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Remember This? The story of F.J. Davey

Davey mapped out his strategy for life at the age of 14
FJ Davey
From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

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Remember This? . . . Frank J. Davey

Frank J. Davey was born in England in 1879 and came to Canada with his family at the age of five. The family settled in Cookstown and then Simcoe County, where he lived until he was 16.

He began working at his first job in Sault Ste. Marie as a machine-tender at the Pulp and Paper Mill. In 1900 he started working at the Canadian Pacific Railroad.  Davey worked his way up from wiper to fireman to engineer, a position he held until his retirement from the CPR in 1944.

He began attending St. Luke’s Church in 1896 and continued to be an active member. Davey had a passion for improving the lives of those who were in need. This led him to become instrumental in forming the St. Stephen’s Mission on Bruce Street hill in 1908.  

Davey entered the political field in 1913 as an alderman for Ward 3. He kept the position until 1919. He served as president of the local Conservative Association from 1914 to 1921 and 1935 to 1946. 

Perhaps Davey’s greatest achievement is the F.J. Davey Home located at 733 Third Line East. It was originally named the House of Refuge. According to Heather Ingram’s book Views of the Sault, the F.J Davey home “begun as a House of Refuge in 1914, it provided the aged and destitute with a more attractive alternative to the district jail. In addition to miscreants, the jail was also used to house those who had no means to support themselves.”

Davey became chairman of the Home’s Board of Management in 1944 and immediately put his motto “Cleanliness, Kindness and Quietness” to work. In 1949, Davey succeeded in getting important and ground-breaking provincial legislation passed. This new legislation made the government obligated to share equally on project capital costs at homes for the aged. The legislation also changed how people were labelled. Instead of being referred to as “inmates of a house of refuge” they would now be referred to as “residents” of a home. The legislation also ensured that the residents maintained their full citizenship rights including their right to vote. In 1955, the Sault House of Refuge was formally renamed the F.J. Davey Home for the Aged (Algoma).  

Davey received worldwide acclaim for his concept of having the residents of the home divided into sections — able bodied people, people requiring limited care, and bed care residents.  This meant that the level of care that they needed would be provided effectively.  

In 1916, as president of the Algoma Benevolent Association, he took the lead in establishing the Royal Victoria Hospital in the Bunting residence on Albert Street. Later, when the Plummer property was donated, Davey suggested the creation of the Plummer Memorial Hospital and was one of the original members of the hospital Board of Trustees. Davey was made an honorary member of the Sault Medical Society.

In 1968, Sault Ste. Marie City Council decided to present Davey, then Vice Chairman of the F. J. Davey Home for the Aged, with our city’s highest honour, the Medal of Merit. This award honours outstanding achievement in our city. Davey served as Chairman of the Davey Home from 1944 until 1963.

In a 1962 article in the Sault Daily Star, Davey recalls that at age 14 he mapped out his life.  “I resolved to climb a little higher from day to day . . . using what I had to steer my own course regardless of other ways. By myself, I could have done nothing on this course but with the help of all of my associates and contacts, I have tried. The general public is exceptionally good and their confidence and trust I have always valued most.” 

In January of 1963, Davey stepped down from his 18-year term as Chairman of the F.J. Davey Home Board of Management but continued to serve on the board of the home. Frank Davey passed away in February of 1973 and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery.

A new building was built in 2004 and bears the name of the F.J. Davey Home located adjacent to the older building on Third Line. The 374-bed long-term care home, includes residential care for private rooms, semi-private rooms, and basic rooms with 24-hour nursing and personal care. The original principles of cleanliness, kindness and quietness have carried forward to the new building and residents and their families can be assured that Frank Davey’s guiding principles continue to be adhered to each day. 

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Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here


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