James Henry Ashdown (31 March 1844 – 5 April 1924), the "Merchant Prince of Winnipeg", arrived in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
in 1868 and began his business as a
tinsmith
A tinsmith is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals. The profession may sometimes also be known as a tinner, tinker, tinman, or tinplate worker; whitesmith may also refer to this profession, though the same wo ...
. In 1870, he purchased two lots on the corner of Main Street and Bannatyne Avenue, the location of the Ashdown retail store for over one hundred years. Ashdown's successful real estate speculation, combined with his business acumen, made him a millionaire by 1910.
By 1875, his business had expanded into both retail and wholesale operations and by 1881, his worth was over $150,000. He established branch stores in Portage la Prairie and Emerson, employing over seventy-five people. In 1889, he opened a store in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
. He settled in the then affluent part of Winnipeg known as Point Douglas, along with W. G. Fonseca, Robert & Stewart Mulvey and Dr. Schultz.
He was elected to the Winnipeg Board of Trade in 1879 along with president A. G. B. Bannatyne, W,H. Lyon, vice-pres., and D. H. McMillan.
He was active in a number of projects to expand the city. The construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
as the main mode of cross-country shipment prompted Ashdown in 1878 to propose that the city offer a bonus of $300,000 toward the construction of a bridge across the Red River from
Saint Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...
and to build the desired railway to the western boundary of the province. The Manitoba and South Western Railway co. was created to carry out this proposal and to guarantee that the Dominion Government change the route of the Pacific Railway from Winnipeg westward.
In 1897, Winnipeg wholesalers won a major concession, thanks in part to Ashdown's efforts as chairman of the Freight Rates Committee, to introduce a "Traders Tariff" that ensured that they paid freight charges no greater than those paid by eastern companies.
In 1900, Ashdown sent a whole train through the west loaded with 800 tons of building material and general hardware, with each car labelled, "Hardware from J.H. Ashdown". This spectacular stunt raised the interest of eastern Canadian and American companies to the commercial opportunities in western Canada.
In 1904, the J.H. Ashdown store in Winnipeg burned down and was immediately replaced with a new one that was considered to be the finest hardware store in Canada. Not to be outdone, the T. Eaton Co. of Toronto opened its first store in Winnipeg, in July 1905, comprising of floor space and employing 800 people.
In 1907, Ashdown was elected mayor of Winnipeg and served for two years before being defeated by
William Sanford Evans
William Sanford Evans (December 18, 1869 – June 27, 1949) was a Manitoba politician. Between 1933 and 1936, he was the leader of that province's Conservative Party caucus.
Evans was born in Spencerville, Ontario, the son of Rev. J.S. Ev ...
. Winnipeg was hit by a recession in 1907 as an indirect consequence of the Wall Street panic of the same year, with construction hardest hit at the time. Ashdown travelled to Montreal, New York and London in an unsuccessful attempt to sell bonds in order to pay off large loans from the banks. Various developments within the city such as the Louise Bridge construction, a gas plant and a hydro-electric plant at Pointe de Bois were postponed.
Throughout the years, Ashdown's Warehouse supplied every conceivable kind of merchandise, including its own "Diamond A Brand" goods. In the 1990s, the warehouse was one of the first structures in the Exchange District to be converted for residential use.
James H. Ashdown died at his home in Winnipeg on 5 April 1924, but the firm remained a family business until it was sold in 1971. His brother
George Ashdown
George Ashdown (April 8, 1851 - May 14, 1939) was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Morden in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1906 to 1907.Morden and in the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...