William Bruce Harvey

Who was William Bruce Harvey?

William Bruce Harvey was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Nipissing in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1948 to 1954. He was a member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.

He was born to Isabella Gibson and Robert Harvie in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland on June 2, 1907. In 1912, Robert and his oldest child Mary, sailed for Canada and settled in the Ottawa area. In June 1913, Isabella and William, along with three other siblings sailed to Canada on the Teutonic and joined Robert and Mary in Ottawa. The purser of the Teutonic spelled the surname incorrectly and the family retained the new spelling of Harvey since all immigration documents used the ship’s registry information.

Wiliam Harvey spent his teenage years in Ottawa. He moved to North Bay in 1923 to open a Keyes Supply Company office.

His younger brother Bruce Harvey remained in Ottawa and was an alderman from 1961–1969, representing Elmdale-Victoria Ward, and working with Charlotte Whitton from 1960-64.

Harvey met and married Eva Belle Moore on June 3, 1929. They had three children: Edith Joan, Robert Walter and Isabel Diane. He was a commercial traveller and active member of the Canadian Travellers Association and the Masonic Shrine Temple, North Bay Lodge #617.