Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Robert Atkinson Davis
(1841-1903)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
1. Robert Atkinson Davis Marker
R. A. Davis, Premier of Manitoba from 1874 to 1878, arrived in the Red River Settlement from Quebec in 1870. He bought the Emmerling Hotel and saloon formerly located on this site. Renaming it the Davis House, he expanded it to include a barber shop, billiard hall, and store. A founding member of the Winnipeg Board of Trade, he served as a trustee for the Protestant School Board and on local citizens’ committees.
Elected to the Manitoba Legislature in April 1874, Davis engineered the resignation of the administration of Henry Joseph Clarke. The formation of the new Cabinet under Marc-Amable Girard resulted in the introduction of responsible government in Manitoba. Davis became Premier in December 1874, following Girard’s resignation. He provided moderate and stable government, achieved economic development, obtained better financial terms from Ottawa, and eliminated the provincial debt. Davis resisted Anglo-Canadian agitation for the elimination of the rights accorded French-speaking and Métis residents by the Manitoba Act.
He retired from politics in 1878, sold his hotel and
this page online
The Honourable Gary Filmon
Premier of Manitoba
Honourable Rosemary Vodrey
Minister of Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship
R. A. Davis, premier ministre du Manitoba de 1874 à 1878, est arrivé du Québec à la Colonie de la Rivière-Rouge en 1870. Après avoir acheté l'hôtel Emmerling et son saloon, il a rebaptisé l’etablissement The Davis House et y ajouté une boutique de coiffeur, une salle de billard et un magasin. Membre fondateur de la chambre de commerce de Winnipeg, R. A. Davis fut commissaire à la commission scolaire protestante et membre de comités de citoyens.
Élu à l'Assemblée législative du Manitoba en avril 1874, M. Davis a manœuvré pour obtenir la démission du cabinet de Henry Joseph Clarke. La mise sur pied d’un nouveau cabinet, sous les ordres de Marc-Amable Girard, marque les débuts du gouvernement responsable au Manitoba. M. Davis est devenu premier ministre en décembre 1874, après la démission de M. Girard. Son gouvernement, stable et modéré,a attenint des objectifs de développement économique, obtenu des meilleures conditions de financement d'Ottawa et enrayé la dette provinciale. M. Davis a lutté contre l'agitatior anglo-canadienne pour l'élimination des droits
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
2. Robert Atkinson Davis Marker
R.A. Davis s’est retiré de la scène politique en 1878, a vendu son hôtel et s’est établi à Chicago, où il est devenu un important promoteur immobilier. On a démoli The Davis House en 1890.
Monsieur Gary Filmon,
premier minister du Manitoba
Madame Rosemary Vodrey,
ministre de la Culture, du Patrimoine et de la Citoyenneté
Erected 1997 by Manitoba Heritage Council / Conseil manitobain du patrimoine.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1874.
Location. 49° 53.809′ N, 97° 8.345′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in the Exchange District. It is on Main Street (Manitoba Route 52) just south of McDermot Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Marker is mounted beside the sidewalk, near the northwest corner of the former Royal Trust Company building at this address. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 436 Main Street, Winnipeg MB R3B 1A7, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Manitoba’s Historic Winnipeg. It is also in the Prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bank of Hamilton (within shouting distance of this marker); Early Skyscrapers in Winnipeg / Les gratte-ciel de Winnipeg
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
3. The Palomino Club (east elevation)
Also see . . .
1. Robert Atkinson Davis.
A businessman and Manitoba politician who served as the fourth premier of Manitoba. Davis assumed a significant role in Manitoba politics after the death of his first wife in 1872. He emerged as a spokesman for the province's recent Ontario immigrants, who opposed the Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly on transportation and opposed the continued prominence of the Métis in Manitoba politics.(Submitted on February 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Robert Atkinson Davis (1841-1903).
In 1873, he took the lead in drafting a bill to incorporate Winnipeg. Soon afterward he became a leader of the Patrons of Husbandry, using this group’s influence to gain election to the Legislative Assembly in an April 1874 by-election to replace Donald Alexander Smith. He soon became provincial treasurer under Marc Amable Girard and, in the unstable political situation of the time, assumed the premiership as leader of the Ontario faction in the House of Assembly. He was re-elected in December 1874.(Submitted on February 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Robert Atkinson Davis.
Davis had many ties to the United States, through both family and business contacts. In 1875, en route to Ottawa by way of Illinois, he met Elizabeth McGonagil; they were married six months later. Despite the fact that her husband was premier, she never moved to Manitoba, staying instead with her family in Colona, Ill. In 1878 Davis decided not to seek re-election and joined his wife and their son in Colona. After the death of the boy in 1880, they moved to south Chicago, where Davis became a prosperous real-estate developer. He was able to spend much of the 1890s travelling on the profits of his investments.(Submitted on February 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 3, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 252 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 3, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
