Lives Lived

  • Lives Lived Percy R. Clark

    (1927-1996) He was ahead of his time, fearless, respected by all firefighters, a great person to work with and one of the top fire chief’s in the country. He was a firefighter who would go into dangerous places others would not dream of entering. These are just some of the words used to remember former Saint… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived William K. Craig

    (1913-1976) William (Bill) Kenneth Craig was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 15, 1913. He was the son of William H. Craig and Phrildia Grover. On February 26, 1931 he married Ida May Craig. They had three sons. Ida passed away in 1972. In 1974 he married his second wife Anne Bella Laird. She… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived Frank X Crilley

    (1907-1982) Francis X. Crilley was born in Saint John on November 3, 1907. He was the son of an Irish immigrant, who came to Saint John and worked as a bricklayer. Frank learned about the labour movement early in life as his Father was an active member of Local 1, of the Bricklayers Masons and Plasters… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived Frederick Douglas Hodges

    (1918-1999) Labour leader, civil rights activist, social activist, politician and humanitarian. Frederick Douglas Hodges was born in Saint John on April 19, 1918. He was the son of Hirma and Drusilla (Oliver) Hodges. His family had deep roots in New Brunswick. They were among the free black Loyalists who arrived in the Maritimes following the American Revolution…. Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived Angus MacLeod

    (1899-1980) Angus MacLeod was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on October 20th, 1899. He was the son of Daniel and Rachel MacCauley. In 1919, he married Margaret Nunn. They had two sons, Edward and Angus and six daughters, Margaret, Doris, Vivian, Donna, Lola and Sylvia.  MacLeod learned about the trade union movement early in life. He often… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived John (Lofty) MacMillan

    (1917-2006) John Francis (Lofty) MacMillan was born in Harbour View, Inverness County, Cape Breton, N.S. on July 26, 1917. MacMillan was seldom referred to by anything other than “Lofty.” He was given the nickname because of his height—he stood six-foot-six.  MacMillan was the son of John A. MacMillan, a proud, egalitarian Scottish highlander. This was something that Lofty… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived George R. Melvin

    (1888-1954)   *“Prominent Labour Man Dies in City”* read the headline in the April 19, 1954 issue of the Saint John Evening Times Globe. George Rennick Melvin had passed away on April 18th following a short illness of two weeks. Born in Saint John on March 1, 1888, he was the son of Daniel H…. Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived Jimmy Orr

    (1936-2009)  James William Orr, also known as “The Bear”, was one of a number of dedicated rank-and-file labour militants in Saint John who bore witness to, and had some hand in, a number of upheavals in the local labour movement. Through his words and actions, James W. Orr became well known as a largely self-taught, principled… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived John F. Simonds

    (1930-2000) John Frederick Simonds was born in Saint John in 1930. He was the son of Frederick and Peggy Breen. His ancestry can be traced back to James Simonds, a businessman who arrived from Massachusetts in 1762 and, in partnership with William Hazen, set-up a business at Portland Point, trading in fish, fur, lime and lumber.  Simonds… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived Arthur E. Skaling

    (1891-1960) Arthur Embert Skaling was born in Cambridge, Nova Scotia on September 9, 1891, into a family of five brothers and two sisters. He was the son of Joseph Frederick Skaling, who was a mason contractor, and Margaret Belle MacLean. Skaling received his early education in the Nova Scotia public school system. He also took a… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived J. Harold Stafford

    (1917-2005) J. Harold Stafford was born in Saint John on January 23, 1917. He was the son of Frederick and Catherine (Connell) Stafford. In 1953, he married Lillian Mackin. They did not have any children. Stafford was educated in the Saint John public school system. In 1939, he joined Local 1 of the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived James L. Sugrue

    (1883-1930)  James Leonard Sugrue was born in Saint John, N.B. on September 1, 1883. He was the son of James Robert Sugrue and Mary Josephine Driscoll, both of Irish descent. On June 10, 1908, he married Estella Newman. They had one son.  Sugrue began work in the construction industry as a carpenter. He became a member… Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived James E. Tighe

    (1878-1937) James Edmund Tighe (known as “Ned” to his closest friends and colleagues) was born in Saint John, N.B., on March 22, 1878. He was the son of Irish-born Patrick Tighe and Nova Scotia born Mary Driscoll. On July 6, 1909, he married Sarah Louise Garnett. They had one son, William Patrick. Sarah died in 1918…. Read the rest of the story

  • Lives Lived James Alexander Whitebone

    (1894-1970) James Alexander Whitebone was born in Saint John on May 31, 1894. He was the son of Jacob, an immigrant who came to Saint John from Amsterdam and worked as a cigar-maker, and Sarah (Pentland) Whitebone. In November, 1918, he married Lillian Gertrude Lynch. They did not have any children. He claimed to have joined… Read the rest of the story