William Pearce | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1, 1848 |
| Died | 1930 Calgary, Alberta |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Spouse | Margaret A. Meyer (1853–1943) m. 1881[1] |
| Children | Adolphine Elizabeth Frances Adolphine Thornton (Tassie) Seabury Kains William Ernest Harry John Leslie John Eric |
| Parent(s) | John Pearce and Elizabeth Moorhouse |
William Pearce (1848–1930), was a surveyor, statistician, planner, and administrator in western Canada. He served in the federal government from 1874 to 1904 as federal surveyor and administrator, as federal advisor for western development and as Western consultant for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. As Inspector of Dominion Lands Agencies, he oversaw the "development and allocation of all land, forests, mineral and water resources" from "Winnipeg to the eastern foothills of the Rockies"—representing 400,000 square miles of land, earning his nickname—"Czar of the West".[2] He was known for his work on the Bow River watershed irrigation systems that transformed lands in southern Alberta into fertile land.[3]
Pearce moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1884 and after retiring from public service, worked for the CPR as statistician. A year before he died he donated his 80 hectares (200 acres) estate to the City of Calgary.[2] The Pearce Estate Wetland is an urban park.[4] Pearce "believed in urban parks" and he "is the reason so much of the Bow remains accessible" to the public as it runs through the city core.[4]
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