Bertram, Henry Graham

• Bertram, Graham

Henry Graham Bertram, also known as Graham Bertram, was born May 9, 1886, in Dundas, Ontario. He married Mabel Ford Richardson on April 14, 1921, together they had four children. The oldest Alice Winnifred Bertram was born on February 25, 1922, in Dundas, Ontario. The next child to follow was Barbara Bertram born June 14, 1925, in Dundas, Ontario. Henry's third child Eva Richardson Bertram was born on January 14, 1928. Their fourth child Jean Elizabeth Bertram was born on April 04, 1930. Mabel Ford Richardson died January 19, 1952, in Dundas, Ontario. Henry Graham Bertram died on June 16, 1956.

Henry Graham was born in Dundas and remained there for most of his life. When Henry Graham was 18, he moved to Lake Temiskaming to work as a carpenter. The following year in November of 1905, he moved with his friend Harry Lennard to Banff and lived at the Grand View Villa. Following his Banff experience, he moved to teach at Western Canada College, where he lived on a ranch owned by a Mr. Woolliams. Starting in 1909, he moved to Winnipeg so that he could work in the C.P.R. Railway Shops; he lived at 462 Elgin Ave. He left his position at C.P.R. on August 27, 1909. Following the earthquake in Costa Rica in 1910, he moved to Cartago, with relatives to aid in reconstruction. Graham left Costa Rica in 1912 and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for two months before moving to Juarex, Chilhuahua, Mexico to work for the Mexico North Western Railway. Graham continued living here until 1913 when fighting broke out forcing the railway company to let him go. Following a short illness, spinal meningitis, in New Mexico, Graham returned to Dundas in September 1913 where he would spend the rest of his life. In 1924, he purchased the house at 32 Cross Street in Dundas and made that his home until his death in 1956.

Henry Graham's education began in Dundas, with his attendance at the Dundas Central School and High School. In the fall of 1905, he began attending Hamilton Collegiate but continued only for a few months before moving to Banff. He entered Queen's University in 1907 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1910. He was named a Councilor of Queen's University in 1946 and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Queen's University, May 15, 1948. Graham apprenticed in several shops including the C.P.R. Railway shops in Winnipeg in 1909.

Beginning in the summer of 1905, Graham started doing draft work in the office of The John Bertram & Sons Co. Ltd. Graham held a number of positions during his career including working as a carpenter at Lumsden's Saw Mill in Lake Temiskaming. He also taught school at Western Canada College from June 16, 1906, to February 7, 1907. He worked as a ranch hand in the summer of 1907. In 1909, he worked in the Railway Shops of C.P.R.. He spent two years working to restore Costa Rica after an earthquake of 1910. After leaving Costa Rica, Graham worked for the Mexico North Western Railway before fighting in that country devastated the railway business. Upon returning to Dundas, Graham took up a Shop Engineer position in The John Bertram & Sons Co. Ltd. in 1913. By 1914, Graham was moved to the main office to work in the Order Department, preparing orders and writing requisition orders for items needed in the building of the machines. Graham worked several weeks in the Accounting Department, learning to prepare financial documents before he was transferred to the Drawing Room in 1916. By 1926, Graham had taken an active role in running the company in the position of Secretary and Treasurer. Following his father's illness, Graham Bertram effectively took over his duties in 1927. Henry Graham Bertram was not officially named president until the death of his father, Henry Bertram, in 1945.

In his personal life, Graham Bertram took an active role in the community of Dundas and Hamilton through his membership in several groups and clubs in addition to his financial support of multiple endeavors including the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Church after it burned down in 1931 and the founding of the Dundas Historical Society Museum. Graham Bertram was a member of the advisory board of the Royal Trust Co., director of the Equitable Life Insurance Co., a member on the University Council and Trustee Board of Queen’s University, a board member of the governors of Hamilton College, chairman of the Knowles Bequest committee, member of the Valley Lodge No. 100 A.F. & A.M., member of the Scottish Rite, and board of trustees member of St. Paul’s United Church. Additionally, Graham Bertram also enjoyed stamp collecting.