William Hespeler (December 29, 1830 – April 18, 1921), born ''Wilhelm'', was a German-Canadian businessman, immigration agent, and member of 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 ...

. He served as Speaker of the Legislature and as honorary consul of Germany to

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 ...

and the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. He was awarded the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

for his services to Germany.

Early life

Hespeler was born as Wilhelm Hespeler in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

, the son of Georg Johann and Anna Barbara (Wick) Hespeler. His mother was a granddaughter of Count Károly Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka (1723–1795), a Hungarian nobleman, and his father was a businessman with the house of

Mayer Amschel Rothschild Mayer Amschel Rothschild (23 February 1744 – 19 September 1812; also spelled ''Anschel'') was a German-Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. Referred to as a "founding father of international finance", Rothschild w ...

. Hespeler was educated at the Polytechnic Institute at

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

(likely what is now

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 w ...

). He left school at the age of nineteen and emigrated to Canada with his mother in 1850, his father having died in 1840.

Business career

Hespeler worked for his older brother

Jacob Hespeler Jacob Hespeler (1810 in Eningen unter Achalm, Württemberg – March 22, 1881 in Hespeler, Ontario, Canada) was a prominent businessman in Canada West and the founder of the town of Hespeler (since 1973 a part of Cambridge, Ontario). Early l ...

before becoming a partner in the firm of Hespeler and Randall, which ran both a distillery (which later became

Seagram's The Seagram Company Ltd. (which traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was once (in the 1990s) the la ...

) and a grain mill. He married a Canadian woman and became a naturalized British subject at some time before 1867, adopting the first name of "William". In 1870 he returned to Baden-Baden, serving briefly as a stretcher-bearer during the Franco-Prussian War before being hired by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

as an immigration agent in 1871. While he was in Baden he heard that a number of

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

families in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

were intending to immigrate to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He reported back to his superiors in Canada, who sent him to Russia to persuade the Mennonites to choose Canada instead. Despite considerable opposition both from

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

n authorities, he was able to arrange for thousands of Mennonites to immigrate. Most settled in the area around Winnipeg. Impressed with his success, the Minister of Agriculture,

John Henry Pope John Henry Pope, (December 19, 1819 – April 1, 1889) was a Canadian farmer, lumberman, railway entrepreneur, and politician. Born in Eaton Township, Lower Canada (now Quebec), the son of John Pope and Sophia Laberee, he served with the l ...

, appointed him Dominion Immigration and Agriculture Agent for

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and the Northwest Territories. Hespeler moved to Winnipeg, residing in the suburb of Fort Rouge for the rest of his life. He arranged for further Mennonite immigration and also encouraged

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic immigrants and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

refugees from Germany and elsewhere to settle in Manitoba. During this time he combined his work for the government with his private business of

grain merchant The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

, but he also worked to ensure the welfare of new immigrants through the provision of emergency supplies and temporary shelter. He planned the town of

Niverville, Manitoba Niverville is a town in the Eastman Region, Manitoba, Canada. The town lies between the northwest corner of the Rural Municipality of Hanover and the southeastern portion of the Rural Municipality of Ritchot. Niverville's population as of the 2021 ...

and (with his son) erected the first

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

on the Canadian Prairies.

Political career

Hespeler served as city alderman in Waterloo in 1863. In 1876 Hespeler was elected alderman for Winnipeg's South Ward and was appointed a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Council of Keewatin. In 1882 the German government appointed him honorary consul for Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories; in 1903 he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle in thanks for twenty years of service to the German Empire. Hespeler was elected to the

in the 1899 general election as an independent for the rural riding of

Rosenfeld Rosenfeld is a German name meaning "rose field" or "field of roses" It may refer to: Places * Rosenfeld, Germany, a town in Baden-Württemberg * Rosenfeld, Manitoba, a Canadian village in the Rural Municipality of Rhineland * Rosenfeld (Melk), a ...

. On March 29, 1900, he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, one of the first men not born a British subject to be appointed to this level of government in the British Empire. Despite his conservative leanings he did not support the government of

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

premier

Hugh John Macdonald Sir Hugh John Macdonald, (March 13, 1850 – March 29, 1929) was the only surviving son of the first prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald. He too was a politician, serving as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and a federal cabine ...

. Redistribution eliminated the riding of Rosenfeld in 1903 and Hespeler chose not to run again. His retirement was marred during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

by hostility from residents of Winnipeg arising from his German connections; he was opposed for attempting to assist German immigrants who had lost their jobs due to anti-German sentiment. After the war he found himself forgotten by the city and the province he had helped to populate.

Legacy

Hespeler was married three times. After the death of his third wife in 1920, Hespeler moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to live with his son Alfred. He died the next year at the age of 90. Hespeler Avenue in Winnipeg's

East Kildonan East Kildonan is a primarily residential community in northeast Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Commonly known by its initials EK, the suburb has a population of approximately 35,800 as of the 2016 Census. East Kildonan is bounded from the Red Ri ...

ward was named for William Hespeler. There are also Hespeler Roads in the RM of Stanley,

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () ( Plautdietsch: /ˈʃte̞nbah/ or /ˈʃte̞nbax/) is a city located about south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Steinbach is the third-largest city in Manitoba, with a population of 17,806, and the largest community in the Eas ...

, the

Rural Municipality of Hanover The Rural Municipality of Hanover is a rural municipality (RM) in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, located southeast of Winnipeg in Division No. 2. It is Manitoba's most populous rural municipality and fourth-most populous municipality overall (b ...

, Gretna and a Hespeler Park in Niverville that are also named after him.

References

* William Hespeler, at

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...

; ed. Ramsay Cook. Volume XII; pages 476–478. University of Toronto Press, 1990
online
accessdate August 22, 2019
William Hespeler
at the Manitoba Historical Society
The story of Manitoba (Volume 3)
* Hespeler at the project "German-canadians" at the

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and kinesiology and applied health as well as gr ...

, Newsletter 1998:
Part 1
Spring, p. 3
part 2
Fall, p. 2
History in Winnipeg Streets
at the Manitoba Historical Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Hespeler, William 1830 births 1921 deaths District of Keewatin councillors German people of Hungarian descent German emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Hungarian descent Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba People from Baden-Baden People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Politicians from Winnipeg Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Seagram