Colin Genge

Colin Melville Genge (October 2, 1859 – March 25, 1910) was a politician, contractor and business man from Alberta, Canada.

Early life

Genge was born in Kingston, Ontario in the year 1859. He moved to Fort Macleod, Alberta in 1881 and married his wife Anne May Ryan in 1884. Upon moving to Fort Macleod Genge became involved in numerous local business ventures. He operated a hardware store, owned a sandstone quarry, and ran the Fort Macleod Telephone Company.

Along with his retail and telecom ventures Genge also worked as a contractor. He designed and built the Queens Hotel in 1903 using sandstone from his own quarry.

Genge became interested in politics and started his career on the municipal level serving 2 terms as Mayor of Fort Macleod beginning in 1904.

Political career and death

Genge was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1909 Alberta general election. He defeated Conservative Party candidate E.P. McNeill in a hotly contested election. Genge died less than a full year in his first term in office in 1910 vacating his seat in the legislature.