Wightman, John, 1900-1989

John Wightman was born in Digby, Nova Scotia on 1 February 1900, the son of George Warren and Mary Edith (Coombs) Wightman, descendants of United Empire Loyalists. He studied at both Mount Allison and McGill Universities. At the latter he received a B.Sc. (Mining Engineering) in 1922. Thereafter, between 1922 and June 1926, he worked in British Columbia in the vicinity of Kimberley, surveying, mapping, and drafting. From June 1926 to September 1934 he did explorations in Eastern Canada investigating mineral claims. From September 1934 to July 1946 he was the resident engineer in charge of operations for Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (Cominco) and served as mine manager at the Caribou Gold Mines, in Caribou, Halifax County. In 1946, he was transferred to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, staying until February 1947 when he became the testing engineer at the Sullivan Mine in Kimberley, British Columbia. He died in 1989.