Peter Wing (), (May 4, 1914 – December 27, 2007) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician and was the first mayor of Chinese descent in North America. He was born in

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

in 1914 and had lived most of his life there.

Life

In 1910, Wing's father, Eng Wing Him, at age 16, went to Canada from the region near

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

. He went back to Canton to get married in the same year and returned to Canada in 1913. Peter Wing was born on May 4, 1914, in Kamloops. Wing had three brothers, John, Jim and David, and three sisters, May, Lily and Jean. He studied at Stuart Wood School but left in grade nine to work for his father's restaurant and grocery store. He learned to play the piano by himself, and played a pump organ during Sunday services in the Chinese Methodist Mission on Victoria Street West. Afterwards, he joined the United Church choir. He was married to Frances Kwong (better known as Kim) of Revelstoke in 1932. In 1934, he became the youngest member of the Kamloops Board of Trade. He worked as an orchardist and realtor. First elected as an alderman in 1960, he then served as mayor of Kamloops for three terms starting in 1966. During his term as mayor, Wing was also president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Wing was also the first native-born mayor of Kamloops. On 27 December 2007, Wing died at the age of 93 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

from a stroke.

Recognition

In 1976, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

and was awarded the

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia (french: Ordre de la Colombie-Britannique) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Prem ...

in 1990. In 1999, the city of Kamloops renamed the Peter Wing Rotary Rose Garden in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wing, Peter 1914 births 2007 deaths British Columbia municipal councillors Canadian people of Chinese descent Members of the Order of British Columbia Members of the Order of Canada Mayors of Kamloops

Life

Recognition

See also

Further reading

References