934 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is buried in the Pioneer Section of Union Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta with the rest of his family. "XLCR" was the W.H.Cushing Millwork trade mark, and there was timber lands in British Columbia under the corporate name of Excelsior Lumber, B.C. The Cushing Bridge in Calgary is named in his honor. In 1996 W.H. Cushing School was opened in his honor. OBITS: courtesy of the Calgary Herald WH Cushing obit WH Cushing obit Cushing Estates Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Rodier, cerear@telusplanet.net and Susan Genereaux genereauxron@sympatico.ca OBITS: courtesy of the Albertan WH Cushing obit WH Cushing obit WH Cushing obit WH Cushing obit Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Rodier, cerear@telusplanet.net 
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Rodier, cerear@telusplanet.net GRAVESITE PICTURES: (Pioneer Section, Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta) William and Mary William and Isobel William and Mary's Children Inscription: LOVING MEMORY Tombstone photos and inscription courtesy of Elizabeth Rodier, cerear@telusplanet.net "© AFHS 2001 13 Jan 2001 Contact: AFHS 1891 Census - Districts #197 and #199 in Southern Alberta CUSHING, Athur, T. M 22 ON Meth. Book Keeper A22A CUSHING, Nelson , Emma M 24 Norway Luth. A22A CUSHING, Louise, Anne F 13 ON Meth A22A CUSHING, Mary, Jane F 40 ON Meth A22A CUSHING, Maud, Alice F 11 ON Meth. A22A CUSHING, William M 39 ON Meth. Contractor A22A AGS, Edmonton Branch - 1901 Census Alberta District (No. 202) CUSHING Arthur L 31 Edmtn-E CUSHING Emily 33 Calg-W CUSHING George 19 Calg-W CUSHING Harry 16 Calg-W CUSHING Louise A 23 Calg-N CUSHING Mary J 52 Calg-N CUSHING Maud L 27 Calg-N CUSHING Myrtle 11 Calg-W CUSHING William 48 Calg-N" "Groom Name: William Henry Cushing Place Kamloops Reg. Number: 1926-09-310663 Bride Name Isobel Mcnabb Date: 1926 10 12 (Yr/Mo/Day) Event: Marriage Microfilm #: B13752 (GSU # 2074505)" W.H.CUSHING SCHOOL courtesy of the Calgary Sun, 1996 CUSHING BROTHERS advertisement in Calgary Albertan, 1906  
Photos courtesy of "E.Rodier", cerear@telusplanet.net Father: William Cushing b: 10 November 1826 in Norwich, Norfolk, England Mother: Sarah Thompson b: in Bondary, Antrim, Ireland Marriage 1: Elizabeth Rinn d: 21 July 1880 in Kenilworth, Ontario, Canada and was buried on the Cushing farm in Arthur Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada Married: March 1877 in Arthur Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada
Marriage 2: Mary Jane Waters b: 5 August 1849 in Ontario, Canada; d: 25 July 1924, Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was buried in the Pioneer Section, Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada as were all of her children. Married: after 1880
Marriage 3: Isobel McNabb b: 1876 in Peel Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada; d: 10 September 1944 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was buried 22 September 1944 in Pioneer Section, Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Married: 12 October 1926 in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada Sources: 1. The Genealogy of the Cushing Family (An account of the Ancestors and Descendants of Matthew Cushing, who came to America in 1638) by James Cushing, The Perrault Printing Co - Montreal, 1905. First Edition, 1877, by Lemuel Cushing, D1881 (Finished by his family). 2. 1891 Alberta Census, Calgary 3. 1901 Alberta Census, Calgary North 4. Province of British Columbia, BC Archives, 2002, ORS 9300-40, http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca 5. Calgary Herald, WHC obit with photo, Friday 25 January 1934 6. Calgary Herald, Isobel obit with photo, Friday 10 September 1942 7. Elizabeth Rodier, "E.Rodier", cerear@telusplanet.net; Tombstone photo |
