Captain Arthur Jackman

Captain Arthur Jackman
Captain Arthur Jackman (William's younger brother) was born at Renews in 1843. Arthur and William were both sons of Thomas and Catherine Jackman. Arthur was no less renowned than his brother as a sealing and whaling captain. He commanded his first schooner to the icefields at the age of 22 and served well the firm of Bowring Brothers where he later became marine superintendent.

Those under his command idolized him for his sterling qualities in caring for his men and he could proudly boast that of all the men he had under his command, he never lost one of them.

He was called "Viking Arthur" for his daring adventures. He was a navigator of repute and made several voyages to and from Dundee, Scotland. He accompanied the American Arctic explorer, Commodore Perry, north on his first polar adventure in 1886.

A.J. McNeilly, K.C., writing about him in the Newfoundland Quarterly in March 1907 said,

"Arthur Jackman was more than a mere commander - he was a captain of industry and a king of men, a man of the most dauntless courage, of the type of men which Newfoundland has produced through the mixture of the best of English and Irish blood."

Captain Arthur Jackman died Thursday, January 31, 1907 at the age of 64. His funeral service was one of the largest the City of St. John's has known. His Obituary that was written in the St. John's Daily News is an indication of how well respected and honored Captain Arthur Jackman was. Please click here to view his Obituary in its entirety as it was written in 1907.