Robert Pow was a native Manitoban, whose first job was with the Northern Elevator Company in Emerson. He worked with elevator companies for the rest of his career, later with Consolidated Elevator Company, Empire Elevator Company, and Mutual Elevator. He settled in Fort William, Manitoba where he entered local politics, serving a number of terms as a City Councilor before serving as Mayor of Fort William from 1933-36. He was instrumental in getting the city to build an airport. Pow later ran for Mayor in the late 1940s but was unsuccessful.
Canada