Thomas Russ Deacon

Thomas Russ Deacon was a civil engineer and the 24th Mayor of the City of Winnipeg in 1913 and 1914 who is remembered for advocating for a high-quality supply of water for the City of Winnipeg.

Education

Deacon was born in Ontario. Leaving school at 11 he started work in a country store and by age 12, Deacon was working in logging camps where he became a foreman by the age of 20. Deacon realized the value of education and returned to school to earn his high school diploma, continued to obtain his degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto in 1891.

Early Career

His first job after university was as superintendent for the construction of the North Bay Ontario waterworks system. In 1892, Deacon was the manager of the Ontario Gold Concessions for the district of Rainy River based out of Rat Portage (now Kenora on Lake of the Woods), while also serving as managing director and consulting engineer for the Mikado Gold Mining Company. He was also a member of the town council, then city engineer for five years, and acting mayor for a year.

These beginnings must have been the experience that convinced him of the need for high quality water supply as an ingredient for public health, something that he would strongly advocate for the City of Winnipeg later in his career.

Arrival in Winnipeg

By 1902 Deacon had moved on to Winnipeg where he and Hugh Buxton Lyall founded the Manitoba Bridge and Iron Works [which merged in 1930 with Dominion Bridge]. In 1906 he was elected to city council. Once on council he advocated for the City to pursue a better source of fresh water than the groundwater wells that had been proposed at the time. After several years Deacon saw that the only way to achieve this goal was to run for Mayor on a platform of promoting Shoal Lake on the Lake of the Woods as a source of water for the City of Winnipeg.

In 1912 he ran against Alderman JG Garvey who had 16 years of public service behind him and was heavily favoured. Deacon knew him to be an opponent of the Shoal Lake scheme and ran his campaign on the slogan of Winnipeg demands progress. Deacon supported abundant clean water for Winnipeg as well as an improved civic health department and better civil service staff. He won the election and the city proceeded with the Shoal Lake Aqueduct project (insert link). Deacon did well as Mayor and in 1914 won a second term as Mayor. It was the culmination of his 10-year fight to get the Shoal Lake Aqueduct built.

Deacon’s past is also remembered for turbulent relations with labour and unionized workers. He was involved in various tactics that were said to contribute to the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. It was not long after that Deacon disappeared from the public eye. Thomas Deacon lived out his life in Winnipeg on Yale Ave and died on May 30, 1955 at age 90. He is buried at the St James Cemetery. Winnipeg's main water reservoir constructed in 1972 and located east of the city and the floodway, is named in his honour.

References

1. Manitoba Historical Society Website, Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Russ Deacon (1865-1955)

Compiled by

Richard Jones, PEng (SM), FEC

Review

1. Glen N. Cook, PEng (SM), FEC

Posted by Glen N. Cook, P. Eng. (SM), FEC

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