Willard Leroy "Deacon" Phelps (March 12, 1867 - March 27, 1951) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, lawyer and businessman."Phelps family connected to electrical business"
'' Whitehorse Star'', November 12, 2008. He was a member of the Yukon Territorial Council from 1909 to 1920, 1925 to 1934 and 1940 to 1943,Phelps
Hougen Group of Companies. and the owner and manager of the first

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

company in

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

. Originally from Merritton,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, he attended

Ridley College Ridley College (also known as RC, Ridley) is a private boarding and day university-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 20 miles (32 km) from Niagara Falls. The school confers the Ontario Secondary School Diploma ...

and Osgoode Hall before setting up a short-lived law practice in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He first moved to Yukon toward the end of the Klondike Gold Rush, but after falling short in that endeavour he became a business partner in Yukon Electrical Company in 1901, eventually becoming the company's sole owner and manager. He acquired the lifelong nickname Deacon after an incident when he caused the territory's first

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

to resign in frustration, by explaining that while he saw the value in the territory having a church he felt no need to personally attend it. His son John Phelps and his grandson

Willard Phelps Willard Leroy Phelps (born October 23, 1941) is a former Yukon politician, who briefly served as the second premier of Yukon in 1985. Background Born in 1941, he was the grandson of Willard "Deacon" Phelps and the son of John Phelps, both form ...

both continued in roles with Yukon Electrical Company, and also both served on the territorial council. Willard became Government Leader of Yukon in 1985.

References

1867 births 1951 deaths Businesspeople from St. Catharines Members of the Yukon Territorial Council Canadian prospectors People from Dawson City Politicians from Whitehorse Politicians from St. Catharines {{Yukon-politician-stub