Schmidt, Harold J. (1920-2001)
Harold John Schmidt; businessman, local politician, church and community leader; the only child born to Abraham and Clara (Snyder) Schmidt of Baden, Ontario on 13 July 1920. In 1946 he married Enid Culp (1920-2011), a nurse and daughter of Alvin and Alma Culp of Vineland, Ontario. The couple would have no children. Harold Schmidt died 23 July 2001. Except for brief periods he lived his entire life on the farm where he grew up.
In 1934, Schmidt’s father died in a farming accident. Consequently, his education was cut short to help his mother run the farm. Later he completed high school, took university business and economics courses, and worked in a bank. He was baptized and became a member of Shantz Mennonite Church in Baden in 1935.
During the Second World War he was a conscientious objector, serving in alternative service camps at Montreal River in Ontario and Mount Seymour in British Columbia, first in the kitchen and later as an office assistant. Schmidt recalls how this setting gave him opportunities to work closely with government officials, revealing insight into the tough decisions they had to make. Conversations with supervisors about nonresistance both challenged and sharpened his convictions.
In 1947, the Mennonite Aid Union of Ontario elected him secretary-treasurer, a position he held until 1999. Schmidt made an indelible mark on this organization in his long tenure. He was known for his dedication to balancing business sense with compassion, for preferring handshake deals to formal contracts, and for his boundless energy, especially when driving long distances to meet with members.
Schmidt applied that same energy to numerous business and volunteer commitments. He acquired and ran six cattle and dairy farms in the Baden area and undertook the creation and management of two telephone companies. He was elected as a township councilor (1973-1997) and served as a school board trustee. His name is found frequently in the records of Shantz Mennonite church where he served in various roles in education, missions, and finance. Enid Schmidt played a supporting role in his many involvements. Upon her death, she left much of the couple’s large estate to Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and Shantz Mennonite Church.
Bibliography
Harder, Laureen. We Bear the Loss Together: A History of the Mennonite Aid Union. Kitchener: Pandora Press, 2007.
Interview with Harold J. Schmidt, Alternative Service in World War II oral history project, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Pink, Dave. “’He was Mr. Baden’: Politician, farmer businessman—Harold Schmidt did it all.” Kitchener-Waterloo Record (26 July 2001).
Penner, Don. “Large Bequest ‘Threatened to Swamp Us.’” Canadian Mennonite (27 June 2022).
Schiedel, Mary Hunsberger. A Journey of Faith: The History of Shantz Mennonite Church, 1840-2000. Baden, Ont: Shantz Mennonite Church, 2000.
Archival Records
Shantz Mennonite Church fonds, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
| Author(s) | Laureen Harder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | Nov 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Harder, Laureen. "Schmidt, Harold J. (1920-2001)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Nov 2025. Web. 1 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schmidt,_Harold_J._(1920-2001)&oldid=181320.
APA style
Harder, Laureen. (Nov 2025). Schmidt, Harold J. (1920-2001). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 1 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Schmidt,_Harold_J._(1920-2001)&oldid=181320.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.