Sir Clifford Sifton
Plot 10, Lot 201
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Clifford Sifton was born in Middlesex County, Ontario on March 10, 1861. He was educated in the public schools of London, Ontario, and Victoria College, Cobourg. He was called to the Bar of Manitoba in 1882. Sifton entered the world of politics in 1888 and was elected to the Manitoba legislature eventually becoming attorney general and then minister of education. In 1898, he was elected to the federal government representing the riding of Brandon, Manitoba, a position he held until 1911 when he resigned from active political life over a dispute with party leaders who were advocating “free trade” with the United States.
During Sifton’s tenure as federal minister of the interior, he campaigned vigorously for increased American, British, and European immigration to help settle the vast Canadian west. Sifton was also responsible for the satisfactory negotiation of the Crowsnest Pass agreement with the CPR and the administration of the Yukon during the gold rush. Also, in 1903, he was appointed as the Canadian representative on the Alaskan Boundary Tribunal. He was knighted by King George V in 1915.
In the business world, Sir Clifford Sifton was president of the Atlantic Oil Company, managing director of the Imperial Pulp Company and, later, owned several newspapers including The Manitoba Free Press. He was also a lover of fine horses. Following his retirement from politics, Sifton moved to Toronto and built a large residence on Lawrence Avenue East which he called Armadale. It is now the home of the Toronto French School. Sir Clifford Sifton died while visiting a medical specialist in New York City on April 16, 1929. Interment followed three days later.
Mike Filey
Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide
Second Edition Revised and Expanded