Title : Montreal from 1535 to 1914. Vol. 3. Biographical
Author : William H. Atherton
Release date
: March 13, 2015 [eBook #48480]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language : English
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: Produced by Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed
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From 1535 to 1914
BIOGRAPHICAL
VOLUME III
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
MONTREAL VANCOUVER CHICAGO
1914
“No man in Montreal and very few in Canada have had a fuller, riper and more successful career than ‘the man of peace,’ as he is known in business circles.” So writes the Toronto Globe of Richard Bladworth Angus, and there is little to add that would describe the man more accurately. A purposeful man, a deep thinker, a man of the highest principles, Mr. Angus is representative of the empire builders of Canada. Beginning his career in a humble station, he has climbed the ladder of success rung by rung until he reached the ranks of men like the late Lord Strathcona, and the present Lord Mount Stephen, with whom he labored in building the most important railroad lines in the Dominion and with whom he stood for all that which has made Canada the great empire that it is today. Not only has Mr. Angus been prominent as a builder and financier of great rail lines, but he has given of his time and means toward the establishment of great institutions to care for the sick, to bring education to all those who may seek it, to promote and disseminate a thorough understanding of art—in short, to promote the intellectual as well as the material welfare of that most enterprising of all British peoples—the Canadian nation.
Richard B. Angus was born in Bathgate, Scotland, May 28, 1831, and educated there. While in his native country he was employed by the Manchester & Liverpool Bank for some time and in 1857 entered the offices of the Bank of Montreal in Canada. To the present generation the name of R. B. Angus has been rightly considered a synonym for the financial activity instituted by the Bank of Montreal, for he has been connected with that institution since 1857, having come out from Scotland to accept a position in the bank in which at a later date he was to be for many years the guiding hand. His keen mind, his adaptability to new conditions, his shrewdness and his careful weighing of important questions assured him of quick promotion and four years after he became connected with the institution he was placed in charge of the Chicago agency, in 1861 and in 1863 was agent for the bank in New York.
During his sojourn in Chicago Mr. Angus became acquainted with the spirit of the great west and what it was hoped might be accomplished there. He saw the states of Illinois and Iowa budding forth from prairie to splendidly developed communities and reasoning by analogy he recognized what the future had in store for the Canadian west following the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. [6] The splendid financial standing of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company today is also in a measure due to the wisdom of this man, whom no doubt Sir Thomas Shaughnessy considers one of his wisest counsellors.
In 1864 Mr. Angus returned to Montreal to become second assistant manager of the Bank of Montreal, was later appointed assistant manager and became manager in 1868. In 1869, or two years after the union of the British North American colonies, Mr. Angus was appointed general manager of the Bank of Montreal, a position which he held until November 1, 1879. It is said that during these ten years his advice was sought many times by the different finance ministers of the Dominion not only as regards federal loans but also concerning the general financial policy of the country. Although a native of Scotland, where free trade exists, Mr. Angus looked with favor upon the protectionist program, which triumphed in Canada on the 18th of September, 1878. He saw therein a means whereby the Dominion could become a great manufacturing country, and he has lived long enough to see the splendid fruition of that policy.
After his ten years’ tenure of office as general manager of the Bank of Montreal Mr. Angus was called to another sphere of usefulness. When several prominent men connected with the Bank of Montreal bought out the Dutch interests in what was then called the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway, those interested, realizing the ability of Mr. Angus as a financier and organizer, asked him to leave the bank and become the representative of their interests in St. Paul. Accepting the management of the railway, his great success during the two years of his residence in the American northwest has become a part of the history not only of the American but also of the Canadian northwest. Mr. Angus was one of the first promoters of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was among the earliest to recognize the stupendous success which would attend the project if there was carried out an enlightened policy of settlement and industrial expansion. A syndicate was formed, with Mr. George Stephen, later Lord Mount Stephen, and Mr. Donald A. Smith, later Lord Strathcona, as its leading spirits. Mr. Angus was one of the original body and he has remained in connection with the incorporated company ever since as one of its directors. He advised upon the strategic points where the chief entrenchments of the first transcontinental road should be laid out and he pointed out the spots where the Bank of Montreal could most effectively plant its branches. This policy of his had a great deal to do with the expansion which has brought the capitalization of the Bank of Montreal and the Canadian Pacific Railway up to the present colossal figures.
As general manager of the Bank of Montreal Mr. Angus served under four presidents, namely, T. B. Anderson, E. H. King, David Torrance and George Stephen, now Lord Mount Stephen, and he and the latter are the only ones of the number yet living. He also sat as director with Lord Strathcona and Sir George A. Drummond, succeeding the latter to the presidency of the bank July 22, 1910. All admit that no one of that galaxy of financiers who have year after year sat at the historic round table ever rendered greater service to the institution than R. B. Angus.
At an age when most men throw off official cares and responsibilities to enjoy the leisure which prosperity has brought them Mr. Angus in his octogenarian prime took up as cheerfully as would a man of forty the principal position in Canada’s foremost financial institution. In November, 1913, on account of advancing [7] years and a desire to be relieved of all financial burdens of a public character, Mr. Angus resigned the presidency of the Bank of Montreal, but remains a member of the board and continues to give the institution the benefit of his ripe, wide and valuable experience.
That worth hath its reward is evident in Mr. Angus’ career, who is rated today as one of the richest men in Montreal. However, he seems to consider himself more in the light of a steward of his vast property interests, for he freely and liberally has given of his means and made handsome contributions to numerous institutions. Among these is the Montreal Art Association, of which he was formerly president and to which he gave money and several valuable paintings. He also supported McGill University with a considerable sum and gave to the Alexandra Contagious Diseases Hospital of Montreal, of which he is a governor and was a founder. He was president of the Royal Victoria Hospital, which institution he also has liberally supported, and is a vice president of the Royal Victorian Order of Nurses. The Charity Organization Society, of which he is a director, has also benefited in a material way and by his timely advice. Mr. Angus was also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital. An honor to his race and one of the foremost representatives among Scotchmen in Canada, he served several times as president of the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal. Mr. Angus was governor of the Fraser Institute Free Public Library and is an honorary member of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal.
Among commercial and financial institutions with which he has been or is connected are the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Laurentide Paper Company, the Dominion Coal Company, the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the Dominion Bridge Company, the Royal Trust Company, the Grand Falls Power Company, the Pacific Coal Company, the Canadian Salt Company, the Northwest Land Company and the London & Lancashire Life Assurance Company.
Mr. Angus has always taken a deep interest in public institutions and was one of the chief promoters of the board of control in Montreal, which was founded in 1909. He has ever placed his services at the disposal of such affairs as have made for a greater and better Canada. In 1910 knighthood was offered to him, but he declined the honor.
Among the clubs of which Mr. Angus is a member are: the St. James, of which he was formerly chairman; the Mount Royal, of which he was a founder and of which he has served as president; the Montreal Jockey; the Auto and Aero Club; the Forest and Stream Club; and the Winter Club. He also is a member of the Rideau Club of Ottawa, the Toronto Club, the York Club of Toronto and the Manitoba Club of Winnipeg.
On June 13, 1857, Angus was married to Miss Mary Anne Daniels, who died March 13, 1913. To them were born three sons and six daughters, two of the latter being deceased.
In religious matters Mr. Angus adheres to the stern faith of his fathers, being a Presbyterian. It may be said of him that in all fields in which he has exerted his activities he has excelled. Quiet in demeanor, he is purposeful and unconsciously exerts an influence which makes for domination. That this domination is always used to good purpose and for the benefit of his country and its people stands to his high credit. Sir Sandford Fleming paid him high compliment as a banker in the words that he is a man who [8] “in every way is a credit to the great institution over which he so worthily presides,” and the Montreal Star characterizes him as “one of Canada’s prominent and most highly respected financiers.” Mr. Angus is a true Scotchman, a truer Canadian, but best of all—a man worthy of the name.
From a comparatively humble position in business circles Leonidas Villeneuve advanced until he ranked with the millionaire merchants of Montreal and throughout his entire career his record was such as any man might be proud to possess, bringing to him the respect of colleagues and contemporaries. The record of his career, showing the steps in his orderly progression, may serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others and in this biography finds its chief motive and value.
Mr. Villeneuve was born in Terrebonne county, at Ste. Anne des Plaines, a son of Joachim Villeneuve, who was a farmer there. His boyhood and youth were uneventfully passed, but when twenty years of age he determined to try his fortune in the commercial field. He was attracted to the lumber business and, believing that he would find it congenial and profitable, he established a small lumberyard north of Mount Royal Avenue, in the ownership and conduct of which he was first associated with the late Senator J. O. Villeneuve. Gradually he advanced toward the goal of success, his business growing with the development of the district. He remained at its head until his death, eventually conducting an extensive business under the name of the L. Villeneuve Company. This brought him substantial returns and his fortune also arose through his wise and judicious investments in real estate. From time to time he added to his holdings and, when there was a real-estate boom in the district, he had extensive holdings, a portion of which he sold, realizing therefrom a handsome fortune.
Mr. Villeneuve was a prominent figure in local circles in connection with the growth and progress of his section. When the district north of Mount Royal Avenue gradually developed from a sparsely settled region into a fast growing town he was one of the leading spirits in planning roadways, parks and public improvements. To him in great measure it is due that, with its wide streets and well built homes, Laurier ward is among the most attractive in this city. He was for twenty years associated with the municipal life of Ville St. Louis, first serving as alderman and afterward for three terms as mayor.
In politics Mr. Villeneuve was a stalwart conservative, but while working actively in the party and doing everything in his power to promote its growth and secure its success, he could never be tempted to try his fortune in either the federal or provincial fields, although he was requested on many occasions to carry the party banner. He was universally respected for his unswerving business honesty and uprightness, and upon these qualities as a foundation he builded his success, which placed him among the leaders in his particular line in eastern Canada. His sound judgment enabled him to correctly value those things which go to make up life’s contacts and experiences. His opinions were sound, his enterprise unfaltering and his activities were of a character that contributed to the public welfare as well as to individual success. Mr. Villeneuve was a [11] member of the Roman Catholic church, and took a great deal of interest in church affairs.
Mr. Villeneuve was married twice. His first wife was Malvina Joyal, a sister of Dr. Joyal, of Montreal, and to them was born a son, J. Arthur, who was educated in Montreal and traveled extensively with his father in Europe. He married Miss Yvonne Lariviere, of Montreal, and has a son, Jean Leonidas, born July 11, 1913. J. Arthur Villeneuve is vice president of the L. Villeneuve Company and of the Eagle Lumber Company and is a worthy successor of his father in connection with the lumber industry of the country. For his second wife Leonidas Villeneuve chose Dame Exilda Bergeron, who also survives. His life of intense and intelligently directed activity brought him success and, moreover, he always followed constructive methods in his business career, so that his path was never strewn with the wreck of other men’s fortunes.
Tangible evidence of the public spirit of Henry R. Gray is found in his service as chairman of the board of health and the radical and effective measures which he took in preventing the spread of a small-pox epidemic. He did equally efficient work in promoting sanitary conditions in Montreal along various lines and at the same time he occupied a prominent position as a representative of the pharmaceutical profession. He was born December 30, 1838, in Boston, Lincolnshire, England, and pursued his education at Standard Hill, Nottingham, the head master of the school being William Goodacre, the well known author of several standard educational works. He was afterward articled for five years to William March, chemist and apothecary, at Newark, England, and subsequently pursued a course of lectures on chemistry under the celebrated Roscoe in Manchester.
Coming to Canada when twenty-one years of age, Mr. Gray established his business in Montreal in 1859 and for several years devoted his attention to the study of sanitary science and particularly to the question of the sanitation of cities. He was connected with every movement to improve the sanitary condition of Montreal and his labors were of far-reaching benefit. He became one of the originators of the Pharmaceutical Association of the province, of which he was elected secretary and later treasurer and vice president. He was next called to the presidency, serving for three consecutive years and also as a member of the board of examiners. He became one of the charter members of the Montreal College of Pharmacy and for two years was its president.
In 1884 he was elected alderman of the St. Lawrence ward and soon afterward was unanimously chosen by the city council as chairman of the local board of health, serving in that difficult position during the whole of the disastrous epidemic of small-pox which devastated the city and province in 1885 and 1886. When the disease broke out and the death rate amounted to twenty-five per day, there was little civic organization to prevent the spread of disease or further the promotion of sanitary conditions. Vaccination was opposed, but Mr. Gray organized a vigorous campaign to stamp out the disease and obtained the passage [12] of by-laws insisting on free and compulsory vaccination. He also organized a civic hospital and insisted on all the small-pox patients being sent to the isolation hospital. Through this and other emergency methods he allayed the general fear and stamped out the disease. It was in that year that he succeeded in getting a by-law through the city council requiring all household refuse to be cremated, and shortly afterward crematories were erected and a contract for five years’ collection and cremation given out.
After having served a three years’ term as alderman Mr. Gray declined reelection. He was appointed by the government a justice of the peace and a member of the council of public instruction for the province of Quebec and was elected to represent it on the corporation of the polytechnic school of this city. He was likewise a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital and the Notre Dame Hospital. When the public health act passed the legislature, shortly after the small-pox epidemic, Mr. Gray, who in addition to his aldermanic duties had been a member of the old central board of health for the province, was appointed a member of the new provincial board of health then created and remained a member until his death. In 1885 he was elected membre honoraire de la Société d’Hygiène Française of Paris, France. After his retirement from the city council he was requested by a number of leading citizens of all parties and creeds to accept the nomination of mayor, but owing to business reasons he was obliged to decline.
Mr. Gray married Miss Catherine Margaret McGale, the youngest daughter of the late Dr. Bernard McGale, who was a member of the army medical staff. Mr. Gray died February 18, 1908, and is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son, Dr. H. R. Dunstan Gray. The memory of his well spent life is cherished by all who were his contemporaries and his colleagues, and the worth of his work is recognized by all who know aught of the history of Montreal.
Throughout an active, commercial career James Johnston was engaged in importing and dealing in English and foreign dry goods, in which connection he built up an enterprise of extensive and gratifying proportions, his becoming one of the leading commercial houses of Montreal. He was born March 20, 1849, a son of James and Mary (Burns) Johnston, both of whom were natives of Scotland, who, coming to the new world in early life, were married in Montreal. The father, who was born in 1819, passed away in this city on the 27th of May, 1882.
Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, James Johnston pursued his education in the schools of Montreal and Quebec and, entering business circles, he became connected with the firm of James Johnston & Company, importers of and dealers in dry goods of English and foreign manufacture, of which his father was the head. After the death of his father he became head of the business, devoting his entire attention to the development of a trade which grew to large and gratifying proportions, making his one of the leading dry-goods [13] establishments in the city. Since his demise the store has been sold and is now conducted under the firm style of W. R. Brock Company, Ltd.
Mr. Johnston was married in Montreal, in 1876, to Miss Agnes Grant Robertson, a daughter of Andrew Robertson, who was a prominent resident of this city. By this marriage there were eight children of whom seven are living. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 14th of July, 1899, James Johnston was called to his final rest. His interests and activities, aside from business, are indicated by the fact that he held membership in the St. James Club, the Metropolitan Club, the Hunt Club, the Forest and Stream Club, and St. Paul’s Presbyterian church. He was always actuated by high and manly principles and worthy motives, and he left to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name as well as the substantial reward of his business enterprise and sagacity.
Michael James Walsh is prominent along various lines of activity in Montreal, where he is widely known as a successful insurance broker but has also actively participated in an important way in political and governmental affairs and is moreover widely known in fraternal circles. Of good Irish stock, he has brought the sturdiness of his ancestors to the task at hand and has attained a success which entitles him to consideration as one of the substantial men of his community and a power for progress and improvement in the political field.
A native of Montreal, Michael James Walsh was born on the 2d of September, 1858, a son of Mark and Catherine (Nolan) Walsh, both natives of County Wexford, Ireland. The father was prominent as a contractor and everywhere in this city respected as a successful business man. Michael J. Walsh received his education at St. Ann’s parish, Christian Brothers School, and upon discontinuing his lessons became connected with the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railways, remaining for about ten years in their employ in their store departments. He then set out independently, becoming an insurance broker, and by native shrewdness and ability to understand commercial conditions has succeeded in building up a business which ranks him among the foremost men in his line in Montreal. When his private affairs permitted him to devote some of his time to the public weal he entered politics with the same zest as he displayed in his private business affairs and as a result was elected alderman of the St. Ann’s ward on February 1, 1902, continuing in that office for four years or until February 1, 1906, and doing valuable work in promoting measures which have been of far-reaching benefit to the city. On November 25, 1904, he was also elected a member of the Quebec provincial legislature and on December 28, 1908, reelected to that office, continuing therein until May 15, 1912. His legislative career has been one of success and his record has been so clear that his constituents may well be proud of their representative. He has done much in supporting valuable bills, especially those undertaken in the interest of his constituents, and has ever been active in committee rooms and on the floor of the house in sustaining or promoting constructive legislation. His political position is that of a liberal, and [14] he always has been a stanch supporter of that grand man of the liberal party, Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
On October 9, 1882, at Montreal, in St. Henry parish church, Mr. Walsh was married to Mary Jane Barry, a daughter of David Barry, mechanical superintendent of the Canada Sugar Refinery, and Mary O’Leary, both natives of County Cork, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Walsh became the parents of two sons. Joseph Christopher Barry Walsh, B. A., B. C. L., is a well known notary public. The other son born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Walsh is David Robert Barry Walsh, who graduated from Loyola College and is now successfully engaged in the insurance business, being inspector for the Royal Exchange Association. Both sons are young men of excellent habits and qualifications.
As the years have passed Mr. Walsh has become connected with a number of outside interests and is now a director in the People’s Mutual Building Society and for many years has been a member of the Montreal Board of Trade, doing in that connection important work in promoting commercial expansion. Fraternally he is very prominent and has held high offices in the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, the Canadian Order of Foresters, the Royal Guardians, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and in St. Patrick’s Society. A man of varied and important interests, Mr. Walsh has made an honorable record in business as well as in municipal and provincial politics and enjoys the full confidence of the best classes of population. In him there is strongly developed the quality of loyalty, and it is his devotion to a cause which has led him into the important relations with which he is now connected. He may justly be classed with Montreal’s leading citizens, and the position which he has attained is the more creditable as it has been brought about entirely by his own efforts.
Notable service in the field of abdominal surgery won for Dr. James Bell an international reputation. His broad study and research made him a scientist of renown and his opinions were largely accepted as authority by the profession which recognized him not only as an eminent surgeon, but equally capable educator. He was born at North Gower, Ontario, in 1852, and after acquiring his early education in local schools and by private tuition, he entered McGill University and was graduated as Holmes’ gold medallist in 1877, a fact indicative of the excellent work which he had done in his student days. He was immediately appointed house surgeon in the Montreal General Hospital, which position he held until 1882, gaining that broad practical experience and knowledge which only hospital practice can bring. In 1880 he became medical superintendent of the Montreal General Hospital and in 1885 was appointed to the position of assistant surgeon, followed by appointment as surgeon a year later. He filled the position with distinction for eight years and then became surgeon of the new Royal Victoria Hospital in 1894, remaining in that connection until his demise. As the years passed his skill and ability constantly increased and developed and [17] his reputation spread abroad until he was acknowledged not only one of the eminent surgeons of Canada, but also, by reason of his specialty in abdominal work, as one of the most distinguished representatives of the profession on the American continent. He became just as widely known in connection with surgical work for the treatment of gall stones and kidney diseases. In addition to his other hospital service he was consulting surgeon of the Children’s Hospital. After going to Victoria Hospital he remained a consulting surgeon of the Montreal General Hospital and also acted in a similar capacity at the Maternity Hospital.
His connection with McGill University was equally brilliant, for through many years he was one of its able educators in the medical department. In 1888 he was appointed associate professor of clinical surgery. In 1890 he was made assistant professor of surgery and clinical surgery; in 1895, professor of clinical surgery, and in 1907, professor of surgery and clinical surgery. He held membership in the American Surgical Association and the Canadian Surgical Association, and he served as surgeon major in charge of the field hospital corps in the Riel rebellion, receiving a medal for his services, while between 1880 and 1888, he was surgeon to the Sixth Battalion of Fusiliers. He was the author of various valuable papers, including one entitled Tubercular Family History, and his contributions to the press have ever been eagerly received. He was the author of the chapter on Surgical Diseases and Wounds of the Kidneys and Ureters in American Practice of Surgery as well as numerous valuable treatises on the kidneys. He was a member of the Genito-Urinary branch of the American Medical Association in which he represented the Canadian Medical Association. As a diagnostician he had few equals and he possessed a medical technique that was marvelous. One of his strongest traits of character was his utter fearlessness. He spoke his own mind and was seldom misunderstood. He never catered to cheaply acquired popularity or public opinion and always had the courage of his convictions. He spoke what he thought to be the truth no matter who it opposed or offended. He thoroughly detested sham or deceit and was self-contained, quiet and self-reliant in connection with all of his professional service.
Dr. Bell was married in June, 1889, to Miss Edith Mary Arnton, the eldest daughter of the late John J. Arnton, of Montreal, and they had one son, James Stuart Ethelwyn Wallace, who was born February 15, 1899, and in accordance with the wish of his father is preparing for the medical course at McGill. Dr. Bell was a member of a number of the leading clubs, including St. James, the Montreal Jockey, the Mount Royal and the University Clubs. He was for more than twenty years one of the enthusiastic members of the Montreal Hunt Club and for many years followed the hounds. He greatly enjoyed outdoor life, much more than so-called society and said with Byron,
“I love not man the less but nature more.”
He was fond of hunting and fishing and it was his custom each year to hunt big game in New Brunswick where he was often a guest at August Belmont’s private shooting preserve. Dr. Bell was also a member of the Chapleau Club in the Laurentians where he went for his fishing. His country home, Saraguay, was his residence during four months in the year for more than eighteen years. Here he maintained a fine breeding establishment of driving and saddle horses and was able to gratify the great pleasure his excellent stock afforded him, for he was a lover of a good horse.
No man ever more fully, however, recognized the duties and obligations of the profession or more conscientiously met them. The regard entertained for him by his professional brethren is indicated in the fact that Dr. C. E. Church termed him “the ablest surgeon in America,” while Dr. T. G. Roddick said, “the death of Dr. James Bell is a distinct loss to the medical and surgical profession. He was a man of marked ability, with conscientious devotion to his work, which earned him the respect of his fellows, as well as success amongst his patients. And he was not only respected by the profession throughout the country, but loved by his friends.” In comment upon his death the Montreal Gazette wrote, “One of the men who have done much for the advancement of the medical profession in Canada passed away yesterday when Dr. James Bell, in the ripe fullness of a useful career, was carried off by appendicitis. It was by a curious irony of fate that Dr. Bell died most unexpectedly at the Royal Victoria Hospital, in whose wards still lay many upon whom he had operated, and whose lives he had probably saved by his skill. For many years Dr. Bell had been recognized as one of Canada’s leading surgeons, in fact one of the greatest surgeons in abdominal work on this continent and his services were in great demand, not only in Montreal, but wherever the work of a skillful scientist whose immediate judgment and power might be efficacious to save human life, was needed. Day by day he had been working in the operating room of the Royal Victoria Hospital and the sick rooms of patients, in circumstances where a single mistake might mean loss of life. The strain was much greater than ordinary people could have imagined. He was one of those men who devoted themselves to their work so well and performed it so efficiently that there was no need to fight for prominence. His work was such that it inevitably grew. As his ability became known his services became more in demand and in a quiet and conscientious way he gradually became one of the recognized surgical authorities of his time and one of the busiest. Not only in Montreal but in many parts of Canada he was called upon wherever there was a stern fight against death, and frequently he was called to exercise his skill even farther afield in the United States. Those who knew him as either surgeon or as friend will remember him as one who knew his work and did it well, without thought of public recognition.”
Dr. Bell was actively engaged in professional duties almost to the closing hours of his life. On the last day he visited Victoria Hospital he performed an operation in the forenoon. In the evening of the same day he was taken ill and the end came a few days later. The board of governors of the Royal Victoria Hospital caused to be made a bronze bust of Dr. Bell which was placed in the main hall of that hospital. The significance of this action is better understood when it is known that but one other bust is there shown—that of Queen Victoria.
Joseph Ovide Gravel, for many years manager and executor of the John Pratt estate in Montreal and prominently connected with other important corporate and business interests of the city, was born here in 1839. He acquired his education in the commercial schools of the city and in 1854 began a business [19] career which brought him constantly increasing prominence and prosperity. From that date until 1863 he was connected with the firm of Benning & Barsalou and was then made secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Rubber Company, taking an active part in the affairs of that concern until 1899. He was later a director in the Canadian Linseed Oil Mills, a trustee of the Guardian Assurance Company, president of the Sincennes-McNaughton line and of the Dominion Oil Cloth Company. He became known as a reliable, forceful and discriminating business man, one who always carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook, and he made his ability and insight the basis of a substantial and well deserved success. He married Aurelie La Rocque. His son, C. E. Gravel, is now in charge of the Pratt estate and is ably carrying forward his father’s work in its management.
Joseph Louis Archambault, of Montreal, whose reputation as a distinguished and able lawyer has made him well known throughout the province and who is now filling the position of city attorney, was born at Varennes, June 19, 1849, a son of the late J. N. A. and Aurelie (Mongeau) Archambault. The father, who was “a patriot of 1837,” became president of the provincial board of notaries in Quebec and was a distinguished representative of his profession. The son supplemented his early education by study in the College of St. Hyacinthe and in broad literary training laid the foundation upon which he has built the superstructure of professional knowledge. He pursued his law studies under the direction of the late Sir George Cartier and at the same time followed the law course in McGill University, which conferred upon him the B. C. L. degree in 1871. The same year he entered upon active practice as an advocate and has since remained a member of the Montreal bar, although his growing powers and capabilities have won him place among the leaders of the profession in the province. He was created a king’s counsel by the Marquis of Lansdowne in 1887 and became a member of the council of the bar in 1889. For some years he filled the position of crown prosecutor for the district of Montreal and has frequently pleaded before the judicial committee of the privy council in England, having charge of important cases from Canada. He became city attorney of Montreal in 1898 and in the discharge of his official duties has won high honors and encomiums. He has always enjoyed a large private practice and in following his profession has been associated successively as law partner with Sir J. A. Chapleau, Q. C., the Hon. J. A. Mousseau, Q. C. and the Hon. W. W. Linch, Q. C. He has written quite extensively on legal subjects for the newspaper and magazine press and is the author of a number of published volumes, including: Jacques Cartier, an Historical Drama (1879); Etude Legale sur l’Université Laval à Montreal (1880); Institutions Municipales (1887); Le Barreau Canadien au Conseil Privé (1889); Généalogie de la Famille Archambault, 1620-1890 (1891); La Bourgeoisie au Canada, Two Lectures (1894); The Criminal Forum in Canada (1895); and Etude de Moeurs Judiciares (1897). His opinions upon involved legal questions are largely accepted as authority by the profession and [20] the public. He served as batonnier or president of the Montreal bar in 1912 and 1913. In addition to his law practice he is one of the directors of the Rolland Paper Company.
Mr. Archambault was married in Montreal in June, 1873, to Miss Ernestine, the eldest daughter of the late Senator Rolland, of Montreal. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Archambault are Catholics, and his political belief is that of the conservative party. He belongs to the Canadian Club and those who meet him socially find him an entertaining, genial and cultured gentleman whose ways are those of refinement and whose word no man can question. The Montreal Star has said of him: “His career has been marked with continuous success and great devotion to the legal profession.” His prominence is the logical outcome of well developed talents and powers and he is justly accounted today one of the leaders of the provincial bar.
The Badgley family is one of the old and prominent families of Montreal, their connection with the city’s history dating back to 1785.
Four generations of this family have been prominently identified with the city’s business and professional interests. John C. N. Badgley, active in business circles for many years, remained a resident of this city from his birth on December 7, 1856, until his death on March 7, 1906.
He was a son of the Hon. William Badgley, D. C. L., one of the eminent representatives of the judiciary of the province, and a nephew of Dr. Francis Badgley, one of the most prominent members of the medical profession of his day and an early member of the McGill College faculty. Dr. Badgley died in England where he resided the latter years of his life.
Hon. William Badgley, whose entire life was spent in Montreal, was born in this city, March 27, 1801, his parents being Francis and Elizabeth (Lilly) Badgley. The father, a representative of an old Derbyshire family, was born in London and for years was a well known Montreal merchant. He was likewise a recognized leader in political circles and represented his city in the provincial parliament from 1801 until 1805. The father of the Hon. William Badgley, Francis Badgley, was one of the early settlers of Montreal, arriving in 1785. Francis Badgley became one of the prominent fur merchants in Montreal and married Elizabeth Lilly, daughter of John Lilly.
William Badgley, after pursuing his more specifically literary education with the Rev. Alexander Skakel, studied law in Montreal and was admitted to the bar in November, 1823. He entered at once upon active and successful practice, was created queen’s counsellor in 1847 and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from McGill University in 1843. For about twenty years he practised his profession in Montreal and gained distinction as a barrister. He was also the author of a work called Remarks on Registrar’s Office which was published in 1837. In 1840 he was called to public life in his appointment as commissioner of bankrupts, in which capacity he served until 1844, when he was appointed circuit judge. He was also secretary of the Constitutional Association [21] which aided in the reunion of the Canadas in 1841 and two or three years before that act was consummated he was one of the delegates sent to England to further the movement. He continued upon the bench as circuit judge until 1847 and then resumed the private practice of law. Judicial honors, however, were again conferred upon him when on the 27th of January, 1855, he was appointed puisne judge of the superior court of Lower Canada, so continuing until the 1st of September, 1862, when he was transferred to the court of queen’s bench as temporary assistant judge. Later he was appointed puisne judge of that court on the 17th of August, 1866, and after presiding over its proceedings for eight years was retired on a pension in June, 1874, because of partial deafness. Devotedly attached to his profession, systematic and methodical in habit, sober and discreet in judgment, calm in temper, diligent in research, conscientious in the discharge of every duty, courteous and kindly in demeanor and inflexibly just on all occasions, these qualities enabled his honor, William Badgley, to take first rank among those who have held high judicial offices in the province. His reported opinions are monuments to his profound legal learning and superior ability. They show a thorough mastery of the questions involved, a rare simplicity of style and a remarkable terseness and clearness in the statement of the principles upon which the opinions rest. His name is also interwoven with the history of legislation for he sat for Missisquoi in the Canadian assembly from 1844 until 1851, and for the city of Montreal from the latter date until the general election in 1854. He was a member of the executive council and attorney general for Lower Canada from April 23, 1847, to March 10, 1848. He always gave stanch allegiance to the conservative party, feeling that in its principles lay the strongest elements of good government. His fraternal connections were with the Masons, and he was district and provincial grand master for England from December, 1849, until his demise.
With him passed away one of the links which have bound the bustling men of middle age today with a generation of which the youth of today know but very little, of men more proud and precise in their manners than we are, and whose courtesy and politeness was a part of their daily life. The loss of their influence and example is no small one.
In 1834, in London, England, Judge Badgley was married to Miss Elizabeth Taylor, the eldest daughter of Lieutenant Colonel J. W. Taylor of the Twentieth Regiment B. N. T. Six children were born to this marriage; the wife and mother passed away in 1874.
John C. N. Badgley, youngest son of the Hon. William Badgley, pursued his education in Montreal high school and McGill University after spending some time as a student at Port Hope. When a young man he engaged in the coal business and was connected with that department of commercial activity in Montreal throughout his entire life. He became one of the active business men of this city, his energy and enterprise leading him into important, commercial relations and winning for him a high standing as a business man and citizen.
He married Miss Mary E. Badgley, a daughter of Francis H. and Margaret (Drummond) Badgley of Ottawa.
John C. N. Badgley not only figured prominently in commercial circles but was also a well known member of the Board of Trade, a past master of St. Paul’s Lodge of Masons and a member of the Christ Church cathedral. His death [22] on March 7, 1906, left a widow, son and daughter. The latter, Elizabeth Ruth, married October 10, 1913, John William Shaw of Montreal, while the former, Clement Montagu, was born September 17, 1886, in Montreal and is the fourth generation of the Badgley family that have been connected with Montreal’s business interests. He finished his education in this city and after spending some time in travel abroad, concluded to enter upon a business, rather than a professional, career. He was in the employ of the Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company for a time, after which he became assistant head clerk for the Atlas Insurance Company. With the valuable experience thus gained, Mr. Badgley entered the insurance and real-estate business on his own account, and at once secured a clientele that gave him a high position among the best class of men in this line of business. He subsequently became associated with David A. Lewis, as the firm of Lewis & Badgley, in real estate and insurance, with offices in the Merchants Bank building.
Mr. Badgley is a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, and the Canadian Club.
For almost a half century James Ross was intimately associated with the growth and development of Canada and was an active factor in establishing, building and promoting many of the leading national and municipal railways of the country. It was under him that Sir William Mackenzie started his career and subsequently he cooperated with him in various enterprises throughout the world. He was also a long-time associate of Sir Sandford Fleming, Sir William Van Horne, Sir Thomas Shaughnessy and Lord Strathcona, more particularly in the ’80s, in the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was also actively interested in the executive control of the Montreal and Toronto street railways from 1892. The extent and importance of his business interests and investments made him therefore a most prominent factor in the upbuilding and development of the country and his name is inseparably interwoven with the history of Canada.
Mr. Ross was a son of the late Captain John Ross, merchant and ship owner, and Mary B. (McKedie) Ross, formerly of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. His birth occurred in the year 1848 at Cromarty, Scotland, and after attending Inverness Academy in his native land he continued his studies in England. His initial step in the business world brought him into connection with railway, harbor and water works in Great Britain. Following his arrival in America he was appointed, in 1870, to the position of resident engineer of the Ulster & Delaware Railway, of which road he afterward became chief engineer. In 1872 he acted as resident engineer of the Wisconsin Central Railway and subsequently held a similar position with the Lake Ontario Shore road. It was not long before his efficiency as an engineer won him wide recognition and he was offered the position of chief engineer of the Victoria Railway, of which he subsequently became general manager. He was one of the most successful railway builders and owners in the Dominion, [25] the construction of the Canadian Pacific over the Rockies being due to his power of organization and engineering ability, and when Sir Donald Smith, later Lord Strathcona, drove the last spike of the road, no one of that historic group held a higher place in public regard in Canada than Mr. Ross.
His active operations in the field of railway construction included the building of the Credit Valley Railway in 1878-79 and upon its completion he was appointed general manager of the road and also filled the position of consulting engineer of the Ontario and Quebec Railway. In the spring of 1883 as general manager of construction, Mr. Ross began at Swift Current the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway over the Rockies, the Selkirks and the Gold Range, and early in November, 1885, this stretch of six hundred and twenty-three miles ending at Craig Ellachie, was completed more than a year ahead of time, creating a record for fast railway building on this continent and evoking from Sir William Van Horne the statement that such a record meant millions to the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was during the building of the road over the mountains that Mr. Ross might be said to have discovered and subsequently came into close touch with William Mackenzie, Donald Mann (both since knighted), Herbert S. Holt and several others who later on took a front place among the railway magnates and financial leaders of Canada. In 1886 Mr. Ross brought about the settlement of location of the Canadian Pacific east of Montreal and the legislative difficulties attending the entry of the road into the state of Maine. Upon completing his arduous and complex task he took the contract for the construction of the remaining portion of their line not already provided for. The extensions and improvements of the Canadian Pacific created difficult tasks of civil engineering which were ably performed by Mr. Ross who at the same time considered the question of railway construction in South America for which he had options. The railways of the southern continent were to be built in Argentine and Chile and the options in those two republics alone amounted to over twenty million dollars. Mr. Ross was also interested in important contracts in Chicago and elsewhere.
He established his home permanently in Montreal in 1888 and from this point supported his active professional interests, contracting and building the Regina and Long Lake Railways some two hundred and fifty miles in length. In 1889 he supervised the construction of the Calgary & Edmonton Railway, three hundred miles in length.
Having proven his capability in the field of steam railway construction Mr. Ross, in 1892, largely concentrated his energies upon problems of street railway building and in connection with Sir William Mackenzie purchased the Toronto Railway from the city of Toronto. He afterward rebuilt the tracks and installed electric power in the operation of the road. In 1892 he undertook the reorganization of the Montreal Street Railway, changing it from horse car to electric service. He was at the head of the syndicate that purchased the franchise from the old City Passenger Railway Company. In the same way he converted the street railways of Winnipeg and St. John, New Brunswick, into electric lines and in 1896 he joined Sir William Mackenzie in the purchase of the tramway systems of Birmingham, England, and organized the City of Birmingham Tramways Company for the operation [26] of the road under an electric system. In the following year he secured a charter and franchise from the government of Jamaica to build electric tramways on the island.
The energy and enterprise of Mr. Ross seemed limitless. No matter how many and how important were the enterprises with which he was actively connected it seemed possible for him to take on others and become a factor in their successful control. He was one of the promoters of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in 1887, chief promoter of the Columbia River Lumber Company in 1889 and of the Canadian Land and Investment Company in 1891. His opinions carried weight in the councils of various companies with which he was connected as a member of the board of directors, including the Bank of Montreal; Calgary and Edmonton Land Company, Limited; Canada Life Insurance Company; Canada Sugar Refining Company, Limited; Canadian General Electric Company, Limited; Laurentide Paper Company, Limited; Royal Trust Company; and Dominion Bridge Company and St. John Railway Company, of which two last named he was president.
Writing of his business career a local paper said: “One of the most interesting periods of Mr. Ross’s life was that of his prominent connection with the Dominion Coal and the Dominion Iron and Steel Companies, lasting for a period of upwards of ten years. At a comparatively early stage of the development of the coal and iron industries on the island of Cape Breton, Mr. Ross with his customary business astuteness, foresaw the possibilities of great development, and decided to invest a considerable amount of his capital there. He became the owner of a large block of shares in the coal company, and after the promotion of the Dominion Iron and Steel Company in 1901 he became a director. As it was obvious that the interests of the two concerns would, if steel turned out a success, be very much bound up, Mr. Ross increased his holdings in coal until, in the same year, the Steel Company was launched, his interest became paramount, and he was placed in the position of being able to dictate the policy of the company. Having retired from active participation in many of the interests which made his earlier career such a busy one, he determined to give his personal attention to the development of his Cape Breton interests and with that object in view he accepted the office of vice president of the Dominion Coal Company and managing director of the Dominion Iron and Steel Company in 1901.
“The succeeding years were destined to be full of business anxieties and lively contendings but his keen business ability and foresight brought him to the end of his active connection with the companies a much richer man than when he went in, despite the loss of the fight in the courts over the dispute about the terms of the contract for the supply of coal to the Steel Company, 1907-08.
“Besides this fight Mr. Ross conducted the affairs of the Coal Company through disastrous fires which seriously affected the output of the mines, and labor troubles one of which was of a protracted and costly nature. Throughout all the various negotiations which were almost continuously carried on between the two companies for years, Mr. Ross found his paramount interest was in the Coal Company although he was financially and executively interested in both, so that eventually he withdrew from the steel [27] board and gave his whole time to the Coal Company, becoming its president, a post he retained until December, 1909. In March, 1909, at the annual meeting of the Dominion Coal Company, Mr. Ross made an exhaustive statement concerning the relations of the two companies following the decision of the Privy Council in the preceding month, in which he justified the course taken by his company. He explained from the coal point of view, how the company had saved the Steel Company from bankruptcy at a critical time following the termination of the lease of the Coal Company to Steel in 1903 and the subsequent dispute which became acute in 1906 and reached the courts the following year. The final settlement of the terms of the judgment between the two companies and the eventual purchase of Mr. Ross’ interest in coal for four million, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which took place late in 1909 when he retired from the presidency and Coal was amalgamated with Steel, concluded the most interesting and strenuous period of his career.
“Although Mr. Ross had strong likes and dislikes he never hesitated to proclaim openly ability he saw in the make-up of a business opponent. A conversation during the progress of the Steel and Coal litigation brought out this characteristic to a marked degree. During that memorable conflict Mr. J. H. Plummer and Sir William Van Horne were perhaps more prominently in the firing line on the Steel side than any one else, while Mr. Ross for the Coal Company was the inner and outer defenses and commander-in-chief combined. He was asked one day while discussing the possibilities of Canadian Pacific Railway stock what would take place supposing anything happened to Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, whereupon Mr. Ross said: ‘This statement will surprise you, but Van Horne would have to go back,’ thus paying a high compliment to his chief adversary in the Steel-Coal conflict. The manner in which Mr. Ross came to the rescue of a very important brokerage firm, the head of which is now dead, the day following President Cleveland’s message on the Venezuelan situation was another indication, not only of his good heart, but general interest in the financial community. The market was in a bad way generally when the message to congress accentuated to such an extent the unrest and lack of confidence, that gilt-edged securities were without buyers, even at ruinous prices. The financier in question was desperately in need of funds and although his securities were of the best, the then general manager of the Bank of Montreal, who has also passed away, did not consider himself justified in making the advance. When James Ross heard of the affair he came forward and said: ‘We cannot afford to allow this man to go to the wall, for if he goes half of St. François Xavier Street will tumble with him. Give him a million, take his securities and charge the amount to my account.’ Another public-spirited director assumed half the responsibility and a very grave financial smash was averted.
“Mr. Ross was first president of the Mexican Light, Heat and Power Company and during his several visits to the Mexican capital was brought in contact with the then ruling spirits of the republic. He at once formed a very high opinion of the then president with whom Mr. Ross had several interesting interviews, touching the trade relations of Canada and Mexico, and with that never erring foresight he also stated to a friend on his return from the Mexican capital that if ever Diaz was forced to relinquish the helm [28] of state, trouble would follow in the southern republic as it did not appear to the Montreal financier that there were enough of trained men around the then president to carry on successfully the affairs of that country, and the words of the former appear to have been prophetic.
“Although having a commanding interest in many other establishments and industries Mr. Ross used to say that the Bank of Montreal, the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Dominion Coal Company were nearest his heart. He was a director in the first named institution since 1899, the largest individual shareholder in the great national railway system and up to a few years ago the president and the holder of five million dollars stock in the last named corporation. Mr. James Ross succeeded the late Mr. Hugh McLennan and had been in consequence director of the Bank of Montreal for fourteen years. Speaking of the loss that institution sustained in the death of Mr. Ross, its vice president and general manager, Mr. H. V. Meredith, said: ‘We have lost an eminently strong man and a sound adviser,’ while Mr. R. B. Angus, the president, spoke of him as a very able director of the bank and a warm personal friend.”
About the time that Mr. Ross arrived in Canada the country was deeply engrossed in the discussion of free trade versus protection, and having seen the neighboring republic grow from an agricultural to a manufacturing community, and realizing what the same fiscal policy would do for Canada, he at once espoused the cause then championed by Sir John Macdonald and Sir Charles Tupper, both as regards the fiscal policy of the Dominion and their railway program as well. Mr. Ross was a moderate protectionist, believing that such a policy was mutually beneficial both to the manufacturer and consumer. He had seen such states as Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota and other agricultural sections of the Union vote for protection and often when apprehension was expressed over the probable outcome of a moderately protective tariff for the western provinces of Canada, Mr. Ross would reply that the establishment of eastern industries all over the west would soon convert the farmers of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to protectionist ideas.
In 1872 Mr. Ross was united in marriage to Miss Annie Kerr, a daughter of the late John Kerr of Kingston, New York, and sheriff of Ulster county. They had one son, John Kenneth Levison Ross, who married Ethel A. Matthews, a daughter of W. D. Matthews of Toronto, and they have two children, James Kenneth and Hylda Annie. Mrs. James Ross is deeply interested in organizations for promoting aesthetic tastes and is active in support of benevolent and charitable projects. She is a director of the Society of Decorative Art, vice president of the English section of the woman’s branch of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society and is president of the Maternity Hospital of Montreal.
Flags at half mast on the Bank of Montreal and the Royal Trust Company, on September 20, 1913, gave official announcement to the financial and business community that Mr. James Ross, director of the institutions, had passed away. It is fitting in a review of his life that one take cognizance of his many good deeds. Aside from his prominent activity in railway and financial circles, he was a man of marked public spirit and benevolence. In 1902 he gave to Lindsay, Ontario, and the county of Victoria, the Ross [29] Memorial Hospital as a memorial to his parents. Two years later Alexandra Hospital of Montreal received from him a gift of twenty-five thousand dollars and in 1910 he gave an equal amount to the Montreal Art Association of which he had long been a member and of which he was at that time the president. His total benefactions to the Art Association amounted to over a quarter of a million. In his will he made the following public bequests: to the Royal Victoria Hospital, the General Hospital and the Maternity Hospital each fifty thousand dollars; to Alexandra Hospital twenty-five thousand dollars; to the Montreal Art Association and to McGill University each one hundred thousand dollars and to the Ross Memorial Hospital at Lindsay, Ontario, twenty-five thousand dollars. He also remembered many of his old friends and took special care that his servants and employes should be provided for.
Mr. Ross was identified with many public interests and ranked with loyal Canadians whose efforts have been effective forces in promoting general progress.
He was a governor of McGill University, of the Royal Victoria Hospital, of the Alexandra Hospital and of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane at Montreal. He was likewise a trustee of Bishop’s College at Lennoxville, P. Q., and in 1900 he was appointed honorary lieutenant colonel of the Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars. He took an active interest in yachting and was the owner of the Glencairn, which won the Seawanhaka-Corinthian cup for half raters in American waters in 1896. He subsequently bought the late Joseph Pulitzer’s large steam yacht, Liberty, of one thousand six hundred fifty tons, which he renamed the Glencairn, and in which he spent much of his vacation time in the Mediterranean. It might be interesting to note here that both the small half rater and the large steam yacht were named in memory of the large full-rigged ship Glencairn, which was owned and commanded by his late father, Captain John Ross, of Cromarty. Mr. James Ross was for many years commodore of the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, and was honorary commodore for life, and was a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Mr. Ross was well known in club circles, holding membership in the Mount Royal, St. James, Forest and Stream, Canada, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Racquet and Montreal Curling Clubs of Montreal; Rideau Club of Ottawa; Manitoba Club of Winnipeg; Toronto Royal Canadian Yacht and York Clubs of Toronto; Union Club of St. John, New Brunswick; Halifax Club of Halifax, Nova Scotia; New York Yacht and Manhattan Clubs of New York; Royal C. B. Yacht Club of Sydney, Nova Scotia; and the Constitutional Club of London, England.
Following the demise of Mr. Ross the Gazette of September 22, 1913, said editorially: [30] “The history of James Ross is to some extent the history of the financial and creative progress of Canada. He has been associated with many of our greatest enterprises and always in positions of prominence and leadership. In any list of citizens whose financial power must be reckoned with in predicting the course of supreme events in this country, the name of James Ross would have stood near the top. Many of his fellow citizens will think of him, however, as a generous and discriminating collector and exhibitor of art. At a time when Montreal had not many men who both appreciated and possessed the financial ability to purchase splendid specimens of the best art which the old world has produced, James Ross entered that field, and soon made his private collection one of the things of which Montrealers were proud. The public generally have had a chance to admire some of his treasures at Loan Exhibitions; and, in this fashion, the pleasure and benefit of his collection have been widely shared.”
Tributes of respect and regard were paid to Mr. Ross by people in every station in life. The high and the low, the rich and the poor did him honor. The following letter was received by his son, Mr. James K. L. Ross:
“The engineers on the S. and L. were much surprised and deeply grieved when we heard that your father had passed away. Our deepest sympathy goes out to you in your sad bereavement. We all feel that we have lost a good and true friend. No other man we have worked for gave our men the feeling of security in their position that he did. We always were satisfied that if we did what was right no other influence could hurt us or our families. When some of us were unfortunate enough to err in judgment and our error cost the company quite a lot, in the usual course of railways the officials had nothing to do but severely discipline us. Your father used his own position not to discipline our men but to give them a good man’s advice, which has helped our men and also the company which he then presided over. Acts like these are never forgotten by railway men and there were many sincere expressions of sorrow heard when the news of his death flashed over our road. They have also instructed us to convey to your sorrowing mother our deepest sympathy in her trying hour.
“On behalf of the S. and L. engineers, we are sincerely yours (Signed) D. W. Macdonald, chairman; Parker Holmes, secretary and treasurer; Hugh MacPherson, chief engineer.
“Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Canada, September 20, 1913.”
Another well merited tribute being from Principal Peterson of McGill University, who said:
“The other day we were greatly gratified to learn that a member of the board of governors, the late James Ross, had remembered McGill University in his will to the extent of one hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Ross was one of our friends. His connection with the administration of the university had given him many opportunities of appreciating the difficulty of carrying on an institution whose needs in the very nature of things, are always outrunning its resources; and his kindly thought of us has touched a chord in our hearts that vibrates with gratitude and appreciation.
“It is a melancholy pleasure to record also our indebtedness to Mr. Ross for much help and advice given as a member of the governing body of the university, especially in the department of mechanical engineering. Besides being a great and experienced engineer, he was a patron also of the arts and sciences. He took an active interest also in the well-being of our hospitals, and as they are in a sense university institutions, his bequests to the Royal Victoria and Maternity Hospitals may be cited here as additional reasons for gratitude. He was a man of high artistic culture, one who ‘loved that beauty should go beautifully.’ Mere splendor without taste would always have been repellent to him. Perhaps his best memorial, apart from the magnificent collection of pictures which he got together with such care and discrimination, and which was the joy and pride of his wide circle of friends, will be the beautiful building on Sherbrooke Street to which he has contributed so largely as the permanent home of the Art Association. Such men lend valuable aid in the way of enabling a community to realize some aspects of its higher self.”
Among the younger members of the well known and distinguished law firm of Brown, Montgomery & McMichael, advocates and barristers, is Walter R. L. Shanks. He was born March 20, 1886, at Millers Falls, Massachusetts. In 1908 he received from McGill University the Bachelor of Arts degree and in 1911 that of Bachelor of Civil Law. In July of that year he was admitted to the bar and has since been a member of the above firm. Mr. Shanks is a young lawyer of promise, and it may be said that his ability—or such ability as his opportunities have permitted him to demonstrate—entitles him to be included among those young men to whom the future holds out rich fields along professional lines. Mr. Shanks is socially popular and is a member of the University Club of Montreal and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
George Alexander Brown, M. D., one of the best known physicians of Montreal, his powers developing through the exercise of effort, was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on the 28th of June, 1866. The Browns are one of the old families on that island and representatives of the name in different generations have been prominently identified with professional interests. The paternal grandfather of Dr. Brown was president of the Prince of Wales College, while the maternal grandfather was the leader of the government in Charlottetown for twenty-one years.
Reared in the place of his nativity, Dr. Brown pursued his early education in St. Peters Boys’ School and subsequently continued his studies in Kings College University at Windsor, Nova Scotia. The classical course which he there pursued constituted the foundation upon which he built the superstructure of professional learning. Entering McGill University, he won the degrees of M. D. and C. M. from that institution where he graduated with the class of 1889. During the succeeding year and a half he was resident physician of the Montreal General Hospital, thus putting his theoretical knowledge to the practical test and gaining that broad and valuable experience which only hospital practice can give. For more than twenty years Dr. Brown has successfully followed his profession in Montreal and in addition to an extensive private practice is acting as physician to the Montreal Dispensary and is in charge of the tubercular clinic. He has [32] been a close and constant student of his profession, interested in all that tends to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call life and his own investigations and research have resulted in bringing to light some valuable truths.
In February, 1906, he submitted to the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society, a new treatment for consumption which he has used in his practice with great success. This consists of the injection into the human system of a solution principally of iodine and in April, 1912, he read before the International Tubercular Congress at Rome, Italy, a paper upon this treatment. He is a member of the Montreal Medical Society and keeps in close touch with the advanced work that is being done by fellow members of the profession through the perusal of medical journals and the latest contributions to medical literature as well as through his connection with medical societies.
Dr. Brown was united in marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth (Conroy) Muldoon of Watertown, who by her former marriage had two children, William and Ella. Dr. and Mrs. Brown have become the parents of two children, Elsie and Basil. They have a wide acquaintance socially and are connected with the Unitarian Society, while Dr. Brown is also a member of the University Club. Year by year has marked his steady progress in his profession, and today his position of prominence is accorded him by the consensus of opinion on the part of colleagues and contemporaries.
High on the keystone of Canada’s financial arch was inscribed the name of Sir Edward Clouston, of whom a leading journalist wrote: “He was one of the mainsprings of Canada’s progress.” Not only did he achieve notable results in his own career but was also the adviser and counsellor of many who have stood highest in the public life and activities of the Dominion, and thus a notable figure passed from the stage of earthly activities when he was called to his final rest on the 23d of November, 1912. He was then still in the prime of life, his birth having occurred at Moose Factory on James Bay, May 9, 1849, his parents being James Stewart and Margaret Clouston. The father, a native of Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, was a chief factor in the Hudson’s Bay service. The mother was the eldest daughter of Robert S. Miles, also prominently connected with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Sent to Montreal to continue his education, the son became a pupil in the high school, of which Aspinwall How was then head master. Subsequently he spent a year in the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company and then returned to Montreal when a youth of sixteen to become junior clerk in the Bank of Montreal, entering that institution in 1865. This was the initial step in his successful career as one of Canada’s foremost financiers. In his twentieth year he was appointed accountant at Brockville and two years later was transferred to Hamilton in the same capacity. In 1874 he became assistant accountant at Montreal, was attached to the London, England, office and also to the New York office in 1875. Five years later he was made manager of the Montreal branch and in 1887 was promoted to the position of assistant general manager. In 1889 he became acting general manager and from 1890 was general manager, being [35] called to that position of grave and great responsibility when but forty-one years of age. Throughout the years of his connection with the bank he had ever in mind, not only the interest of the shareholders, but also the welfare of his subordinates, many of whom received from him unusual consideration and kindness. Sir Edward Clouston’s tenure of office in the Bank of Montreal was longer than that of any of his predecessors, the presidency during these years having been filled by Sir Donald Smith, afterward Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal; Sir George Drummond and Mr. R. B. Angus. In retiring from the general managership Sir Edward Clouston retained the vice presidency, which he had held since Sir George Drummond became president in 1906. In his official capacity as vice president he regularly attended the board meetings and never ceased to be in close touch with the important affairs and interests of the bank. The prominent place which he held in the regard of the leading financiers of the country is shown by the fact that he was again and again elected to the presidency of the Canadian Bankers Association. He was thus in constant touch with the financial world and his advice upon matters connected with it was frequently sought by the different finance ministers of the Dominion, for no man in Canada had a surer grasp of difficult financial problems, and his genius in this respect was an enormous asset to the great institution with which he was so long connected. His discernment was keen and his insight enabled him readily to recognize the possibilities and probable outcome of any business situation. The Montreal Herald spoke of him as “a man of few words, of unerring accuracy in his judgments and of a caution in business transactions which, while it protects the bank from loss, does not hinder its development.” The Montreal Witness said: “Sir Edward Clouston possesses in extraordinary degree that sixth sense of the banker—intuition as to character, rapid analysis of method, what is in a proposition from the first chapter to the last—in short knowing who and what to trust.” It was these qualities which made his cooperation sought in various directions and brought him prominently before the public in various important commercial and financial connections. He was vice president of the Royal Trust Company; a director of the Guarantee Company of North America, the Canadian Cottons, Limited, the Canada Sugar Refining Company, the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, the Kaministikwia Power Company. He was chairman of the Canadian board of the Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company and the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. His cooperation and support extended to various other projects of a public or semi-public character, and at all times he manifested a deep interest in those projects relating to general progress and improvement or the betterment of social, intellectual, political and moral conditions. He was vice president of the Parks and Play Grounds Association and The Crematorium, Limited, was president of the Royal Victoria Hospital and a governor of the Montreal General, Montreal Maternity, Alexandra and Western Hospitals, the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, the Fraser Institute, the Montreal Dispensary, the Victorian Order of Nurses, and McGill University. In 1910 he was one of the principal promoters of the Typhoid Emergency Hospital and was a member of the executive committee of the local branch of St. John’s Ambulance Association. He was honorary treasurer of the King Edward VII Memorial Fund and of many other commemorative and charitable funds. He was a patron of art, and possessed many fine pictures himself, while the Montreal Art Association numbered him [36] as one of its counselors as well as one of its generous benefactors. Sir Edward Clouston was also well known as a sportsman, taking an active interest in early life in football and lacrosse, and he was also a well known racquet player. He was captain of the Canadian team which played the Harvard University Football Club in 1875. He was president of the Montreal Racquet Club in 1888 and was appointed a trustee of the Minto challenge lacrosse cup in 1901. Sir Edward was ever willing to encourage the amateurs in sports, and in addition to those already mentioned he was a devotee of snowshoeing and fancy skating. In later years he became an enthusiastic yachtsman, motorist and golfer. He was also a clever swimmer himself and did a great deal to advance the sport in many ways. He was the donor of a trophy for competition among the members of the Royal Life Saving Station, which is being competed for annually, and many other such trophies were presented through his generosity. When the Rugby Club was organized as a branch of the Montreal Athletic Association he became an active executive officer. He was one of the trustees of the Stanley cup in the early days of its competition and acted as an official at many of the championships held under the auspices of the Amateur Skating Association of Canada.
In November, 1878, Sir Edward Clouston married Annie, youngest daughter of George Easton, collector of Her Majesty’s customs at Brockville, Ontario. Lady Clouston, who survives him, keeps up the beautiful and historic estate at St. Annes, known as Bois Briant, which was the pride and delight of Sir Edward’s later years, and she also maintains the home at No. 362 Peel Street in Montreal, known so long as the city residence of the general manager of the Bank of Montreal. This was Sir Edward’s favorite title. President and vice president appealed to him but little; it was as an administrator that he won and held his fame. He was mentioned as successor to Lord Strathcona as high commissioner for Canada in Great Britain in 1909. The previous year he had been created a baronet and in 1911 he was appointed a Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England. He was one of the best known club men of Canada, belonging to Mount Royal Club; St. James Club; Auto and Aero Club; Forest and Stream Club; M. A. A. A.; Montreal Hunt Club; Montreal Jockey Club; Royal Montreal Golf Club; Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club; St. George Snowshoe Club; Toronto Club and York Club, Toronto; Rideau Club, Ottawa; Manhattan Club, New York; and Bath Club and River Thames Yacht Club, London, England.
In a review of his life history many points stand out prominently. Within a quarter of a century he rose from an humble position in the bank to that of general manager and remained vice president until his demise. He was the recognized leader of finance, whose counsel was sought and valued in connection with the greatest undertakings. His business genius and public spirit went hand in hand and each constituted factors in the progress and upbuilding of Canada and in the development and promotion of the country’s interests. His influence was far-reaching and effective as a force in national prosperity and greatness.
One who knew Sir Edward best summed up his character in the following article, which appeared in the journal of the Canadian Bankers Association after his death: [37] “In life Sir Edward Clouston was a man of few words and I have felt that silence is my most fitting tribute to his memory. He was not an ostentatious man; he employed neither press agents nor stage managers. Many of his generous actions are known only to the writer of these lines; many others are known only to his Maker.”
Philibert Baudouin, who has been a representative of the notarial profession since 1858, although for some years his attention was given to finance, was born at Repentigny, Quebec, April 27, 1836. He is a descendant in the direct line of Jean Baudouin, who was here bartering with the Indians as early as 1656, fourteen years after Montreal was founded by de Maisonneuve. In a fight with the Iroquois in 1660, when he killed one of their chieftains, Jean Baudouin was taken and led as a prisoner to the enemy’s country, whence he returned eighteen months afterward, having in the meantime learned the Iroquois language. A short time subsequent to his return he married and soon settled in the parish of Pointe-aux-Trembles, where he died peacefully. He had lost his eldest son in an ambush laid by the same astute foes in 1690. One of his sons, François, took a farm from the Seignior on L’Assomption river in 1699, near the present site of Charlemagne, and a few years afterward, in 1716, purchased the homestead on the north bank of the river St. Lawrence, in the parish and Seigniory of Repentigny, where he went to live and there spent his remaining days. This homestead remained in the family for almost two centuries, passing from father to son for four generations. François Baudouin left it to his son Pierre, who married three times and left it to his son Raymond. Raymond was drowned and his widow made a gift of it to their son Pierre. From this last Pierre Baudouin it went to Zoel Baudouin, one of his sons, whose daughter and only heir, Mrs. Edmond Robillard, of St. Paul l’Hermite, sold it to its present owner, Mr. Dechamp.
Philibert Baudouin is a son of Pierre and Marguerite (Etu) Baudouin, the latter, like her husband, belonging to one of the old families established in this province in the seventeenth century. The mother’s name was then written Estur, which has since been wrongly changed to Hetu. The family name Baudouin should be so spelled instead of Beaudoin, as so often met with at the present time. It is derived from two Saxon words, bald and win, and was latinized by the early chroniclers, becoming Balduinus, which was later translated into French as Baudouin but remained Baldwin in English. The first one who settled in Montreal very properly signed his name Jean Baudouin, as may be seen on the old records in the clerk’s office, and in France it is still written in the same way. Besides being a progressive farmer Pierre Baudouin was a church warden and a captain in the militia.
Philibert Baudouin was educated at L’Assomption College, in the town of L’Assomption, where he pursued a full classical course, completed in 1854. He then prepared for the notarial profession, to which he was admitted in 1858. In 1860 he settled for practice in the town of Iberville and after nearly fifteen years devoted to the profession he turned his attention to finance, devoting his energies and activities thereto until 1893, when he removed to Montreal and resumed the practice of the notarial profession. He has now passed the seventy-eighth [38] milestone on life’s journey, but is still an active man. From 1862 until 1873 he was county clerk, clerk of the circuit court for the county of Iberville and town clerk of Iberville, his decade of public service being characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty. His financial activities covered nearly twenty years as bank manager in St. Johns, Quebec.
On the 22d of August, 1864, in St. Johns, Mr. Baudouin was married to Miss Caroline A. Marchand, a daughter of Louis Marchand, deputy protonotary at St. Johns, and of Delphine Phineas. Mrs. Baudouin belongs to the old Marchand family which settled in St. Johns in the early part of the nineteenth century. There were three brothers, François, Gabriel and Louis, the second being the father of the Hon. F. G. Marchand, late premier of the province of Quebec. Her mother was a daughter of Isaac Phineas, for a long time agent at Maskinonge, of Seignior Pothier’s estate, and who was an intimate friend of the Hart family of Three Rivers. Seven sons and two daughters have been born of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Baudouin, Philibert, Annette, Gustave, Rodolphe, Joseph, Jean, Charles, Louise and Oscar. The elder daughter became the wife of Dr. J. C. Tasse, of Worcester, Massachusetts. Gustave married Augustine Hardy, of Quebec. Joseph wedded Julie Caty, of Montreal. Jean married Alice Hamilton, of Montreal. Oscar married Hilda Julien, of Montreal. Louise is the wife of Alfred Masson, of Valleyfield, a grandson of Dr. L. H. Masson, who took a leading part in the troublous times of 1837-38.
Mr. Baudouin is a supporter of the old conservative party, but has never taken a leading part in the political contests, especially so in his advanced years, when he recognizes the fact that political leaders too often are using their power for their own preferment instead of the public good.
In every community there are men of broad charity and intelligent public spirit, of high integrity and sincerity of purpose and of resourceful business ability who are marked as leaders in development. Worthy of being classed with men of this character is Joseph Adelard Descarries, one of the eminent members of the Montreal bar and a man whose name figures in connection with the legislative history of the province as well as in the court records. Mr. Descarries is a representative of one of the oldest families of the province and one whose members have been identified with its growth and development since the earlier periods of settlement. He was born at St. Timothee, in the county of Beauharnois, Quebec, November 7, 1853, the youngest son of the late Pierre and Elizabeth (Gougeau) Descarries.
Having mastered the branches of learning taught in the public schools of his native village, Joseph A. Descarries afterward attended Montreal College, McGill University and Laval University, graduating from the latter in 1879, with the degree of LL. L. He studied law under Hon. Sir Alexander Lacoste and was called to the bar in 1879, at which time he began practice as an advocate. He was created a king’s counsellor by the Earl of Derby in 1893 and for more than a third of a century he has been continuously and successfully engaged in law [41] practice in Montreal, where he has been accorded an extensive and distinctively representative clientage.
His public work, too, has been of an important character and has indicated his loyalty to the highest standards of government. For nine consecutive years he was mayor of Lachine, giving to the city a businesslike and progressive administration. In 1892 he was elected for Jacques Cartier county to the legislative assembly, but resigned in 1896, in which year he unsuccessfully contested a seat in the house of commons. Since that time he has taken no active part in politics aside from exercising his right of franchise and standing stanchly in support of principles and measures in which he believes. He is now president of the Lachine Conservative Club and is also president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Lachine.
Mr. Descarries is the largest private owner of real estate in Lachine, his holdings including some of the finest residential properties surrounding Montreal. Some years ago he purchased a tract of land eleven acres in width from the Allan family, comprising a most attractive piece of property, which he developed and thus added greatly to the upbuilding of the district. He is the owner of one hundred and fifty-two houses, erecting all of them save one, and in their building substantiality has always been a feature. Unlike the usual structure built merely to sell, Mr. Descarries has aimed at the creation of an estate the ultimate value of which cannot help but become immense. As an illustration of the change in realty values, caused by improvements and transformation of surroundings, it may be cited that Mr. Descarries some years ago purchased a tract of land of four hundred acres, on which the taxes were at that time approximately eighty dollars, while today for less than one-third of this land which he owns the taxes are more than three thousand dollars. It would be difficult to estimate the value to a community of operations of this character. Mr. Descarries has taken an active part in the upbuilding of industrial interests, and his influence has been an important factor in securing for Lachine a number of valuable industries, all of which have materially contributed to growth and development for the city, enabling it to take a prominent rank among Montreal’s suburban cities. Among his other business connections Mr. Descarries is president of the Wealthy Mines Company, Limited, and a director of Les Champs d’Or Rigaud Vaudreuil.
In 1881 Mr. Descarries was married, at Chateauguay, Quebec, to Miss Marie Celina Elmire, a daughter of A. N. Le Pailleur, a notary public of Lachine. The marriage ceremony was performed by Monseigneur Charles Edward Fabre, archbishop of Montreal. Mrs. Descarries is a graduate of Mount St. Marie Convent and is a lady of superior intelligence and high qualities of mind. Their children are as follows. Joseph A. P., who was graduated from McGill University, specializing in chemistry, founded the Lachine Gas Company, of which he is now the head. He married Miss Oliva Forgues, of Outremont, a graduate of St. Anne’s Convent at Lachine. They have two children, Olivette and Marcelle. Theophile N., who was graduated from Laval University, is an advocate, associated with his father under the firm name of Descarries & Descarries. He married Miss Marie Anne Huot, a daughter of Dr. G. Huot, of Beauharnois, and they have one child, Anne Marie. Aimee, a graduate of St. Anne’s Convent of Lachine, is a young lady of unusual artistic taste and skill. Her [42] work as a painter on china shows exceptional merit and includes some of the finest specimens of this decorative art exhibited by Canadian artists. Adelard, a graduate of Mount St. Louis College, is now a student at l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes. Marie Rose will graduate from St. Anne’s Convent of Lachine in the class of 1914. Auguste, a student at St. Mary’s College, is a young man of unusual talent and promise, whose ability as an organist is well known.
Mr. Descarries’ pleasure and recreation have always been greatly augmented when in the company of his family, whose entertainment, like their rearing and education, has never been neglected. Estimating highly the value of education, he has extended to his children exceptional opportunities for intellectual development and they constitute a family that would be a distinct credit to any parentage. Both Mr. and Mrs. Descarries have always maintained a companionship with their children and have been so close to their interests, thoughts, purposes and plans that there has been little need for that parental discipline which is often a too pronounced feature in households. Confidence and mutual understanding have been the basis of the family relation, rendering this a most attractive household. The religious belief of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Descarries has for several years been president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He is also a member of the Club Lafontaine, the Lachine Snowshoe Club and the Auto and Aero Club of Montreal.
No history of Mr. Descarries would be complete without mention of the fact that he is a very public-spirited man, liberal and generous in his support of any movement for the public good and ever ready to lend his assistance to such movements as will contribute to the advancement of the city, province and Dominion. He has been a very successful business man, not only as regards the accumulation of property but as well in the high esteem in which he is held. He has all the elements of a man in whom to have confidence, dependable in any relation and in any emergency. His quietude of deportment, his easy dignity, combined with an innate courtesy and politeness, all contribute to a strong personality. The splendid use he has made of his time, talents and opportunities has equipped him for the important and valuable work he has been doing and which has given decided impetus to the city’s progress and improvement, upholding as well its legal, political and moral status.
Capability and loyalty are the essential attributes of the man who would fill the office of chief inspector of industrial establishments and public buildings and properly perform the arduous and responsible duties thereby devolving upon him. Such a man is found in Louis Guyon, who has closely studied the subject of construction and all that relates to accidents which may occur in building operations. He is a native of the state of New York, having been born at Sandy Hill, Washington county. Boyhood, however, found him located in Montreal where he pursued his education, taking special courses in preparation for a commercial career. Almost throughout his entire life he has been in the public service. In April, 1888, he was appointed factory inspector and made a most [43] capable official. He studied in every available way in order to know what should be required of factory owners and operators and just how far their responsibility extended in the protection of employes. He traveled widely in order to promote his knowledge of that character and he was a delegate to the Paris convention on accidents in 1889 and again in 1900. His qualifications were so thoroughly recognized that he was made chief inspector of industrial establishments and public buildings in January, 1901, and has since occupied this position, covering a period of thirteen years, his entire course being one which commends him to the continued confidence and support of the public. As inspector he has studied not only to find where fault may lie in the erection of buildings or in the care of employes, but has also studied the best methods of safeguarding the workers and in 1903 he founded the museum of appliances for the prevention of accidents. His reputation for efficiency in his special field continued to grow and in 1910 he was made president of the International Convention of Inspectors of Factories. No one is more deeply interested in this important work or realizes more fully the obligations which devolve upon the employer in his connection with his employes, and his work has constituted a campaign of education whereby the public has come to know what are the needs and demands of the hour and how best to meet them.
George Hadrill, secretary of the Montreal Board of Trade, is one whose opinions concerning business conditions are largely accepted as standard, because of his broad experience and his thorough study of matters effecting trade relations of the country. For more than a quarter of a century he has occupied his present position and has been called into conference in many trade councils. He was born in London, England, August 2, 1848, a son of George and Elizabeth (Bushell) Hadrill. His education was acquired in the metropolis, and he spent the earlier years of his business life in that city, arriving in Canada in 1874, when a young man of twenty-six years. Three years were devoted to business pursuits before he joined the staff of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1877. His fitness for the position is evidenced in the fact that by 1880 he had been promoted to the position of assistant secretary. Six years passed and in 1886 he was made secretary, so that he has now acted in that capacity for twenty-eight years. The occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his acceptance of the position was fittingly celebrated, and a cabinet of silverware was presented him by the Montreal Board of Trade.
His position as secretary brings him into close contact with business affairs and trade organizations throughout the world. He has been a delegate to several imperial trade congresses, the last being held in Sydney, Australia. By invitation he was a delegate to Newfoundland to assist in the formation of a board of trade there in 1909. He was presented in 1903 with a testimonial from British delegates to the imperial trade congress at Montreal in acknowledgement of courtesies and services rendered by him. In 1905 he was elected an honorary member of the International Board of Foreign Trade and was made honorary secretary [44] of the King Edward memorial committee of Montreal in 1911. His position has brought him into close connection with many important civic and municipal projects with which the Board of Trade has been intimately associated.
In 1891 Mr. Hadrill married Emmeline Lilian, the daughter of J. Albert Copland of Chelmsford, England. Mrs. Hadrill died in December, 1902. Mr. Hadrill has been a director of St. George’s Society of Montreal and is an Anglican in religious faith. The Montreal Herald has written of him that he is “a man of great natural abilities as a statistician and accountant.” “He possesses unusual qualifications for his office, which calls for a display of diplomacy, tact and social qualities as well as for purely business ability,” writes another paper, and this opinion is corroborated by all who have come in contact with him. While thoroughly systematic and methodical in managing the duties of his position, he has at the same time that ready resourcefulness which enables him to meet an emergency and secure from it the best possible results.
The tales of heroic conduct in times of war will always arouse the enthusiasm and call forth the praise of those who hear them, but heroism is by no means confined to the men who wear their nation’s uniform and march to the sound of the bugle. It has been manifest where there were none to witness and none to record the story and with nothing but an individual sense of duty for its inspiration. The world thrilled with the story of the heroism of the men, who, in the silence of the night, gave women and children over to the care of the few who manned the lifeboats and quietly awaited death on the decks of the steamship Titanic when it sank on its maiden trip across the Atlantic, April 15, 1912. Included in the great toll of human lives exacted by this catastrophe, was that of Charles Melville Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railways and one of the foremost railroad magnates of his generation. His was the master mind in the development of the Grand Trunk Pacific and his work for the Grand Trunk Railway has become a part of the history of the Dominion. One of the elements of his success was that he was always essentially and strictly a railroad man, never dissipating his energies over too broad a field but concentrating his efforts along that single line of activity.
A native of Rock Island, Illinois, Mr. Hays was born in 1856, and was but a child when his parents removed to St. Louis, Missouri, in which city he was reared and received his educational training. He was but a boy of seventeen when he started out in life on his own account as a clerk in the passenger department of the Atlantic & Pacific Railway. From that time on his advancement was continuous and rapid, solely the result of his thoroughness, efficiency and genuine merit. After a year he was transferred to the auditor’s department and later was called to a position in the office of the general superintendent, where his aptitude, enterprise and initiative were soon recognized. From 1878 until 1884 he was secretary to the general manager of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and in the latter year was offered [47] and accepted the position of secretary to the general manager of the Wabash & St. Louis Pacific Railway Company.
In 1886 he was appointed general manager of the road and the following year became general manager of the Wabash Western, comprising all of the Wabash lines west of the Mississippi and also between Chicago and Detroit. In 1889 he was appointed general manager of the reorganized and consolidated Wabash system and controlled the important and manifold interests of the railway for six years or until he resigned to become general manager of the Grand Trunk, succeeding L. J. Seargeant. Five years later he left the Grand Trunk to take the position of president of the Southern Pacific Railway Company but remained in that connection for only a year, as the railway passed under the control of the Harriman interests, whose policy differed from that of Mr. Hays. About that time he received a communication from Sir Charles Rivers Wilson, again offering him the position of general manager of the Grand Trunk and he returned to the latter road late in 1901 as second vice president and general manager. His connection therewith was continuous from that time until his demise, and on the retirement of Sir Charles Rivers Wilson in October, 1909, he was appointed president. In the meantime his connection with railway interests constantly broadened, making him one of the notable figures in railway circles on the American continent. He became president of the Central Vermont Railway, the Grand Trunk Western Railway, the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railway, the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railway, the Michigan Air Line Railway, the Chicago, Detroit and Canada Grand Trunk Junction Railway, the Detroit & Toledo Shore Line, the Southern New England Railway Company, the Canadian Express Company, the Grand Trunk Railway Insurance & Provident Society and of various corporations featuring largely as factors in commercial and industrial development. He was chosen to the presidency of the St. Clair Tunnel Company, the International Bridge Company, the Montreal Warehousing Company, the Portland Elevator Company and the New England Elevator Company. He also represented the Grand Trunk Western Railway as a director of the Chicago & Western Indiana Railway and Belt Railway of Chicago.
In 1905 he was made a member of the permanent commission of the International Railway Congress and also a director of the United States Mortgage & Trust Company. He was a delegate to the Imperial Trades Congress in 1903. He became a director of the Royal Trust Company and the Merchants Bank of Canada and a director of the Canadian Board of the London & Lancashire Life Assurance Company. He was also a director of the Montreal Horticultural and Fruit Growing Association—a fact which indicated much of the breadth of his interests. His executive ability was sought as an element in the successful management of various benevolent, charitable and philanthropic enterprises. He was a governor of the Montreal General Hospital, a governor of the Royal Victoria Hospital and a governor of the McGill University. In 1907 he was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun (third class) by the emperor of Japan.
He was a man of remarkable personality. Obstacles and difficulties seemed but a stimulus for renewed effort on his part and he was never [48] happier than when he could grasp an opportunity and utilize it to the fullest extent or untangle a knotty problem in railway management and control. Mr. Hays was a well known figure in club circles, belonging to the Mount Royal, St. James, Canada, Forest and Stream, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Hunt, St. Maurice Fish and Game Club and the Laurentian Club of Montreal and the Rideau Club of Ottawa. Sir Wilfrid Laurier had termed him “a valuable acquisition to Canada,” and the Montreal Witness said he was “a splendid example of what brains, pluck and industry can overcome and accomplish,” while the Montreal Standard styled him “a man of quiet dignity, whose sanity and strength are seen and felt in all his undertakings.”
Mr. Hays was survived by his widow, who was Miss Clara J. Gregg, a daughter of William H. Gregg of St. Louis, Missouri, and four daughters, Mrs. George D. Hall, of Boston, Mrs. Thornton Davidson, Mrs. A. Harold Grier and Mrs. Hope C. Scott, of Montreal.
One of the ships that hastened to the relief of the Titanic recovered the body of Mr. Hays, which was brought back to Montreal for interment and laid to rest following one of the most imposing funerals ever accorded a civilian in this city. Mr. Hays worshipped at the American Presbyterian church of Montreal and was one of its trustees, but retained his membership in the First Presbyterian church of St. Louis, Missouri, and in the memorial services held in the former on the 25th of April, 1912, a sermon by the Rev. Dr. McKittrick, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of St. Louis, following the death of Mr. Hays, was read. He said in part: “The colossal catastrophe of the seas which has so recently startled and dismayed the civilized world could not pass today entirely unnoted in the temples of the living God. Among those who went down to their unexpected and, it seems to our vision, their untimely death, there was no man who worthily had a higher position in the social, industrial and financial world than Mr. Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. Since commonly the boy is father of the man we might almost refer to him as ‘our Mr. Hays’ for he was once in our Sunday School, and afterwards a member of our Board of Trustees. His is an inspiring example to all our boys and to every boy in the land of what may be accomplished by rightful purpose, industry, determination, all these by the worthy motives which variously constitute character. It took all the elements which are found in a manly man to make first so notable a record as was his in this city, and then to create for himself the distinguished name and for his undertaking the great prosperity which concerning both the history of today reveals.”
The following reference to Mr. Hays’ life and work was made at the close of public worship in the American Presbyterian church, Montreal, on Sabbath, April 28th. Dr. Johnston said: “The subject that we have been considering this morning has unavoidably suggested to you, as it has to me, many thoughts regarding the life, the death and the work of Mr. Charles M. Hays whose loss our land mourns today.
“Much has already been said of Mr. Hays as the railway magnate, the man of enterprise, the devoted husband and father and the loyal friend. Upon these phases of his character I will not therefore further dwell, but there remains something to be said of that feature of his life which, though less conspicuous to the general public, nevertheless lay deep and strong [49] behind all these other characteristics, and was indeed the inspiration of them. We all in this congregation know the large place which Mr. Hays gave to the work and worship of the church, and the readiness with which his time and influence were always lent to its interests. He loved the House of God. That love, in a measure, was doubtless the result of early training in a home of whose deep religious character he ever loved to speak in terms of affection and appreciation. It was also due in part to his deep sense of what he owed in his place of great prominence to the community at large, and to a younger generation in particular, in the way of example. Most of all, however, it was due to his appreciation of the place that worship should have in every life, and to his deep sense of the need of every soul for those things that the House of God and its services can give. This attitude instead of lessening, as in so many lives it does, as responsibilities increased, and honours accumulated, deepened in Mr. Hays with the passing years.
“The continent-wide enterprises with which his name will always be associated were not simply enterprises and interests to him. They constituted a work, a ministry, which it was given him to administer for man, and through man for God. The tens of thousands for whom he had already thrown open the door of their exodus from European stagnation and oppression were his Israel, whom he, in God’s name, was leading out into liberty and larger life. These broad prairies and boundless stretches of Northern Saskatchewan and the Peace River district, those hitherto impassable Rockies, giving gateway to the flowering farmlands that slope toward the silver sands of the Pacific—these were his Canaan, which it was his to conquer, not with sword and clash of battle, but with genius and enterprise and the power of science, so that into the good ‘Land of Promise’ he might bring the oppressed peoples of the world, to make a nation strong in liberty and in righteousness.
“Did time permit I could tell you much of how Mr. Hays carried on his great heart, the toiling multitudes of earth and their needs, and of how it was to him a vision glorious that he was permitted in some measure to contribute to their uplift and redemption. He, too, like Israel’s leader, had looked upon the burdens of the people. To us it seems that, like Moses, he has been permitted only to view his promised land from afar. On the threshhold of completion he has been bidden to lay down his work. A broken column? A work incomplete? Yes, if this world is all, and this life the only life, but if death is indeed for the life that lives in Christ, not extinction but expansion, not frustration but promotion, than surely in some other of the many mansions in our Father’s one great house, they still serve who have ceased from labor here, and work with gladness for the bringing in of that day when throughout all the universe of God there shall be nothing to hurt nor to destroy, but ‘God shall be all and in all.’”
The press throughout the American continent united in tribute to Charles Melville Hays and under the caption of Montreal’s Loss the Gazette of April 19, 1912, said editorially: [50] “Among the many places which will have home reasons for bearing the loss (April 15, 1912) of the steamship Titanic in sorrowful memory there will be few to rank before Montreal. Of residents who had won or were winning honorable places of usefulness in the city’s commercial life, no less than four ended their earthly career in the dark hours of Monday when the Atlantic waters closed over the wreck of what had been one of the world’s noblest vessels. First of these, of course, ranks Mr. Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railways and director and adviser in many allied and other enterprises. Mr. Hays came to Montreal as a stranger, when the condition and fortunes of the Grand Trunk Railway were low indeed. The life had apparently gone out of the direction and a great property, with greater potentialities, was in danger of passing into bankruptcy. He and his associates found their task harder also because they were strangers. It was only a little while, however, before the city and the country, as well as the proprietors of the railway, recognized that in the new general manager, which was the title Mr. Hays then had, they had a man who for capacity ranked with the highest in his profession. With a slight interruption Mr. Hays has had chief executive control since 1897 of the Grand Trunk Railway. In that time it has been lifted physically to the standard of a high class, well equipped road, with few superiors in America. Financially it has been so improved as to meet the interest charges on the new capital raised for betterments and has been able to pay dividends on some of the older issues that once seemed to have lost all value as investments. In late years he was a chief moving spirit in the projection and construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, which is now approaching completion. His work in these connections speaks of his executive ability louder than can words written or spoken. It is only to be added that in all relations of life, business or social, he was a plain, courteous and kindly gentleman, to whom all were ready to pay in full measure the respect that he deserved.”
The memorial service read in the American Presbyterian church to which previous allusion has been made, was one of the most impressive ever held within the borders of Canada and the tributes to Mr. Hays on that occasion attested how high was the position which he held in the regard of business colleagues, of eminent educators, ministers and others. Principal Peterson of McGill University said in part: “We have done well to come together in this solemn manner, not to meet in a useless parade of grief and sorrow, but to pay a sincere tribute to the worth of one who has gone to his last reward and to express our sympathy to those who suffer the loss of one so dear, and who have scarcely yet survived the shock of their sudden bereavement. Our men died like heroes—in that last dread extremity they bore themselves nobly and well.
“And I doubt not that foremost in fortitude was that great-hearted man who today is mourned throughout the world, Charles M. Hays, who was then eagerly returning to take his controlling part in those great enterprises with which his name will always be associated, and no doubt looking forward with joy to returning to his accustomed work and surroundings here. The vast transportation system over which he so well presided, and to which he gave fresh life, has just paid him well earned tribute in those moments of organized, concerted, silence stretching across this continent—the awed hush of reverent respect and tender sympathy from every section of the railway service and from every rank and class in the community at large. It was a moving incident, but only a slight indication of the esteem in which he was [51] held everywhere, and of the loss which the railways and the people have sustained.
“Mr. Hays came to Montreal in 1896, shortly after I came here, and since then it has been my privilege to know him well, and to meet him frequently in university and other affairs. Only a short time before Mr. Hays left for Europe I had a walk with him, when he talked to me of his plans for the future, and discussed university and other educational matters, with the grave and serious hope for future advancement which marked his thought. Little then did either of us think it possible that so terrible a disaster should cut short his vigorous and useful career. He was a real leader of men, a true captain of industry, carrying a huge burden of work and responsibility on his shoulders, and always carrying it as a strong Christian man should. We shall go forth from this solemn service to our customary duties, graver and sadder men. It may be that we shall not have the melancholy duty of following to the grave the remains of this man whose work interlinked a vast continent. He has found his grave in the ocean, and it may be literally said of him that the whole world is his tomb. Certainly his memory will not soon die; for long will the memory live of this impressive memorial of his sad fate and the sorrow of his stricken family. And when the far-reaching plans for which he stood sponsor are realized we shall often go back in thought to what this city, this dominion and the empire at large owes to the ability, the integrity and dauntless energy of Charles Melville Hays.”
One of the glowing and well deserved tributes paid to the memory of Charles Melville Hays was spoken by Rev. T. S. McWilliams. D. D., of Cleveland, Ohio, who said: “The man whose loss we mourn today, and whose memory we would honor was not merely a national, he was an international figure. The great enterprise of which he was at the head, and, to an unusual degree the guiding and animating spirit, was not merely a national, but an international railway. It seems fitting therefore that one from the United States should have a small part in this memorial service. The humble tribute which I bring is not merely that of a former pastor—as such I was privileged to say a few words on Sunday last. Nor is my tribute that of a personal friend—as such my place would not be here in the pulpit, but in position with the mourners, amongst those who most deeply and genuinely feel a sense of personal loss. Mine is the privilege today of bringing a neighboring nation’s tribute, if you will; of assuring you that many of the American people share with you the sorrow and sense of loss which you feel so keenly. In the United States the late Charles M. Hays was born, and there he spent the larger part of his life. Of our country he remained a citizen to the last. Yet there were few men more genuinely devoted to the interests of Canada or more intelligently attached to British institutions than he. Few, if any, in Canada saw with clearer vision the great possibilities of the future of your country and believed more intensely in the great destinies of Canada.
“To speak of Mr. Hays’ preeminent ability as a railway man is scarcely necessary. We have only to look around to see the monuments to his genius. There are two immense office buildings that ornament your city; there is that wonderful steel bridge over Niagara’s gorge and the great station at Ottawa. There is the rejuvenated and vastly extended Grand Trunk Railway. [52] And, perhaps greatest of all, there is the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, destined at no distant date to span this continent, making accessible natural resources of incalculable value, and bringing into practical part of the national progress vast regions at present inaccessible to the agriculturist. These are great enterprises which have attracted the admiring attention of the world and stimulated rival systems to greater activity, while bringing millions in money to your land, and, what means much more to you, an unprecedented tide of immigration. It is but just to say that such enterprises as these have been no small factor in the building up of that great progress and prosperity which characterizes Canada at the present time.
“The credit of such achievements is, of course, to be shared with Mr. Hays’ earnest colaborers—and he would have been the first to give them such credit—but to Mr. Hays is certainly due the credit of the initiative. For a man at the early age of thirty-eight years to rise from the bottom of the ladder to the presidency of such a railway system as the Wabash, and later to be selected as president of the Grand Trunk, charged with its rehabilitation, and to so conduct its affairs that after only five years its securities had enhanced in value by eighty-six millions of dollars; to be called to the presidency of the Southern Pacific, and then called back again to the Grand Trunk to consummate yet vaster plans—these are proofs positive and sufficient of his preeminent railway genius. The tribute of silence in which we a few minutes ago reverently joined—a silence in which we were joined by that great army of employes from ocean to ocean—was not the silence of obedience to an enforced order. It was the genuine heart-felt tribute of men of all ranks to a leader whom they had loved and lost.
“The contagion of his example spread through every part of that great system. Himself a hard and rapid worker his own example was a sufficient incentive to do away with indolence and incompetence. His presence anywhere on the system encouraged and thrilled to better work not by fear of the tyrant’s command to go, but they thrilled at the leader’s call to come.
“Mr. Hays was first, last and all the time a great railway man. But it would be unjust to speak merely of that. He possessed other qualities that impressed me even more than that. He was throughout his life a man of lofty and unbending principle. I personally know that his early ending of his connection with a great railway system, sacrificing a position to which was attached great honor and an immense salary, and his going out of that office, not knowing whither he went, was a wonderful example of the triumph of principle over what appeared to be personal interests. It stands as a proof of Mr. Hays’ unwillingness to be the tool of a designing genius no matter what that might seem to offer him in the way of personal remuneration. And in the great positions he held it was his constant endeavor to be just to all. It was his endeavor by day and his prayer by night to always carry an even balance between the employes of his company and those who had invested their living in it with even justice to both. Knowledge of this permeated the whole system, and brought a realization amongst the men that the main endeavor of the leader was not to get out of the employes as much as possible and give them in return as [53] little as possible, but that they were really working with, not for, their president, in the interests of all.
“And he was a public-spirited man in many other spheres. That he was a generous friend of education is proven in that he was a governor of McGill University; that he was a benefactor to suffering humanity is shown by the hospitals of which he was a governor. But far more than these public positions were innumerable cases in which he proved himself a generous but unostentatious friend to the needy. And may I for a moment draw aside the sacred veil, and speak of his home life. As a father, husband, brother, comrade, to all in his household he was ever the genial, pure, high-minded Christian gentleman—the idol of his home, as he deserved to be. His religious influence was unmistakable and caused him inevitably to work for the right. I am confident that his deep religious sense of duty was at the bottom of much that we admire in his career—he was utterly honest, not because he believed it to be the best business policy, but because he had faith in the right; he was filled with genial optimism, not from blindness to the facts, but because he knew them.
“That such lives should be allowed to be interrupted by such disasters as that we now mourn is a problem which cannot be satisfactorily answered. It may be said that no man’s place is impossible to be filled. But Methodism has never found another John Wesley, and the Grand Trunk will look and wait for long before it finds another Charles Melville Hays.”
One of the most able, successful and progressive of the younger generation of professional men in Montreal is Dougall Cushing, connected with important legal interests as a member of the firm of Barron & Cushing, notaries. He is a native son of the city, born May 3, 1886, his parents being Charles and Lily (Macaulay) Cushing. The family is of old American establishment, the great-grandfather of the subject of this review, Job Cushing, having been born in Massachusetts in 1765. The father was born in May, 1848, and he was for a number of years the senior member of the firm of Cushing & Barron and known as an able and reliable notary. He was in addition a director in the Sun Life Assurance Company, on the board of governors of the Young Men’s Christian Association and deacon in Calvary Congregational church, a man of wide interests, high standards and useful and important accomplishments. His death occurred September 30, 1910. He and his wife became the parents of seven children, R. Macaulay, Dougall of this review, Charles, Arthur, Eric, Geoffrey and Edith.
Dougall Cushing was reared in his parents’ home and acquired his preliminary education in the grammar and high schools of Montreal. He afterward attended McGill University, from which he was graduated B. A. in 1907 and B. C. L. in 1910. In the following year he established himself as a notary in his native city, associating himself with Robert H. Barron, his father’s former partner. The firm of Barron & Cushing is today, as it has been for many years past, one of the strongest of its kind in the city, for Dougall Cushing has followed closely in [54] his father’s footsteps, and has proved himself brilliant, reliable and energetic in the conduct of his professional interests.
Mr. Cushing belongs to Phi Kappa Pi, which he joined in McGill University and is a member of the Seventeenth Regiment, Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars. He is one of the popular and enterprising young men of Montreal and has already gained a creditable place in a profession in which his superior merit and ability will undoubtedly win for him ultimate distinction.
Hon. Samuel Gale, one of the ablest members of the legal profession in his day, and a very prominent citizen of Montreal, died in that city on Saturday, April 15, 1865. He was the son of a Mr. Gale who, born in Hampshire, England, came to America in 1770 as assistant paymaster to the forces. He married there a Miss Wells, of Brattleboro, and soon after left the army, and took up his residence in the colony of New York. During the Revolution he stood firmly by the old flag under which he had served, and was for some time imprisoned as a loyalist. After the Revolution, he came to reside in Canada, upon an estate granted to his wife’s father by the crown, as indemnification for the losses brought upon him as a loyalist in the Revolution. He was subsequently secretary to Governor Prescott, whom he accompanied to England, and there assisted to defend him from the attacks made upon his administration. While there he wrote an essay on Public Credit, addressed and submitted to Pitt. The following is the inscription on his tombstone at Farnham, in Shefford county:
“Here rests Samuel Gale, Esq., formerly acting deputy paymaster general of H. Majesty’s forces in the Southern Provinces, now the U. S. of America; subsequently Secretary to H. E. the Governor-in-chief of H. M. dominions in N. A.; Author of Essays on Public Credit, and other works; born at Kimpton Hants, England, October 14, 1748; died at Farnham, June 27, 1826.”
Samuel Gale of this review was born at St. Augustine, East Florida, in 1783. He was educated at Quebec, while his father was secretary, and came to study law at Montreal under Chief Justice Sewell, in 1802, having Chief Justice Rolland and Mr. Papineau as fellow students. Mr. Gale was admitted to the bar in 1808, and ere long secured a large practice. In 1815 he was appointed a magistrate in the Indian territories, and accompanied Lord Selkirk when he went to the northwest. Later, when Lord Dalhousie was attacked for his Canadian administration, Mr. Gale went home as bearer of memorials from the English-speaking Lower Canadians in the townships and elsewhere, defending his lordship’s conduct. In 1829, he became chairman of the quarter sessions, and in 1834 was raised to the bench to replace Mr. Justice Uniacke, who preferred to resign the seat on the bench to which he had just been appointed rather than come back to Montreal during the cholera, then raging here. Judge Gale retired from the bench in 1849, forced into retirement by continued ill health and the gradual coming on of the infirmities of old age.
He had married in 1839 a Miss Hawley, of St. Armand West, by whom he had three daughters. Mrs. Gale died in September, 1849. Of the daughters the only one now living is Anna R., widow of T. Sterry Hunt, of Montreal, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work; while of the other two, Agnes Logan married Andrew Stuart of Quebec, a son of Chief Justice Stuart and of a very prominent family in that city, and the third became the Baroness von Friesen, who died December 10, 1875, in Berlin, Germany.
Born of parents who had both suffered for their loyal adherence to the British Crown during the American Revolution, and educated in their views Mr. Gale was, as long as he busied himself in politics, a stanch conservative and defender of British unity and British supremacy. He wrote a series of letters to the Montreal Herald (in those days the organ of the stoutest conservatism) over the signature of “Nerva” which produced a strong impression on the public mind at that time; and in espousing the cause of Lord Dalhousie and upholding the old constitution (under the title constitutionalists taken by the conservatives of that day) against the advocates of democracy or responsible government, he was but consistently pursuing the course on which he first set out. While upon the bench he maintained in an elaborate and very able judgment the right of the Crown to establish martial law here in 1837, refusing to theorize about what abstract rights man had or ought to have, declaring simply and firmly what the law, as he read it, established the prerogative of the sovereign to be in a colony. Both as a lawyer and judge he won the respect of his confreres alike by his ability and learning.
For many years previous to his death he was deeply interested in the freedom of the slave. He could not speak with patience of any compromise with slavery and waxed indignant in denunciation of all who in any way aided, abetted, or even countenanced it. When the Anderson case was before the Upper Canada courts he was one of the most active among those who aroused agitation here. When the Prince of Wales visited this country he got up a congratulatory address from the colored people of Canada which, however, was not received, as the prince was desired by the Duke of Newcastle, not to recognize differences of race and creed wherever it could be helped.
Judge Gale was a man of high principle and ever bore an unblemished moral character. Once in his early career at the bar he was forced by the then prevailing customs of society to fight a duel. His antagonist was Sir James Stuart, who had quarreled with him in court and Mr. Gale was severely wounded. It was an event which, we believe, he profoundly regretted, and gladly saw the better day dawn when men ran no risk of forfeiting their position as gentlemen by refusing to shoot, or be shot at, in order to redress real or fancied insults. He was a scrupulously just man, most methodical and punctual in business matters. There were in his writings great care, and precision and clearness of language. In his letters, too, and even in signing his name, the same trait was observable. He often used to condemn the stupid custom of men who signed their names with a flourish, yet so illegibly that no one could read, but only guess at, the word intended. He was not ostentatious of his charities, yet they were not lacking. Some years before his demise he made a gift of land to Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, and during the last months of his life, when age and illness were day by day wearing him [58] out, he found relief for his own distress in aiding to relieve that of the needy and afflicted.
With him passed away one more of those men, who link the creative past, in which were laid the foundations of our civilization, with the bustling present and of whom the generation of today knows naught; of men more proud and precise in their manners than we are; and of such rectitude and sense of honor, that we feel deeply the loss of the influence of their example. A loyal subject, a learned and upright judge, a kind, true, steadfast friend, was lost to the community in Judge Gale.
Dr. Rollo Campbell, of whom it was said that no man ever spoke ill, was the son of Dr. Francis W. Campbell and was born in Montreal on the 6th of June, 1864. His life record covered a comparatively brief span. He was educated under private tutors and in Bishop’s College, where he pursued his professional course, being graduated from that institution at Lennoxville, P. Q., with honors in the class of 1886, at which time the M. D. degree was conferred upon him. His early professional experience came to him as interne in the Western Hospital at Montreal, where he remained for a year, gaining the wide knowledge and training that only hospital practice can bring. He then went to Europe, pursuing his studies in London and in Edinburgh. Upon returning to his native land he located in Montreal for practice and it was not long before he had established an enviable reputation as a conscientious, capable physician of untiring energy, thoroughly devoted to his profession and ever ready to do a kindness to those in need of his services. He was especially interested in surgery and his researches along that line were broad and varied.
From the time of his graduation Dr. Campbell was on the teaching staff of Bishop’s College, first as demonstrator of anatomy, to which he was appointed in 1897, and later as professor of surgery. For many years he was on the consulting staff of the Montreal Dispensary and was one of the assistant surgeons of the Western Hospital, in which institution he was greatly interested. He was likewise an examiner for the New York Life Insurance Company.
A feature in his professional connections was his service as surgeon for seventeen years of the Fifth Royal Scots of Canada, in which regiment he was very popular. At one time he was president of Bishop’s Medical College Graduates’ Society and he was physician to several fraternal societies. He also belonged to the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society and along more strictly social lines he was connected with the Metropolitan Club, the Montreal Military Institute and the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. Of the latter he was a life member and was captain of the Bicycle Club of that organization.
Dr. Campbell was married in Montreal in 1892 in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church to Miss Marion May Fletcher, a daughter of Henry Fletcher, who for thirty years was tide surveyor of the port of Montreal, and his wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Ann McInnes. Dr. and Mrs. Campbell became parents of two children: Gladys Agnes and Edith Margaret. The family circle [59] was broken by the hand of death when on the 31st of May, 1904, Dr. Campbell passed away. Speaking of him at this time a fellow graduate of Bishop’s College said: “He was a fine fellow. I think I can safely say that I never heard anyone speak ill of him. He was kind and thoughtful and devoted himself to his work. In fact, I fear that he worked too hard on account of that conscientiousness which would not allow of his neglecting any seeming duty. He will be greatly missed, not only by his fellow practitioners, but by all who knew him and respected him.”
While Robert Kurczyn Lovell entered upon a business already established, he has displayed the enterprise and determination which are among his salient characteristics in the methods which he has followed in conducting his business affairs. Montreal numbers him among her native sons, but he comes of Irish and German ancestry. He is the eldest son of the late John Lovell, who was a prominent publisher of Montreal from 1835 until his death in 1893. His mother is Mrs. Sarah Lovell, a daughter of N. P. M. Kurczyn, who was a German merchant of Montreal.
In the acquirement of his education Robert K. Lovell passed through consecutive grades to the high school. In 1867 he became connected with his father in business, becoming a partner in 1880 and so continuing until the latter’s death in July, 1893. The business was conducted under the same style until 1903 when it was incorporated. Since 1903 he has been president of the firm of John Lovell & Son, Ltd., publishers of Lovell’s Gazetteer of the Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland, Lovell’s Montreal Directory, Lovell’s Montreal Business Directory and numerous other publications. In all of his business affairs he never deviates from the highest standards. He is an Anglican in religious faith.
For over twenty years Major William O. H. Dodds has been connected with the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, being at present the assistant manager for Quebec and the maritime provinces. He was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, July 3, 1867, a son of the late Charles Dodds, a manufacturer of that province, who died in June, 1893. The mother of our subject, who was before her marriage Miss Agnes Smith, died in December, 1910.
William Dodds received his education in the Yarmouth high school and the Yarmouth Academy of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He completed his school education in 1884 and then entered the employ of the Bank of Yarmouth, remaining with that institution until 1887. From 1887 to 1888 he assisted his father in the wholesale and retail dry-goods business, but in the latter year came to Montreal, entering the wholesale dry-goods trade, with which line he continued until [60] 1892. In that year he joined the staff of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York as cashier and, rising through various positions, was made the assistant manager of the concern for Quebec and the maritime provinces, which office he yet holds. Mr. Dodds has also been one of the promoters of the Consumers’ Cotton Company.
On November 29, 1910, Mr. Dodds married Jean Hamilton Holt, eldest daughter of Robert W. Tyre, of Montreal. Mrs. Dodds is greatly interested in athletics and in 1911 was elected president of the Ladies’ Montreal Curling Club.
Major Dodds is also a well known amateur athlete. He was formerly president of the Canadian Amateur Athletic Union; is a member of the executive committee of the Amateur Skating Association of Canada; and was selected as one of the team of the Montreal Curling Club to proceed to Scotland in December, 1908, but was unable to go. He has long been in the volunteer military service, being formerly a captain in the Fifth Regiment, Royal Scots. He subsequently commanded the Third Battery, Montreal, and then organized the Twenty-first (Westmount) Battery, which he commanded from October 26, 1907, to April 9, 1910. He is now engaged in the reorganization of the First Regiment, Grenadier Guards of Canada. In January, 1906, Major Dodds was elected president of the Montreal Military Institute and is now councillor of the Boy Scout movement.
Mr. Dodds is a Presbyterian and gives his political support to the conservative party. He is a member of the Montreal Club, the Montreal Military Institute, the Montreal Curling Club, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Hunt Club, the St. James Club, the Royal Montreal Golf Club and others.
Isaie Prefontaine, no less highly esteemed for his business capacity and enterprise than for his public-spirited citizenship, has contributed along various lines to the welfare and progress of the city in which he makes his home. A native of Beloeil, he was born in 1861 and in the pursuit of his education attended Montreal College, from which he was graduated with honors. From the outset of his career he has made his labors count as factors in general progress and improvement. He has been a close student of conditions and problems of the time and along practical lines has worked for betterment.
He has taken a warm interest in the commercial development of the city and has been prominently identified with various bodies working toward that end. He was president of the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal for the year 1908-9 and for six years was president of the School of High Commercial Studies. In 1909 he became president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce for the province of Quebec and was continued in that high and important office for three years. He has also been a member of the Board of Trade and has been a cordial cooperator in the movement for providing [63] facilities for specialized instruction and training of those engaged in manufacturing and other industrial pursuits.
His wide research and investigation enable him to speak with authority upon many questions bearing upon the business condition of the city and its possibilities for progress along industrial and commercial lines. He is an idealist, whose methods are practical, and is a man of action rather than of theory.
In 1883 he married Miss Eliza Pigeon, a daughter of Olivier Pigeon, of Vercheres, Quebec. He belongs to both the Club St. Denis and the Canadian Club and in the city has a wide and favorable acquaintance. The Montreal Herald has termed him “a man of capacity and high character.”
Dr. Francis Wayland Campbell, practitioner, educator and editor of medical journals, winning distinction along each line, was born in Montreal on the 5th of November, 1837, a son of the late Rollo Campbell, at one time publisher of the Montreal Daily Pilot and a native of Perthshire, Scotland. Dr. Campbell’s more specifically literary education was obtained at Dutton Academy and the Baptist College, and in preparation for a professional career he studied medicine in McGill University, from which he was graduated with the M. D. degree in 1860. He at once located for practice in his native city, where he continued until his death. After the completion of his course at McGill he spent some time in study abroad, investigating the methods and watching the clinics of eminent physicians and surgeons of London, Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 1861 he passed with high rank an examination before the Royal College of Physicians of London.
In October, 1861, Dr. Campbell married Miss Agnes Stuart Rodger, of Greenock, Scotland, and in November returned with his bride to Canada, opening an office for practice in Montreal. Success came to him almost immediately because his equipment was good and because of his recognition of and marked devotion to the duties of the profession. He was offered the editorship of the hospital report department of the British-American Journal, accepted it and continued to serve in that connection until 1864, when the publication of the paper ceased. The Canada Medical Journal was soon afterward started and Dr. Campbell joined Dr. Fenwick in its editorial management, being thus associated from 1864 until 1872. In the meantime he had joined the medical faculty of Bishop’s College, whereupon Dr. Fenwick declined to associate with him any longer in the publication of the Canada Medical Journal. The result was the discontinuance of that paper. Dr. Campbell decided to contest the field with Dr. Fenwick, who began issuing the paper independently, the Campbell publication being known as the Canada Medical Record, of which he remained editor and proprietor until his demise. In 1872 Dr. Campbell joined Drs. David, Smallwood, Hingston and Trenholme in organizing the medical faculty of Bishop’s College, after which he was appointed professor of physiology and was elected by the faculty as their registrar. His writings were considered a valuable contribution [64] to the literature of the profession and his publications were liberally patronized by those holding to the highest professional standards.
Dr. Campbell was a member of the volunteer militia from 1854 and in 1860 was appointed assistant surgeon of the First Battalion, Volunteer Rifles of Canada, now the First Battalion. He served with his regiment on the eastern frontier, being at Hemingford and at Durham during the Fenian raid in 1866. In the fall of that year he was promoted to the rank of surgeon of the regiment and again during the brief Fenian raid of 1871 was with his command at Pigeon Hill, at St. Armands and St. Johns. After being for a great many years surgeon of the Prince of Wales Rifles he was appointed, on the formation of the Regular Canadian Militia, to the office of surgeon of the Infantry School Corps at St. Johns, Province of Quebec, and held the position for nineteen years, being then retired at the age limit with the rank of surgeon lieutenant colonel. At that time the regiments were known and still are as the Royal Regiments Canadian Infantry. In 1894 he established the V. R. I. Magazine and became its first editor. Lennoxville conferred upon him the honorary degree of D. C. L. in 1895. Two years later his son, Dr. Rollo Campbell, was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in Bishop’s College. Another matter of interest and importance in the life record of Dr. Campbell was that he held for forty-three years the position of chief medical examiner for the New York Life Insurance Company at Montreal and his son, Dr. Rollo Campbell, was his assistant. He was honorary president of the Military Institute for several years and was one of the founders of the Western Hospital of Montreal. He was called the father of that institution and two years ago the hospital placed a very handsome bronze tablet to his memory in the institution. At the time of his death he was dean of the medical faculty of Bishop’s College at Montreal. His degrees were M. A., M. D. and L. R. C. P. of London. Honor and distinction came to him in many ways, and at all times he bore his honors with becoming modesty.
Dr. Campbell was a liberal conservative in politics. He belonged to the Montreal Military Institute and was a past master of the Victoria Lodge of Masons. Of scholarly attainments, finding keen pleasure in scientific research and actuated, too, by a broad humanitarian spirit, his professional service as practitioner, educator and writer was of marked value to the public and constituted a notable contribution to the world’s work in the field of medical and surgical progress.
Cleophas Edward Leclerc, who for fifteen years was a member of the board of notaries of Quebec, his home being in Montreal, his native city, was born September 26, 1844. Almost his entire life was passed in Montreal, where he supplemented his early education by a classical course in the College of Ste. Therese de Blainville in the district of Terrebonne. Having determined to become a notary public, he entered upon his professional studies under the direction of Mr. F. Des Bastien, registrar of the county of Vaudreuil, and was admitted to practice on the 15th of October, 1866. For fifteen years he was a [65] member of the Quebec board of notaries and for three years was its vice president. He stood high in his profession, and the clientage afforded him came in recognition of his superior ability.
On the 16th of November, 1875, Mr. Leclerc was married to Miss Caroline Eliza Archambault of St. Hyacinthe, and they became the parents of six children: Robertine; Rene, who is managing director of the Credit-Canada, Limited; Achille; Alice, the wife of Arthur Hubour, who is engaged in the drug business at the corner of Demontigny and St. Denis Streets; Ovide; and Rita. Death came to Mr. Leclerc at his home at No. 655 St. Hubert Street on the 23d of November, 1912, when he was sixty-eight years of age. He was a man of fine personal appearance, his broad forehead indicating strong native intelligence. He was of dignified appearance and mien and looked at life from the standpoint of one who recognized its obligations and duties as well as its privileges and opportunities. He had an extensive circle of friends so that his death was deeply regretted by many outside his own household.
Prominent on the roll of leading business men of Montreal stands the name of George Caverhill, a merchant who for an extended period has been connected with commercial life and figures prominently in connection with corporate interests having to do with the business enterprise and consequent prosperous development of the city. He was born October 18, 1858, at Beauharnois, P. Q., and is of Scotch descent. His parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Spiers (Buchanan) Caverhill, the latter a representative of the Buchanan family of Lenny, while the former was a member of the border family of Caverhills, residents of Scotland from 1200.
In the attainment of his education George Caverhill attended successively the Montreal high school, the Galt Collegiate Institute and McGill University. From the outset of his business career he has been connected with mercantile interests. In 1877 he entered the employ of Crathern & Caverhill, of Montreal, and, later ambitious to engage in business on his own account, utilized the opportunities of becoming a partner in a wholesale hardware firm, his partners being his brother, the late Frank Caverhill, J. B. Learmont and T. H. Newman. The four organized the firm of Caverhill, Learmont & Company, wholesale hardware merchants of both Montreal and Winnipeg. This by no means indicates the scope of his investments and his activities. That he is today one of the most important business men of the province is indicated in the fact that he is vice president of the Montreal Loan & Mortgage Company, a director of the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, Canadian Cottons, Ltd., Montreal Trust Company, Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, and is identified with a number of organizations to promote trade and business relations. In 1904 he was chosen president of the Montreal Metal & Hardware Association, was made first vice president of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1906 and its president in 1907.
In 1887 Mr. Caverhill was married to Miss Emily Margaret, daughter of John Caverhill. She takes active interest in philanthropical and charitable work and is a member of the general committee of the Victorian Order of Nurses. Together with her husband, she is a life governor of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane. Both Mr. and Mrs. Caverhill were presented to the late King Edward at Windsor Castle in June, 1905.
In addition to his previously mentioned activities, Mr. Caverhill is a governor of the Montreal General Hospital, and is a life member of St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal. He has a great love of animals and has won fully two hundred and sixty prizes with his kennel of skye terriers. Mr. Caverhill’s political allegiance is given to the liberal party, and in 1911 he opposed the Taft-Fielding reciprocity compact. Prominent in club circles, he holds membership with the Mount Royal, St. James, Canada, Canadian, Forest and Stream, Lachine Boating and Canoe, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Polo, Reform, Royal Montreal Golf and Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs, all of Montreal. He is a man of liberal culture and broad general information, having largely promoted his knowledge through extended travel in the East Indies, South America, Japan, Egypt, Greece and Italy. His opinions carry weight on all questions in which he has become deeply interested, and his interest in any plan or project is ever the source of activity in its support.
Louis Joseph Arthur Surveyer, one of the best known business men of Montreal, his ability and enterprise finding exemplification in his substantial success, was born May 16, 1841, in the town of Beauharnois, in the province of Quebec. His father was Dr. Joseph Surveyer, a well known physician of Beauharnois and surrounding parishes, and his mother bore the maiden name of Eugenie Duclos Decelles.
L. J. A. Surveyer was educated at St. Laurent College and entered upon his business career as a clerk in a general store in St. Johns, P. Q. After eighteen months he came to Montreal and entered the retail hardware store of Messrs. Ferrier & Company on Notre Dame Street. After nine months’ service in the employ of that firm they sold their business and Mr. Surveyer entered the employ of Mr. Thomas Davidson in his retail store, continuing in that employ for seven years. He was ambitious to engage in business on his own account and so wisely used his time and talent that he was now able with a capital of six hundred dollars to open a store of his own. His venture proved successful from the beginning and has been developed and built up to its present extensive proportions so that Mr. Surveyer is now ranked with the leading business men of the city.
In 1868 Mr. Surveyer married Miss Amelie Pelletier, who died thirteen months later. In 1873 he married Miss M. A. Hectorine Fabre, a daughter of the late E. R. Fabre, and the youngest sister of the late Archbishop Fabre. Of this union there were born eight children, seven of whom are living, as follows: Edward Fabre, a lawyer in Montreal, of whom there is further [69] mention in this work; Eugenie, now Mrs. N. K. Laflamme of Montreal; Arthur, of Surveyer & Frigon, consulting engineers; Paul, a lawyer in Montreal; Gustave, of Montreal; Marie; and Therese, now Mrs. Jules Faurnier of Montreal. Mr. Surveyer is a member of the Canadian Club and of the Alliance Nationale. There is found in his life history the strong proof of the fact that the road to opportunity is open to ambition and energy, and that it leads to the goal of success.
Norval Dickson, practicing as a notary in Montreal in partnership with R. B. Hutcheson, and controlling an important, representative and growing clientage, was born in Howick, Quebec, in 1878 and is a son of Robert Dickson who came to Canada from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1830.
Norval Dickson acquired his preliminary education in Huntingdon Academy, Huntingdon, Quebec, and afterwards entered McGill University in Montreal, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901 and his degree in law in 1904. Immediately afterward he began practice in Montreal, continuing alone until May, 1910, when he formed a partnership with R. B. Hutcheson under the firm name of Hutcheson & Dickson. Mr. Dickson has proved an important and helpful factor in the success of the firm, for he possesses a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the underlying principles of his profession and has a well deserved reputation as a reliable and competent notary. The firm controls a growing and extensive patronage and has a high standing in legal circles of the city.
Rev. Abraham de Sola, LL. D., who for many years was so familiar a figure in literary circles in Montreal and who earned so wide and deserved a reputation as an Oriental scholar and theologian, was a descendent of an illustrious Spanish-Jewish family. The marvelous history of Israel must ever be of peculiar interest to mankind, and perhaps no chapter in the post-biblical portion of that history possesses more charm than that which relates about the Jews of Spain and Portugal, or Sephardim, as they are styled. These lived free and untrammeled during those mediæval times when their brethren in less favored countries were weighed down by the burden of oppression, and with the Saracens they kept alive the flame of learning and science in the Iberian peninsula at a time when it burnt lowest in the rest of Europe. Power, rank and honor were theirs; and when afterwards clouds obscured the sky of their prosperity, and the storm of persecution burst pitilessly over their heads, their record of heroic martyrdom and thrilling adventure is a tale as fascinating as that of many of the most imaginative pages of fiction.
Among the many bright names which illumined Spanish-Jewish history, that of De Sola stands prominent. The De Solas had settled in Andalusia as early [70] as the sixth century, whence they had come from Judea by gradual stages through northern Africa. They held various offices under the Saracenic caliphs at Toledo and Cordova, and afterwards when they removed to Navarre they were received with like favor by the Gothic princes. From their estate in this province, their surname had its origin. A particularly distinguished member of the family was Don Bartolomeu de Sola, who, in reward for his services, was ennobled and, after being a minister of state, held for a while the position of viceroy of Navarre.
During the fourteenth century another De Sola distinguished himself fighting under the Infante of Aragon and figured conspicuously in the Spanish wars of that period. During the succeeding centuries the family continued to hold an illustrious place, owing to the large number of eminent scholars, physicians and statesmen it produced. Their fortunes, however, changed when King Ferdinand, having by the conquest of Granada destroyed the last vestige of Moorish power in Spain, decided to drive therefrom all who did not conform to the dominant faith; and in 1492 was promulgated the terrible edict of expulsion, which, at one blow, deprived hundreds of thousands of Spain’s most intelligent and industrious inhabitants of happy and prosperous homes. The De Solas took refuge in Holland, but a branch of the family continued to hold business connections with Lisbon, and eventually some of them settled in the Portuguese capital, where they amassed much wealth. Watched by the Inquisition, they, like many other Portuguese Jews, for some time evaded the danger by assuming to become Marannos or Nuevos Christianos—as converted Jews were styled—while they secretly remained loyal to Judaism. In the latter part of the seventeenth century, however, suspicion was directed towards them, and David de Sola (who to elude his persecutors had assumed the name of Bartolome) was apprehended and charged with having relapsed into Judaism. Although placed under the most fearful torture nothing seems to have been proved, as he was allowed to afterwards go free; but he was physically broken down by his terrible sufferings. Escape from the country by a suspect was then extremely difficult, but in the next generation his son, Aaron de Sola, managed to secure refuge on board a British man-of-war and to make good his escape with his family to England; not, however, before two of his relatives had been imprisoned, tortured and condemned to death at an auto-da-fé, by the Inquisition, for secret adherence to Judaism.
It was in 1749 that Aaron de Sola fled with his wife and family to England, and now that they were freed from the terrors of the Inquisition they openly avowed once more their loyalty to the faith of their fathers. From England they took passage for Holland, where they rejoined their relatives, and taking up their residence in Amsterdam they soon again rose to distinction in the various learned professions.
Previously to this—in the year 1690—one of the preceding generation, Isaac de Sola, had settled in London and had acquired a high reputation in the Hebrew community there as an eloquent preacher and author. Several volumes of his works are still extant.
Four sons had accompanied Aaron de Sola in his flight from Lisbon in 1749, of whom the eldest, David, was the great-grandfather of the Dr. Abraham de Sola who forms the chief subject of this sketch. The youngest of Aaron de Sola’s, sons, Dr. Benjamin de Sola, attained to a foremost place among the practitioners of the eighteenth century. He was court physician to William V of the Netherlands [71] and was the author of a large number of medical works. The other two sons of Aaron de Sola settled in Curacao, and one of them was the grandfather of General Juan de Sola, who became so distinguished as a commander of cavalry under Bolivar and Paez when the South American states revolted from Spain. He took part in the decisive battle of Carabobo, and led the charge on Puerto Cabello when that city was stormed by Paez, receiving a sabre wound during the fight. After the restoration of peace he held important public offices during the Paez regime.
The Rev. Abraham de Sola, LL. D., was born in London, England, on the 18th of September, 1825. His father, David Aaron de Sola, was senior minister of the Portuguese Jews of London, to which city he had been called from Amsterdam, and was eminent as a Hebrew author, having produced among many other works an elegant translation of the Jewish Forms of Prayer; also, in conjunction with Dr. Raphael, an edition of Genesis, very valuable to biblical students on account of its commentaries and copious notes, and the first English translation of Eighteen Treatises of the Mishna. His mother was the daughter of Dr. Raphael Meldola, chief rabbi of the Spanish-Jewish congregations of Britain. The Meldolas had given eminent chief rabbis to Europe for twelve generations. Abraham de Sola received careful tuition in all the usual branches of a liberal education. He became early engrossed in the study of Oriental languages and literature and of theology, and continued to devote his attention to those subjects until he acquired that profound knowledge of them which subsequently won him so prominent a place among scholars. Having been offered the position of rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Congregation of Montreal he accepted the call and arrived in this city in the beginning of 1847, and here, for over thirty-five years, he continued to minister to the spiritual wants of his people. His able pulpit discourses soon attracted attention. Dr. de Sola’s abilities, however, were not destined to be confined exclusively to his official duties. Before leaving London he had been associated in the editorial work of a Hebrew journal, The Voice of Jacob, and soon after his arrival in Canada he delivered a course of lectures on Jewish history before the Mercantile Literary Association. In 1848 he published his “Notes on the Jews of Persia under Mohammed Shah,” and also “A History of the Jews of Persia.” Within the same year there appeared his important work on “Scripture Zoology.” Soon afterwards he published his “Lectures on the Mosaic Cosmogony.” This was followed by his “Cosmography of Peritsol,” a work displaying such erudition that it gained a wide circulation in Europe and was reprinted there in several languages. His next work, “A Commentary upon Samuel Hannagid’s Introduction to the Talmud,” was a book which deservedly attracted much attention, owing to the light which it threw upon an interesting portion of rabbinical literature and to its depth of Talmudic knowledge. In 1853 he published, conjointly with the Rev. J. J. Lyons, of New York, a work on the Jewish Calendar System, chiefly valuable on account of its excellent prefatory treatise upon the Jewish system of calculating time.
Dr. de Sola’s mastery of Semitic languages and literature early attracted the notice of our learned bodies, and, after first acting as lecturer, he was, in 1853, appointed professor of Hebrew and Oriental literature at McGill University. The [72] high abilities which he displayed as occupant of this chair proved the wisdom of the appointment, and he continued to hold the position during the rest of his life.
For some time Dr. de Sola had been engaged in the preparation of one of his most important productions, “The Sanatory Institutions of the Hebrews.” The work was published in two parts and was an exhaustive exposition of the hygienic laws of the Hebrews, as exhibited in both Scriptural and rabbinical writings, critically examined in the light of modern scientific knowledge. It was a production which evinced how deeply the author had penetrated into scientific as well as rabbinical paths of learning. Shortly afterwards he published a supplemental work to it, entitled “Behemoth Hatemeoth.”
The prominence to which Dr. de Sola had now reached among men of letters led McGill University to confer upon him the degree of LL. D. in 1858.
In 1860, Dr. Hall, the editor of The British American Journal, devoted to physical and medical science, induced Dr. de Sola to assist that publication with his pen, and, among other contributions, his series of articles “Upon the Employment of Anaesthetics in Cases of Labor, in Connection with Jewish Law,” call for particular mention.
Dr. de Sola’s wide range of studies had made him very popular both as a public lecturer and as a contributor to various literary papers. The themes of some of these were afterwards much amplified by him and republished in their elaborated and completed form. At comparatively short intervals he gave to the public his works on “Scripture Botany,” “Sinaitic Inscriptions,” “Hebrew Numismatics,” “The Ancient Hebrews as Promoters of the Arts and Sciences,” “The Rise and Progress of the Great Hebrew Colleges,” and “Philological Studies in Hebrew and the Aramaic Languages.” Turning his attention again to Jewish history, he, in 1869, wrote his interesting “Life of Shabethai Tsevi, the False Messiah.” The following year he completed his “History of the Jews of Poland,” and in 1871 he published his “History of the Jews of France.”
Dr. de Sola closely identified himself with many of our literary and scientific associations, notably with the Natural History Society, in which he was an active colaborer of Sir William Dawson and Sir William Logan. He was for many years president of the society and received H. R. H. Prince Arthur (afterwards Duke of Connaught) when that prince visited the society in 1870. His address upon “The Study of Natural Science,” delivered upon that occasion, called forth a letter of approbation from Queen Victoria.
During all his intense literary activity Dr. de Sola was taking a very prominent part in all matters affecting the Jewish people. His mastery of Jewish theology, in all its branches, had earned him wide renown among his own race and had gained him a high place among the very foremost rabbis of the day. Convinced that the fences which orthodoxy placed around the citadel of his ancestral faith were the best safeguards against disintegrating forces, the upholders of historical Judaism found in him an able and powerful champion. Equally noticeable were his bold attacks upon the weak points of the skeptical school of modern biblical criticism. His intimate knowledge of all those branches of learning which bear upon this subject made him particularly formidable in this respect. The Jewish press and pulpit and the lecture platform were the vehicles by which he usually reached the public on these subjects. He had, indeed, since his first arrival in Canada been a particularly active contributor to Jewish journals, [73] more especially to the Occident of Philadelphia, with which he was for years identified, being in intimate literary relations with its editor, the gifted Isaac Leeser.
Dr. de Sola’s ability in the pulpit led to his frequently being invited to lecture in the United States, where he had acquired much prominence and popularity. On the 9th of January, 1872, he was invited by General Grant’s government to perform the ceremony of opening the United States congress with prayer, and for the first time was witnessed the unique spectacle of one who was not a citizen of the United States nor of the dominant belief officiating at the opening ceremonies at the assembling of congress at Washington. The broad liberality of this act, upon the part of the United States government, was fraught with particular significance at that time, owing to the fact that diplomatic relations between Britain and the United States had then but lately been strained to dangerous tension by the “Alabama Claims,” and this high compliment to a British subject was the first evidence of the growth of a better feeling between the two countries. Sir Edward Thornton, the British ambassador at Washington, formally extended to Dr. de Sola the thanks of the British government, and Mr. Gladstone—then prime minister, also personally communicated his satisfaction.
Upon the death of Isaac Leeser, Dr. de Sola purchased the stereotyped plates of his works and issued a new edition of that author’s translation of the Bible according to Jewish authorities. He also brought out a revised translation of the Jewish Forms of Prayer, in six volumes, based upon the editions of D. A. de Sola (his father) and of Leeser. He was invited to become the successor of Mr. Leeser in his ministerial office but declined. He had previously refused several similar offers.
Dr. de Sola’s onerous duties were at this time further increased by his being offered the chair of Hebrew at the Montreal Presbyterian College, and later on he accepted the appointment of lecturer in Spanish literature at McGill University, a literature and language with which he was specially familiar and to which he was particularly attached.
But such incessant application to work could not but prove exhaustive, and his naturally vigorous health broke down under the strain. A year’s rest, spent in Europe, proved sufficiently beneficial to enable him to return to some of his duties. For a while he also resumed his contributions to the Jewish press, and among other interesting writings we notice his “Yehuda Alcharizi and the Book Tachkemoni.” In 1880 he published his last important work, “Saadia Ha-Gaon,” a book giving a very valuable description of the writings and life of one of the greatest of Jewish philosophers and also containing an interesting account of the court of a prince of the captivity.
But failing health was destined now to check forever the labors of his active pen, and while in New York, on a visit to his sister, he was taken ill and his death occurred on June 5, 1882. The remains were brought on to Montreal and there interred. He had not yet completed his fifty-seventh year when he passed away.
In his death the Hebrew community sustained a loss whose magnitude could scarcely be overestimated. His self-sacrificing devotion to the service of his race, his ceaseless labor in everything which could elevate and promote both their moral and intellectual welfare, his quick readiness to assuage, with kind [74] counsel and help, the lot of those in adversity, and the rare talents which he had displayed in his multifarious writings, had won for him the warmest admiration and attachment of his people and had gained him a reputation among them that was world-wide. His loss, indeed, was scarcely less regretted by Gentile than by Jew, for the prominence which his scholarly attainments had acquired for him among Canadian litterateurs, the active role which he had for thirty-five years played in our various learned bodies, and the distinguished position which he held in our leading university, achieved for him an illustrious place among Canada’s public men.
Dr. de Sola was married in 1852 to Esther Joseph, the youngest daughter of Henry Joseph, of Berthier, one of the earliest Jewish settlers in this country. Of his several children, the eldest son, the Rev. Meldola de Sola, succeeded him as rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, and another son, Clarence I. de Sola, is general manager of the Belgian syndicate, “Comptoir Belgo-Canadien.”
The history of Canada’s great industrial and commercial growth during the past thirty or forty years is but the history of such men as Robert Meighen one of the foremost business men of his generation, whose intense and intelligently directed activity constituted a potent force in the material development and progress of not only the city and province of his adoption but various other sections of the Dominion as well. His birth occurred at Dungiven, near Londonderry, Ireland, April 18, 1838, his parents being Robert and Mary (McLeghan) Meighen, whose family numbered five children. The family history shows a long line of Irish ancestors.
Robert Meighen was educated at Perth, Ontario, for following the father’s death the mother brought her family to the new world, settling at Perth, where her sons were educated and established themselves in business as retail and wholesale merchants. The firm of A. Meighen & Brothers has for many years been one of the most extensive mercantile firms doing business in the old Bathurst district. Robert Meighen carried on business in partnership with his brother at Perth, Ontario, until 1879, when he removed to Montreal and entered into business relations with his brother-in-law, Sir George Stephen, later Lord Mount Stephen, whom he succeeded as president of the New Brunswick Railway, which now forms part of the Canadian Pacific Railway system. Successful from the outset of his business career, Mr. Meighen continually extended his efforts into other fields. He became one of the founders of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, establishing and operating mills and elevators at Keewatin and Portage la Prairie, which are among the largest and best equipped in the world. Shortly after the organization of this company Robert Meighen became its president, which position he retained till the time of his death, directing its policy and formulating the plans upon which the mammoth business was constructed. This represented, however, but one phase [77] of his activity. He carried his efforts into many fields, none of them failing to profit by his cooperation.
“The Gazette,” at the time of Mr. Meighen’s death, said in part: “Mr. Meighen was a self-made man and was proud to designate himself as such. From the day he entered business pursuits at Perth, many years ago, down to the time he became a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway, an institution he had championed from its inception, in commerce, in finance and in imperial politics, Robert Meighen was never at home except on the firing line. Although the fact is only perhaps known to the newspaper fraternity and to some of the leaders of tariff reform in England, he advocated closer relations between the mother country and the outlying dependencies of the empire even before Mr. Chamberlain took the platform in England as the champion of such a policy.
“Mr. Meighen was known in eastern Ontario as a clever business man, a follower of Sir John A. Macdonald, and as a man who had ideas and could fearlessly express them on the stump and at the fireside, many years before he came to Montreal. It was ere his removal to this city that he had secured, most successfully, the right of way for the Ontario & Quebec Railway, now the Montreal & Toronto section of the Canadian Pacific, and later on he was entrusted with the promotion of a bill which was of the utmost importance to that railway. Mr. Meighen was not a member of parliament, but he stated his case to the members outside and in the lobbies of the house with such forcefulness, such clarity of view and in so straightforward a manner that few could withstand his cogent arguments. It was a tribute to his power that Sir Richard Cartwright’s denunciation of him was quite as vehement as the thunderbolts which the chief antagonist of the great railway project used to launch against Sir John Macdonald, Sir Charles Tupper and the other parliamentary giants of the day.
“Mr. Meighen believed not only in the Canadian Pacific project itself, but also in the ultimate value of the great tracts of land lying for a thousand miles along to the north of where the line was being run away up to the Saskatchewan, and, if he died a rich man, it was due to abiding faith in the future of Canada’s western domain and in the ultimate development of the Dominion as a whole. It was in reply to a jocular observation from Mr. Choate, the then American ambassador at the court of St. James, who had asked Mr. Meighen when Canada was going to throw in her lot with the United States, that the Montreal imperialist declared that it was customary for the larger unit to absorb the smaller, and no doubt at her pleasure Canada would follow the established precedent.
“A good many shrewd Montreal merchants smiled when Mr. Meighen came from a small Ontario town to this city as the promoter of a great industry, but many months had not passed before they discovered that both in commerce and finance a rival worthy of their keenest steel had taken his place amongst them and ever after, when any important subject was up for discussion on the floors of the Board of Trade, the opinions of the man from Perth, uttered with characteristic Irish eloquence and wit, invariably commanded respect and attention. His fellow members did not always agree with him, but they were always ready to admit that he was sincere and that he spoke the truth as he felt it.
“Returning from England some years ago, when everything spelt unrest in industrial Britain, Mr. Meighen gave an interview to The Gazette which has perhaps been quoted more frequently by politicians on both continents, as well as by Canadian public men of all parties, than any other of his utterances. Mr. Meighen, who was always a great reader, declared that England at that time could only be compared to Athens when Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, went out with his lantern looking, as he said, for a man. He said, however, in the course of that interview, that the man would be found, and sure enough it was not long before Joseph Chamberlain was entering upon his whirlwind campaign in favor of imperial preference and the absolute unity of the British empire. Mr. Meighen was denounced more than once at the Montreal Board of Trade, but a good many of the men who came to scoff remained to pray, to use Mr. Meighen’s own graphic language. Three years ago, when a resolution was to be introduced before the Montreal Board of Trade on the policy of imperial preferential trade, Mr. Meighen was particularly anxious that it should be fathered by a leader in commerce and finance. He prepared the resolution, called upon the late Sir George Drummond, president of the Bank of Montreal and universally admitted to be the first authority on matters of trade and finance in the Dominion, asking him to move it. Sir George Drummond’s answer was characteristic of the man. ‘Mr. Meighen,’ he replied, ‘this resolution meets my views exactly, but the honor of moving it belongs to you and you alone and I will take a second place. You will move the resolution and I will be only too happy to second it.’ Mr. Meighen delivered a masterly address on that occasion and the resolution was carried.
“His greatest energy was centered in the development of the company over which he presided up to the hour of his death, yet he stated not very long ago that he was shaping things in such a manner as would permit younger men to assume the responsibilities of management and that after the million-dollar bond issue had been retired he would then feel that he could take a rest.
“The late president of the Lake of the Woods Company was from the outset an uncompromising opponent of the Washington reciprocity pact and he did not hesitate to state on every offered occasion that the ratification of such a treaty would be a severe blow aimed at the unity of the empire, and a decided mistake in the widest interests.
“He was the confidential friend and associate in various business enterprises of both Lord Mount Stephen and Lord Strathcona. These eminent men had implicit confidence in Mr. Meighen’s business judgment, and as a matter of fact many other men high up in imperial statecraft came to him for advice on both Canadian and British trade matters. Indeed, some of the best speeches delivered on the unionist side during the last two British elections drew their information from, and were in part, inspired by the ideas of this foremost, perhaps, of Canadian tariff reformers.”
The same paper said editorially: [79] “A worthy and widely respected citizen was lost to Montreal by the death yesterday morning of Mr. Robert Meighen. In business he won marked success. He helped in no small way to show the great possibilities of the milling trade of Canada and so profited the country as well as himself and his associates. He judiciously employed the wealth that came to him and greatly increased his store. The largest business enterprises sought his counsel on their directorates and profited by his connection with them. He was a man of ideas in matters outside of commerce, and held and advocated views about the country and the empire with vigor and courage and the broadest loyalty. In private life his sincerity, earnestness and kindliness caused all men to give him their regard. In his capacity as merchant, citizen and man he rose to high stature; and at a ripe old age closed a worthy career, leaving a memory that is a help to what is good and creditable in business life.”
Among his business connections, not already mentioned, Mr. Meighen was managing director of the Cornwall Manufacturing Company, a director of the Canada Northwest Land Company, the Bank of Toronto, the Dominion Transportation Company, the St. John Bridge & Railway Company, the Montreal Street Railway and the New Brunswick Land Company. His activities likewise extended to other fields having to do with many subjects of vital interest to city and country. He was a director of the Montreal Parks and Playground Association and was president of the New Brunswick Fish and Game Club. He was likewise vice president of the King Edward Memorial Committee of Montreal, was chairman of the Canadian board of the Phoenix Assurance Company and was a governor of the Royal Victoria, the Western and Maternity Hospitals of Montreal. The Montreal Standard named him as one of the twenty-three men at the basis of Canadian finance, and it was a recognized fact that few men were more familiar with the problems of finance or did more to establish a safe monetary system. Mr. Meighen belonged to various prominent social organizations, including the St. James Club, the Mount Royal Club, the Canada Club and the Montreal Club.
He was a Presbyterian, a member of St. Paul’s church and chairman of its board of trustees. All his life Mr. Meighen was a firm believer in the copartnership of capital and labor and in the coexisting duties, on a fair basis, of one to the other. He realized and carried out the idea of their inter-dependency. When labor had contributed to the success of capital he never allowed it go without recognition and its just reward, with the result of absolute confidence on the part of his employes in his fairness and regard for their interests, and a willingness to give, in turn, their loyal and honest support to capital. Above all Mr. Meighen had keen human sympathies. He delighted in the energetic young man cutting out his road to success, but this did not prevent him from having patience and sympathy with those who, perhaps through lack of natural gifts or unfortunate circumstances, found life an uphill pull. In astonishing numbers both kinds of men seemed to bring their successes and their failures to him, and to both, provided they showed honesty of purpose, he would give his time, his advice and his help in the open-hearted way characteristic of a man who had not a single ungenerous impulse in his nature.
At the time of his death when the press throughout Canada was giving appreciations of his ability and of his success one of his intimate friends remarked, “They have omitted the biggest thing about him—his heart”—and so it was. When these two, great heart and much ability, go hand in hand and work together, one vitalizing, as it were, the conceptions of the other, a potent force is felt to be abroad. Well is it for our Canadian business world to have had such a force in its midst as the late Robert Meighen truly was. He died when still, one might say, at the height of his activities and with a [80] heavy burden of work upon him, but to work was his pleasure. His loss was deeply deplored by all who knew him and he left behind him a record of a man who in all things was the soul of honor and an example to those who come after—“Follow on.”
Mr. Meighen left a widow, Elsie Stephen, daughter of the late William Stephen, formerly of Dufftown, Scotland, and three children, Lieutenant Colonel F. S. Meighen, who has succeeded his father as president of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, Mrs. R. Wilson Reford and Mrs. R. O. Harley.
Twenty years’ connection with the real-estate business has brought William Ernest Bolton into prominence and today he figures as a controlling factor in some of the leading real-estate companies of Montreal. He was born in this city April 11, 1873, a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Minchin) Bolton. His education was acquired in the schools of his native city, and early in his business career he became identified with real-estate activity in which connection he has remained for many years as a well known and successful real-estate broker. He has been identified with many important property transfers and with important development of real-estate interests. He is now a director of the Montreal Loan & Mortgage Company; president of the Birmingham-Montreal Realty Company, Limited; a director of the Midland Investment Company, Limited; of the Richelieu Realty Company, Limited; of the Renforth Realty Company, Limited, and of the Riviera Realty Company, Limited. These are among the most important corporations in that branch of business having to do with the property interests and consequent development and progress of the city.
In Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1905, Mr. Bolton was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Hamilton McClure and they have become the parents of two sons, Richard and Hamilton. Mr. Bolton votes with the conservative party but the honors and emoluments of public office have no attraction for him. When business leaves him leisure for social enjoyment he spends his time at the Montreal Club, the Beaconsfield Golf Club, the Winter Club, the Montreal Country Club and the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, in all of which he holds membership.
Foremost among the younger generation of business men in Montreal and one who had attained a high standing in the financial circles of the city, was Thornton Davidson, whose untimely death in the sinking of the steamship Titanic, April 15, 1912, ended a career that had not only been successful, but gave great promise for the future.
Thornton Davidson was a native of Montreal, and was born on the 17th of May, 1880. His father was the Hon. C. Peers Davidson, D. C. L., a distinguished [83] jurist, and his mother Alice Mattice, second daughter of William Mattice of Cornwall, Ontario. Reared in Montreal, Thornton Davidson attended the city schools, graduating from high school. Throughout his active business career he was connected with financial interests, later becoming manager of the Montreal branch of the New York house of Charles Head & Company.
In 1908 he established the firm of Thornton Davidson & Company which soon took a prominent position among the leading brokerage and investment security houses in the city. In 1909 Mr. Davidson became a member of the Montreal Stock Exchange. His thorough capability and great energy were factors in the success of the business which he established and of which he remained the head until his death. His personal popularity made him a valued member of the club life of the city, where he held membership in the St. James, Racquet, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Polo, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht, Manitou and Canada Clubs, and also in Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.
On November 3, 1906, in Montreal, Mr. Davidson was married to Miss Orian Hays, daughter of Charles Melville Hays. Returning from Europe in company with his wife and the latter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Hays, on the ill-fated Titanic, Mr. Davidson was among those brave men who on April 15, 1912, gave precedence to women and children and went down with the ship. Such an act is just what his friends would have expected of Thornton Davidson in such an emergency. His associates knew him as a capable business man and a most genial companion, but they recognized in him also the strength of character which manifests itself in the highest type of manhood when a crisis arises.
Important professional connections indicate the high standing of Dr. William Fawcett Hamilton of Montreal, who, in addition to an extensive private practice has done much hospital work. He is a son of Gustavus W. and Eleanor (Goodwin) Hamilton, and was born in Baie Verte, New Brunswick. His early education was acquired in the schools of his native town and in Upper Sackville and then, having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he entered McGill University of Montreal, from which he was graduated with the class of 1891, receiving the degrees of M. D. and C. M. He has now successfully practiced his profession in this city for more than two decades and has advanced steadily to a place of prominence as a representative of the medical profession. From 1891 until 1894 he was medical superintendent of the Montreal General Hospital and in the latter year became assistant physician of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and upon the death of Dr. James Stewart, in 1906, he was appointed attending physician of that institution. He has proven himself a man of ability and public opinion has accorded him rank with the eminent physicians of the city. He is now associate professor of clinical medicine at McGill University and as an instructor displays capability in imparting readily, clearly, concisely and forcibly to others the knowledge that he has acquired. In [84] 1909 he was elected a member of the Board of Victorian Order of Nurses, and he is a member of the Association of American Physicians and vice president of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society. Through these connections he keeps in close touch with the advanced work of the profession and has himself been a leader along the line of professional progress.
In June, 1897, Dr. Hamilton married Miss Janet Mills of Westmount, P. Q. Aside from his activity in the professional field Dr. Hamilton has done important public service as a director of the Young Men’s Christian Association and as senator of the Montreal Wesleyan Theological College. He is an active and helpful member of the Methodist church, and his social nature finds expression in his membership in the University Club and the Montreal Country Club.
Hon. Michel Mathieu has engraven his name high upon the list of Montreal’s eminent jurists, but has now retired from active connection with the profession, spending the evening of life in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He has passed the seventy-fifth milestone, having been born at Sorel, province of Quebec, December 20, 1838, a son of the late Joseph and Edwidge (Vandal) Mathieu. His education was acquired under private tuition and in the College of St. Hyacinthe, followed by a professional course in Laval University. He was admitted to the notarial profession in 1864 and was called to the Montreal bar as an advocate in 1865. His practice of his profession has been combined with active public service. In 1866 he was chosen sheriff of Richelieu and continued in that position for six years. He successfully practiced his profession at Sorel and while at the bar was closely associated with journalism bearing upon his profession, being the publisher of La Revue Legale, together with some annotated reports. In 1880 he was created king’s counsel by the Marquis of Lorne. He became widely known as an educator, for in 1886 he became a member of the law faculty of Laval University, receiving in that year the degree of LL. D., and becoming dean of the faculty, which connection he still retains.
It is a well known fact that members of the bar more than representatives of other professions are prominent in public office. The reasons for this are obvious and need no amplification here, for the qualities which fit one for success in law practice also prepare him for the thorough understanding of involved problems affecting the public welfare, and the habit of analytical reasoning is as forceful and valuable in one connection as in the other. Judge Mathieu sat for Richelieu in the house of commons, representing the conservative interests from 1872 until 1874. He was then defeated but represented the same constituency in the local parliament from 1875 until 1878. He took his place upon the bench as puisne judge of the superior court on the 3d of October, 1881, and for twenty-eight years interpreted law in opinions which were notably free from partiality and bias. His decisions indicate strong mentality, careful analysis and a thorough knowledge of the law. The judge on the bench fails more frequently, perhaps, from a deficiency in that broad-mindedness which not only [85] comprehends the details of a situation quickly and that insures a complete self-control under even the most exasperating conditions than from any other cause; and the judge who makes a success in the discharge of his multitudinous, delicate duties is a man of well rounded character, finely balanced mind and of splendid intellectual attainments. That Judge Mathieu is regarded as such a jurist is a uniformly accepted fact. He figured also in public life as a royal commissioner to inquire into certain matters concerning the good government of the province in 1892. He presided at the celebrated Shortis case for murder in the ’90s; in 1910 he lectured on the Canadian constitution and in July of that year he was appointed a royal commissioner to revise, consolidate and modify the municipal code of Quebec.
Judge Mathieu was married in 1863 to Marie Delina Thirza, a daughter of the late Captain St. Louis of Sorel, province of Quebec. She died in 1870 and in 1881 Judge Mathieu wedded Marie Amelie Antoinette, a daughter of the late Hon. D. M. Armstrong, M. L. C. The death of Mrs. Marie A. A. Mathieu occurred in April, 1898. Judge Mathieu now resides at The Marlborough in Montreal. His religious belief is that of the Roman Catholic church. Something of his standing is indicated in the words of Dr. J. Reade, who spoke of him as “much esteemed, especially by the students and younger members of the bar,” while the Montreal Gazette said of him, “He is a judge, painstaking and capable and with a grasp of the law and its meaning that few can equal.” His influence has been far-reaching and beneficial; it has touched the general interests of society along many lines and has been a factor in maintaining the legal status upon which rests the stability and prosperity of a country, the life and liberty of the individual.
Along the path of broad usefulness and activity Hon. Charles Seraphim Rodier advanced to prominence and success. He was a pioneer contractor, lumber merchant and manufacturer of Montreal and eventually came to figure prominently in financial circles. He was born in this city, October 14, 1818, and his life record spans seventy-two years, drawing to its close on the 26th of January, 1890. His grandfather was a physician in the French army and leaving Paris came to Canada, settling in Montreal in the middle of the eighteenth century. His father was Jean Baptiste Rodier, who married Miss Montreuil, daughter of a well known navigator who commanded vessels sailing from Montreal.
The opportunities accorded Charles Seraphim Rodier in his youth were somewhat limited. He pursued his education in a church school, but at the age of fourteen years put aside his text-books in order that he might earn his own living. He was apprenticed to the carpenter’s trade and for his services received a wage of one dollar per day. Thus from a humble position in the business world he steadily worked his way upward until long prior to his death he had reached a place in the millionaire class. He applied himself thoroughly to the mastery of his trade and when but eighteen years of age began contracting [86] on his own account and gained a good patronage. About the year 1846 he began the manufacture of threshing machines on St. Peter Street, now St. Martin, and for the remainder of his life was to be found almost daily at his office at No. 62 St. Martin. The business prospered from the beginning and machines that were made there over a half century ago are still repaired there. Each step in his business career brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. He was the owner of freight and passenger vessels and was one of the founders of the Jacques Cartier Bank, in which he placed one hundred and forty-five thousand dollars. He acted as both vice president and director of that institution and was connected with several joint stock companies, his opinions carrying weight in their management, for his advice was always considered sound and his judgment discriminating in regard to business affairs.
Aside from his personal interests, he was for over fifty years active in public life. In 1838 he was elected alderman for St. Antoine ward of Montreal but could not take his seat until later when he became of age. For nine years he served in the council, being elected three times by acclamation. Politically he was a stanch liberal-conservative and three times he refused a senatorship, but later, at the urgent request of his family and friends, he accepted in 1888, being gazetted senator on the 17th of December, of that year, for the division of Mille Isles. He last attended parliament the week before his death and was last at his desk on the 24th of January, 1890. He gave careful consideration to the grave questions which came up for settlement and stanchly supported any movement which he considered of vital worth. His activities also extended to other lines. He was president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society; was warden of Notre Dame church; and president of St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was also lieutenant colonel of the Sixty-fourth Beauharnois Battalion at the time of its formation and he was ever a generous contributor to religious, educational and charitable institutions.
Senator Rodier was united in marriage in 1848 to Miss Angelique Lapierre, a daughter of Andre Lapierre. The death of Mr. Rodier occurred January 26, 1890, when he had reached the age of seventy-two years, while his wife survived until March 24, 1907. They were the parents of four sons and four daughters.
In business circles of Montreal the name of Alexander C. Henry was well known, for from 1899 until his death, three years later, he was purchasing agent for the entire system of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the magnitude and importance of his duties making his position a most difficult and responsible one. He was born at Beamsville, Canada, in 1849, and after mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools he attended the Upper Canada College, at Toronto. Subsequently he removed to Montreal, and gradually working his way upward in business connections became, in 1884, assistant purchasing agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and in 1899 was made general purchasing agent for the entire system. His ability, fidelity, indefatigable energy and enterprise [87] brought him to the prominent position which he occupied. At the time of his death Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, paid high tribute to his memory and bore testimony to his honesty, which was manifest in his careful accounting for every penny, although in his capacity of purchasing agent he expended over one hundred and two million dollars.
On the 30th of November, 1882, in Montreal, Mr. Henry was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Wilson, of England, and to them were born three children, two of whom are living, H. Gordon, being a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, and the other, A. Wilson, of Montreal. Mr. Henry held membership in St. James the Apostle church. He was a public-spirited citizen, active in support of any movement which he deemed of vital worth in the upbuilding and progress of the community. He belonged to St. James Club, the Forest and Stream Club and others, and he had an extensive circle of friends who held him in the highest esteem. Mr. Henry passed away on February 2, 1902.
In manufacturing and commercial circles of Montreal the name of George Frederick Benson is well known. Important business concerns have profited by his cooperation, have felt the stimulus of his energy and enterprise and have been quickened by his close application and careful control. Many of Montreal’s best known and most successful business men are numbered among her native sons, to which class Mr. Benson belongs. His father, William T. Benson, a native of Kendal, Westmoreland, England, was a member of the federal parliament for the constituency of South Grenville, Ontario, in which county the village of Cardinal (formerly called Edwardsburg) is situated. There the late W. T. Benson resided for twenty-seven years, after establishing there in 1858 the industry, so well known for many years throughout the Dominion of Canada as The Edwardsburg Starch Company and now forming the Edwardsburg Works of The Canada Starch Company, Ltd. The late W. T. Benson married in England, before coming to Canada, Helen Wilson of Acton Grange, Cheshire, England, and their only son was George Frederick Benson, the subject of this review.
He was educated in England at Uppingham School and Oxford University, but returned to Canada, after the sudden death of his father in 1885, to take charge of his father’s varied interests. After first confining his work to the management of the firm of W. T. Benson & Company, importers of foreign wools and chemicals at Montreal, he was elected president of The Edwardsburg Starch Company in 1894, and since the formation of The Canada Starch Company in 1906 he has been its president and managing director. He is likewise a director of the West Kootenay Power & Light Company, and thus his interests have become extensive and important, connecting him with leading manufacturing, commercial and industrial interests, not only in the east but also in the west.
In October, 1890, Mr. Benson was united in marriage to Miss Etheldred Norton, a daughter of the late George Frothingham of the well known firm of [88] Frothingham & Workman, and they reside at No. 15 Ontario Avenue, Montreal. Mr. Benson gives his political allegiance to the conservative party and in religious faith is an Anglican. He has been an active member of the Montreal Board of Trade, and was treasurer for the year 1913. He has a wide acquaintance among leading club men of the city, holding membership in a number of the most important clubs of Montreal, including the St. James, Mount Royal, Canadian, Canada, Forest and Stream, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Racquet, Royal Montreal Golf and Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs. He is also a member of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club of Toronto and an active member of the Thousand Islands Yacht Club in the Thousand Islands district, where he has a most attractive summer residence.
Louis N. Dupuis is one of Montreal’s well known business men and citizens, whose connection with varied and important commercial enterprises in that city, has gained for him success and high standing as well as an enviable position in business and financial circles. He was born at St. Jacques l’Achigan, Montcalm county, October 17, 1855, a son of Joseph Dupuis and Euphrasie Richard. He attended Archambault’s Catholic Commercial Academy now called Plateau school and entered upon his business career as junior clerk in the employ of his late brother, J. Naz. Dupuis, in 1868. While at this time, Mr. Dupuis was but a lad, yet he applied himself closely and learned the business rapidly.
He was one of the founders in 1876 of Dupuis Freres, Limited, one of the best known mercantile houses in Montreal, and during the first ten years of this firm’s existence he took an important part in the management of its affairs and was no small factor in its success.
On the 1st of January, 1886, Louis N. Dupuis retired from the firm, since which time he has given his attention to various commercial enterprises, his sound judgment constituting an active and effective force in capable management.
Mr. Dupuis has been for a number of years extensively identified with real estate interests in Montreal, and in this connection has taken a prominent part in the city’s development. He is president of the Eastmount Land Company, also president of La Compagnie General d’Immeubles, Limitee, and president of the Merchants and Employers Guarantee and Accident Company. In these companies as well as in others with which he has been identified, his sound business judgment and foresight have been substantial contributions to their success.
On the 25th of April, 1881, Mr. Dupuis was married at L’Assomption to Miss Marie Melanie Panet Levesque, the second daughter of Pierre Thomas Panet Levesque, a land surveyor. Mr. Panet Levesque was seigneur of d’Ailleboust and Ramsey, which two seigneuries are situated in the county of Joliette, P. Q. Mr. and Mrs. Dupuis have ten children, living: Anne Marie; Amelie; Pauline and Celine; Pierre Louis, a well known young advocate of Montreal who was married on the 15th of January, 1913, to Miss Carmel Girouard, [91] daughter of Joseph Girouard, ex-member of parliament of St. Benoit, Two Mountains; Rosaire, one of the rising young notaries of Montreal, and of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work; François; Camille; Roger; and Jean.
Mr. Dupuis holds to the political faith of the conservative party and to the religious faith of the Roman Catholic church. He is a Knight of Columbus of Conseil Lafontaine and belongs to the Chapleau Fish and Game Club and the Canadian Club. Thoroughly progressive in his ideas, he has kept well informed both by reading and travel. As long ago as 1874, Mr. Dupuis visited Fort Garry, now the city of Winnipeg, when the journey required fourteen days from Montreal, and too, when the Red River country was considered the “Far West.” He has since then visited the Pacific coast no less than five times, as well as various sections of the United States. He is equally familiar with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as continental Europe, as it was formerly his custom to make semi-annual trips to Europe in connection with his business affairs. He enjoys the outdoor life, especially the sports of the forest. His public service has been well performed. At the end of 1909 he was selected by the citizens committee to form part of the new administration of the city as commissioner and was elected by the city at large in the election held on the 2d of February, 1910.
Rouer Joseph Roy, jurist, linguist and an interested student of literary, scientific and antiquarian subjects, was born in Montreal, January 7, 1821, his parents being the late Joseph Roy, M. P. P., and Amelia (Lusignan) Roy. The former, of French descent, rose to a position of prominence, representing his riding in the provincial legislature. His wife was connected with the distinguished family of Rouer de Villeray.
Rouer Joseph Roy attended Montreal College, from which he was graduated with honors in the presence of Lord Durham. Having determined upon the practice of law as his life profession, he entered the law office of the Hon. Mr. Sullivan in 1838 and after four years of thorough and comprehensive study was called to the bar, in 1842. Almost from the beginning his career was a successful one and after several years devoted to active law practice he was appointed joint city attorney for Montreal in 1862, filling that position continuously until 1876, when he became the sole legal advisor of the city, remaining in that office until he resigned in 1898. He afterward filled the position of consulting city attorney. In 1864 he was elected syndic of the Quebec bar and so continued for four years. In the same year he was made queen’s counsel as well as being elected president of the committee in charge of the bar library, which office he continuously and honorably filled for thirty years. In 1887 he was unanimously chosen batonnier of the Montreal bar and the following year was chosen batonnier general of the province. He held high professional rank and on several occasions appeared before the judicial committee of the privy council in England.
In January, 1857, Mr. Roy was married to Miss Corinne Beaudry, a daughter of the late Hon. J. L. Beaudry, M. L. C., who in 1857 was mayor of Montreal. Mr. Roy not only enjoyed a high reputation as a lawyer but also as a scholar, being widely known as a linguist, speaking fluently Greek, Latin, Italian and French as well as English. For many years he occupied the presidency of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society. He was one of the last survivors of the Sons of Liberty, an organization which played a most important part at the time of the rebellion of 1837. His religious faith was that of the Roman Catholic church and he filled the office of church warden of the parish of Notre Dame. His life was characterized by a nobility that lifted him above those traits which mar character and when death called him on the 27th of July, 1905, only words of commendation and respect were spoken concerning his life work. He had done things worthy to be written and had written things worthy to be read, and he left to posterity an unblemished name, linked with many deeds that won him prominence and honor.
A man of force, experience and capacity, Charles Mackay Cotton has made for himself an enviable position at the bar of Quebec and is numbered among the most able and successful advocates of Montreal, where he is in active practice as a member of the firm of Cotton & Westover. He was born in Durham township, Missisquoi county, Quebec, February 22, 1878, and is a representative of a well known Canadian family of English extraction, being a son of Sheriff Cotton, a grandson of Dr. Cotton and a great-grandson of Rev. Charles Caleb Cotton, B. A. (Oxford), who came from England in 1799 and was one of the pioneer Anglican clergymen in the eastern townships.
Charles Mackay Cotton acquired his preliminary education at Cowansville Academy, Feller Institute, Grande Ligne, Quebec, and afterward entered McGill University, Montreal, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1899, winning the high honor of the gold medal for general proficiency. From the same institution he was afterwards graduated B. C. L. in 1902, taking at this time the Macdonald scholarship. In his student days he gave every evidence of the ability and power upon which his present success is founded for besides the honors above mentioned he was class orator in science, arts and law. His record in McGill University is very creditable and one of which he has every reason to be proud, and its promise has been fully justified by his later accomplishments in the professional field. Mr. Cotton was called to the bar as advocate in 1902 and immediately afterwards went abroad in order to get the advantages of foreign travel and to supplement his excellent legal training by further study. He attended lectures at the law school of the University of Montpelier in 1903, thus completing an exhaustive and comprehensive legal education.
Mr. Cotton opened his first office in Sweetsburg, this province, practising in partnership with J. C. McCorkill, and proving able, farsighted and discriminating in the discharge of his professional duties. From Sweetsburg he came to Montreal, and he is today one of the representative citizens of this community, [93] prominent in his profession and a leading factor in the promotion of those projects and measures which have for their object municipal growth, advancement and progress. The firm of Cotton & Westover is one of the strongest of its kind in the city and connected through a wide and representative patronage with a great deal of important litigation. Mr. Cotton is recognized as an able advocate, possessed of a comprehensive knowledge of the law and a practical ability in its application, and his developed powers and wide experience are bringing him constantly increasing prominence in his chosen field.
Mr. Cotton is a member of the Anglican church and was formerly a captain in the Fifteenth Shefford Field Battery. A strong liberal, he takes an intelligent interest in public affairs, opposing political corruption wherever he finds it and supporting by word and action pure and clean politics. Viewed from any standpoint his has been a useful and successful career, and the future undoubtedly holds for him further honors and continued prosperity.
William Alexander Hastings, for many years vice president and general manager of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, Ltd., and one of the best known men in his line of business in Canada, was born at Petite Cote, March 6, 1852, a son of George and Margaret (Ogilvie) Hastings. George Hastings came from Boston, Massachusetts, and located at Petite Cote where he was engaged in farming.
William A. Hastings pursued his education in the schools of his native city and began his business career as a clerk in the Exchange Bank. His progress was rapid and he was promoted to manager of the Bedford (Quebec) branch, and later manager of the Exeter branch. Subsequently he was appointed treasurer of the St. Joseph (Missouri) Gas Company, serving until 1882 when he became identified with the milling business in which he achieved such notable success. In that year, with his brother, George V. Hastings, he became associated with the Ogilvie Company at Winnipeg, building and opening the flour mills there with great success. In 1888 he severed his connection with the above firm and became vice president and general manager of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, filling this prominent and important position until his death, which occurred on May 23, 1903.
Mr. Hastings had thoroughly acquainted himself with the business in its different phases so that he was well qualified to assume the control of one of the largest businesses of its kind in the Dominion, and to his rare judgment and marked executive ability is credited, to no small extent, the high degree of prosperity enjoyed by the company whose affairs he so ably directed.
Robert Meighen, president of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, said that he had been associated with Mr. Hastings for thirteen years and that any business which passed through his hands passed through the hands of God’s noblest work—an honest man. Others bore equally strong testimony as to his enterprise and his thorough reliability. He never weighed an act in the scale [94] of public policy but always measured his deeds by the standard of upright principle.
In 1884 Mr. Hastings was united in marriage to Miss Georgina Roy Ure, daughter of the late George P. Ure, and they became the parents of the following children: Margaret Ogilvie, who died in infancy; William Roy, of Montreal; and John Ogilvie, of Montreal.
Mr. Hastings was lacking in none of the qualities which make for upright manhood and progressive citizenship, and his cooperation with any movement or plan largely insured the successful outcome of the same. In 1890 he became a member of the Corn Exchange and in 1893 was elected a member of the committee of management, in which office he continued until 1898, serving for the last three years of that period as treasurer. Throughout his entire life Canada numbered him among her best citizens and the record which he made reflected credit upon the Dominion, constituting a factor in its material development.
One of the best known men in the grain trade in Canada and one whose untimely death cut short a business career that had been highly successful and was full of greater possibilities for the future was Robert Dennison Martin, who was born at Selby, Ontario, October 18, 1854, a son of William and Elizabeth (Thompson) Martin. The father was a farmer and the boyhood of Robert Dennison Martin was spent in the manner of a farmer’s son of that locality and period. His education, acquired at the place of his nativity, was somewhat limited. He remained in the district in which he was born until after attaining his majority. Hearing of the possibilities of the western country, he went to Manitoba and near Deloraine he secured a homestead which he developed and improved. As he managed to gather together a little capital, he turned his attention to merchandising, becoming a member of the hardware firm of Faulkner & Martin at Deloraine, an association which continued for a number of years after his removal to Montreal. It was at Deloraine that he first became connected with the grain business in which he was destined to win notable success. In the buying of grain he became associated with Alfred P. Stuart under the firm name of The R. D. Martin Company, a partnership that continued until the death of Mr. Martin.
After a few years residence in Winnipeg Mr. Martin came to Montreal in 1899, and with the exception of a year spent in Napanee and a year in Kingston, Montreal was his place of residence throughout the remainder of his life. The business of The R. D. Martin Company enjoyed a steady and prosperous growth and to its development Mr. Martin devoted his entire attention and rare ability. Since his demise the business has been continued under the name of the British Empire Grain Company, Limited. Mr. Martin suffered from ill health for several years prior to his demise which occurred at his beautiful new home at No. 1 Murray Avenue, Westmount, which was completed only a few weeks prior to his demise, which occurred on the 28th of June, 1905.
It was on the 18th of May, 1894, at Winnipeg, that Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Helen Moncrieff Morton, who was born in Perth, Scotland, a daughter of Duncan and Jessie (Watson) Morton. The father died when Mrs. Martin was but two years of age and her mother survived until a few years ago. Mrs. Martin came to Canada in 1892 and resided in Winnipeg previous to her marriage, a brother having preceded her to that place. She is one of five children born to her parents, four of whom survive, as follows: Jessie, the wife of George Banks of Perth, Scotland; Duncan, residing in Winnipeg; Helen M., who is Mrs. R. D. Martin; and Madeline, the wife of Andrew C. Craig of Winnipeg. To Mr. and Mrs. Martin were born five children: Charles Stuart, a student in McGill University; and Helen Elizabeth, Edith Laura, Jessie Watson and Robert Henry, all at home.
Mr. Martin was quiet and domestic in his tastes and habits. He held membership in only one club, the Canada Club, and did not enter actively into its affairs. He was very fond of his family and found his chief delight in the home circle, being a loving and kind husband and father. As a business man he was alert and energetic, ready for any emergency and he seemed to pass by no opportunity that pointed to honorable success. Contemporaries and colleagues had the highest respect for him and more than that, he gained the warm friendship and esteem of a large majority of his acquaintances. Although a later arrival in Montreal than many of his business associates, he gained prominence among them and attained an enviable position in the business world. He was a member of the Board of Trade and his opinions carried weight among its representatives and in other connections which had to do with the city’s welfare. He was truly Canadian in spirit and interests and his devotion to the public good was one of his notable traits of character.
J. Louis A. Guimond, a notary public practicing in Montreal and interested in business enterprises which connect him with activity in the real-estate field, was born in the town of Beauharnois, in the province of Quebec on the 14th of February, 1877. His father was Cyrille Guimond, a merchant and manufacturer, who married Justine Dubreuil of Pointe-aux-Trembles. In the pursuit of his education he attended the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe and was graduated in letters with the class of 1896, while his scientific course was pursued in College St. Laurent, from which he graduated in 1898. He has since been an active representative of the notarial profession in which connection he has secured a large clientage that makes his practice a profitable one. His life has been one of intense and intelligently directed activity and aside from his professional duties he is acting as a director and is a shareholder in a real-estate company. He is likewise secretary-treasurer of two municipalities and thus takes a helpful interest in public affairs as well as in the conduct of private business interests.
On the 24th of May, 1909, at Iberville, P. Q., Mr. Guimond was married to Miss Marie Louise Gayette, a daughter of Calixte Gayette. Their children are Paul and Ives Guimond. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic [98] church and in politics Mr. Guimond is a liberal-nationalist. He is energetic, accomplished and successful and by the consensus of public opinion he is ranked with the representative men of Montreal. He comes of an old and respected line of ancestors who settled in the province of Quebec in the seventeenth century. Since that day they have not only been active and progressive in business, but loyal in citizenship. Mr. Guimond’s lines of life have been cast in harmony with the record of an honored ancestry and his forbears have been no more loyal to city, province and country than he.
A man who has founded success in the legal profession upon ability, comprehensive knowledge, long experience and untiring industry, is Robert H. Barron, since 1895 in active and successful practice as a notary in Montreal. He has made continued and rapid progress in his chosen field of labor, each year bringing him to a point in advance of the previous one, and today the firm of Barron & Cushing, of which he is the senior member, is one of the most reliable of its kind in the city.
Mr. Barron was graduated B. A. from McGill University in 1892 and acquired his professional training in the same institution, completing the law course in 1895. In October of that year he began practice in Montreal, being taken into partnership by Mr. Charles Cushing and Mr. Robert A. Dunton; this association continued until 1900, and Mr. Barron then continued in partnership under the firm name of Cushing & Barron until the death of Mr. Cushing in September, 1910. Mr. Barron then practiced alone for about one year, when he associated himself with Dougall Cushing, his present partner and a son of his former partner. Barron & Cushing control a large and constantly growing business, and the firm is known to be strong and reliable. Mr. Barron is held in high honor in professional circles of Montreal, and his prominence stands upon the substantial foundation of ability and merit.
The legal fraternity of Montreal finds an able representative in Arthur Delisle, who not only has achieved favorable reputation in a private capacity but has ably represented the district of Portneuf in the provincial parliament. Capable, earnest and conscientious, he has been connected with important litigation before the local courts and his clientele is representative. He comes of an old and distinguished family whose ancestors came from France in the year 1669, on the 15th of October of which year arrived in Quebec Louis de l’Isle, of Dompierre, of the bishopric Rouen, accompanied by his young wife, Louise des Granges, of St. Brice of Paris, settlement being made at Pointe-aux-Trembles, of Quebec.
Arthur Delisle was born at Portneuf and is the son of Jean and Anathalie (Frenette) Delisle. In the acquirement of his education he attended Laval [99] Normal School Seminary of Quebec and Laval University of that city, taking his degree of Master in Law (cum laude) on the 23d of December, 1882. After locating for practice in Montreal important business came to him and as the years have passed he has become known as one of the most able men in his profession in the city. He has every faculty of which a lawyer may be proud, unusual familiarity with human nature and untiring industry making him one of the most forceful members of the bar. He was appointed queen’s counsel in 1898.
On April 22, 1890, at Quebec, Mr. Delisle was united in marriage to Blanche Hudon, a daughter of Théophile Hudon, a prominent merchant of Quebec. They have two children, Marguerite and Gaston. While attending the Laval Normal School Mr. Delisle received the usual course of military training under the supervision of the high officers at the citadel of Quebec, receiving such instruction there in the years 1876 and 1877. This experience has been of great benefit to him as it infused into the young man the lasting benefits of military exactness and punctuality. From 1891 until 1896 he represented the district of Portneuf in the house of commons, retiring in the latter year in order to give his seat to Sir Henry Joly de Lotbinière. Public-spirited and progressive, Mr. Delisle takes an active interest in the progress his city is making as one of the great metropolitan centers of North America and is ever willing and ready to support worthy enterprises projected for general improvement and growth.
In the death of Dr. David Greene, Montreal was forced to record the loss of a most capable member of the medical profession. He added to broad scientific knowledge and thorough training a deep human sympathy combined with an almost intuitive understanding of his fellowmen. Moreover he recognized to the fullest extent the weight of responsibility and obligations resting upon him, and his fidelity to duty became one of his strongest characteristics. A native of Ballyshannon, in the north of Ireland, he died on the 21st of March, 1891, at Montreal, Quebec. He prepared for college at the Royal School of Portora, Enniskillen, and was graduated from Trinity College at Dublin. He became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and from 1858 until 1864 practiced in the north of Ireland. It was in his native town of Ballyshannon that Dr. Greene wedded Miss Ellen Green, who with a son and several daughters survive him. But one of the children was born on the Emerald isle and with this daughter Dr. and Mrs. Greene came to the new world in 1866, making their way to Montreal, Canada. For a time Dr. Greene was actively engaged in practice in this city and then removed to Granby, where he practiced for many years, but afterward returned to Montreal. His intellectual powers were marked and his scholastic and literary attainments were of a high order. It was a liberal education in itself to know him well and profit by his wonderful store of knowledge, which he unconsciously imparted to his close friends in conversation that was brilliant and fascinating. His associates recognized that his comradeship meant expansion and elevation. Being endowed with a warm heart and splendid mental gifts, he left the impress of his individuality upon those with whom he was brought into [100] close and intimate relations. While he took high rank in his profession, his attainments were varied and brought him fame in other connections. He was a devout member of the English church, and his influence was always on the side of right, progress, truth and reform.
The surviving children of Dr. and Mrs. Greene are: Alice, Maud, Gertrude, Vida, Geraldine, and Whately Stokes. The last named pursued his education in the schools of Montreal and in March, 1898, made his initial step in connection with the banking business as an employe in the old Ontario Bank, with which he was connected for eight years. Through the past seven years he has been with the Royal Bank of Canada, and is now manager of the Laurier Avenue branch at the corner of Park Avenue and Laurier Avenue West. Mr. Greene married Miss Gertrude Anne Sheppard, only daughter of the late Charles Stanley Sheppard, and they have one daughter, Lorna Gertrude. Mr. Greene has made for himself a creditable place in financial circles as did his father in the field of professional service, and the name has long been an honored one in Montreal.
In financial circles in Montreal we have to mention Mr. Georges Gonthier as one of the most familiar figures. A member of the well known firm of St. Cyr, Gonthier & Frigon and a public accountant of some standing and repute, he has nevertheless found time to promote many measures of great commercial and public utility, and to prepare the way for the foundation of one of our most important institutions (L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales).
Mr. Gonthier was born in Montreal in November, 1869. After a period of arduous study and preparation he entered upon his business activities in 1890, and since that time has advanced steadily in his profession winning the good-will and esteem of everyone, so that we now see him occupying such positions of trust and public confidence as that of treasurer and director of the Chamber of Commerce and president of the Institute of Accountants and Auditors of the Province of Quebec. In fact, it was Mr. Gonthier himself who was chiefly instrumental in bringing about the establishment of the last mentioned institute, and he played no small part in its subsequent organization, for which his wide business experience and knowledge coupled with what we might term an unrivalled commercial sagacity, especially fitted him.
He was moreover one of the founders with the late Mr. Poindron of the Canada-French Trade Development Committee, since merged into the Comité France-Amérique under the presidency in Canada of the Hon. Raoul Dandurand.
Nor are Mr. Gonthier’s activities limited to the field of practical achievement. He has entered the lists as a public lecturer on financial and accounting subjects where he has won for himself considerable renown. In particular his essay on “Bonds as an Investment” has been highly praised and was even published in the financial journals at Paris. It is not surprising therefore that he has considerable influence in Belgium and in France.
It would be superfluous to add anything further to demonstrate the sterling qualities and well deserved reputation of Mr. Gonthier. It may, however, be interesting to accountants and auditors in general to know that it was mainly through his efforts that the law was passed to render compulsory the keeping of proper accounts to all who engage in business.
Huntly Ward Davis, member of the firm of Hogle & Davis, architects, was born in Montreal, October 22, 1875, a son of M. and Lucy (Ward) Davis, the latter a daughter of Hon. J. K. Ward, M. L. C. Huntly Ward Davis attended Eliock school at Montreal and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he was graduated as Bachelor of Science in June, 1898. He prepared for and has always followed the profession of architect, working in early manhood under A. T. Taylor, who became senior partner of the firm of Taylor, Hogle & Davis, but has since withdrawn, leaving the firm Hogle & Davis. Mr. Davis is a conservative, and his membership relations are with St. James Club and with the Church of St. James the Apostle. On the 26th of October, 1910, in Montreal, he was married to Evelyn St. Claire Stanley Bagg, daughter of the late Robert Stanley and Clara (Smithers) Bagg, and they have a daughter, Evelyn Clare Ward Davis.
This is an age of specialization. It is the unusual rather than the usual thing for any man to attempt to gain proficiency in the various departments of the law; on the contrary he usually concentrates his efforts upon a single branch of jurisprudence, with the result that he reaches a position which otherwise he could not hope to gain. Following this general course, François X. Roy has devoted his attention to commercial law, in which connection he has a large and distinctively representative clientage. He has been a lifelong resident of the province of Quebec, his birth having occurred on the 13th of August, 1863. His educational training was received at the College of Nicolet and in Laval University. He also spent a year in special study at Sherbrooke in 1886, was for a year under the direction of the law faculty at Bishop’s College, and then passed the usual examinations that secured his admission to the bar.
Choosing Montreal as the seat of his labors, Mr. Roy here began practice in association with the late Hon. C. A. Geoffrion, and later was with D. R. Murphy, K. C. He had become so well established in practice as a successful commercial lawyer that in 1909 he was created king’s counsel. He has become a recognized authority in the department of law in which he has chosen to specialize, and as such is called to all parts of the province, his opinions being largely received as authority upon points of commercial law. He is now attorney for the Williams Manufacturing Company, Henon-LeBlanc, Ltd., and several [104] other commercial firms of Montreal. He readily grasps the relation of cause and effect, and in the preparation of his cases his analytical power is strongly manifest. In presenting a cause before the courts he is logical, and his deductions follow in orderly sequence.
Mr. Roy is a liberal in politics and in all his political interests is actuated by a spirit of progressiveness as affecting both provincial and Dominion affairs. He has ever stood for improvement, reform and advancement, and for many years has held the office of treasurer of the Reform Club. Aside from this he is a member of Le Club Canadien, L’Alliance Nationale, L’Alliance Française, La Société St. Jean Baptiste and other societies. He stands as a high type of the French element in the citizenship of Montreal, combining with the admirable and strongly marked characteristics of a French ancestry the progressive spirit of the modern age, a spirit which falters not in the accomplishment of a task until success is achieved.
Napoléon Urgel Lacasse, attorney at law practicing in Montreal as a member of the well known firm of Bastien, Bergeron, Cousineau, Lacasse & Jasmin, was born at St. Vincent de Paul, in the county of Laval, P. Q., July 11, 1877. In the early records of the French families it is found that there are several variations to the family name which appears also as Casse, Cassé and Du Tertre. Angelique Lacasse was born in 1715 and died at Beaumont, August 22, 1738. Antoine Lacasse, who was born in 1706, married Marguerite Sionnaux and died November 27, 1778. The parents of Napoléon Urgel Lacasse were Zéphirin and Rose Delima (Fortier) Lacasse. Under the parental roof he spent his boyhood days while studying in St. Mary’s College and Laval University of Montreal, winning his Bachelor of Arts degree on the 15th of June, 1898, and that of Bachelor of Laws on the 21st of June, 1901. Following his graduation he entered immediately upon the active practice of his profession and was alone therein until the 1st of July, 1912, when he entered into his present partnership relations. He is recognized as one of the strong and able members of the bar among the younger practitioners, and his experience and study are continually promoting his knowledge and ability. Aside from his profession he is financially interested in several joint stock companies and has extensive real-estate investments.
Mr. Lacasse has been married twice, on the 28th of September, 1903, to Eugénie Barbeau and on the 31st of March, 1913, to Miss Yvonne Barbeau, daughter of the late Godfroy Barbeau, a merchant of Ste. Geneviève county, P. Q. The four children of Mr. Lacasse are: Jean François Bernard, Jacques Vincent Ferrier, Joséphine Hélène Marcelle and Suzanne Andrée Victoire. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church. The military experience of Mr. Lacasse covers more than three years’ service as commanding officer of St. Mary’s College Cadets from 1896 until 1898 inclusively. He was one of the winners in the cadets contest in 1893 for the Duke of Connaught prize, also in 1894 and 1895.
In politics he is a conservative and has made public battles for his principles in elections in the counties of Terrebonne, Jacques Cartier, Laval and Yamaska. However, the practice of law he considers his real life work, regarding it as abundantly worthy of his best efforts, and in his chosen profession he has made continuous and gratifying progress.
Dr. Frank Buller was one of the most celebrated ophthalmologists of the new world, occupying, as practitioner and educator, a position in which he had few peers. His scientific research and his broad reading gave him a knowledge far superior to that of many able members of the profession, and in the wise utilization of his time and talents he made valuable contributions to the world’s work.
Dr. Buller was born at Campbellford, Ontario, May 4, 1844, a son of Charles G. and Frances Elizabeth (Boucher) Buller, of Hillside, Campbellford. After attending the high school at Peterboro, from which he graduated in due time, he took up the study of medicine in Victoria College at Cobourg, completing his course with the class of 1869. He then went to Germany, where he spent two years in the study of the eye, ear, nose and throat, acquainting himself with the advanced methods of eminent men in the profession. While at the University of Berlin he received close personal instruction from Von Helmholtz and Von Graefe, and, during the Franco-German war, served as assistant surgeon in a number of military hospitals of northern Germany. In 1872 Dr. Buller went to London and studied for some years in “Moorfields”—the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. He was for two years chief house surgeon of this hospital, and he introduced to London the “direct” method of ophthalmoscopy. In England he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. Buller began practice in Montreal in 1876 and rapidly advanced to a foremost position in his profession. For seventeen years he was the opthalmic and aural surgeon in the Montreal General Hospital and resigned to take the same position in the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was the first ophthalmologist to be appointed to the General Hospital—and so remarkably recent is the development of opthalmology in the new world that, prior to that time, every physician and surgeon treated his eye cases in his own clinic. For many years Dr. Buller was professor of ophthalmology and otology in McGill University, being appointed professor when the chair was founded in 1883. He was equally able in his large private practice and enjoyed an ever widening reputation. Dr. Buller received the English degree of M. R. C. S.
Dr. Buller was a powerfully built man, restless and very energetic. His students used to say of him, “Buller is a great teacher, but he wears us out.” He was forever engaged in arduous mental work but also took keen interest in matters outside of his profession. He was frank, straightforward and kind—a strong generous nature.
Dr. Buller married Elizabeth Belton Langlois, of Quebec, who died November 20, 1895. By this marriage there were two children, Marguerite and Cecil. [106] In 1898 he married Miss Jean Brien, of New York, and they had three children, Francis, Audrey and James, the latter dying in 1909.
Dr. Buller was a member of the Church of England. He died October 11, 1905. He was followed to the grave by the entire medical profession of Montreal and numerous physicians from a distance. Also many of the city’s poor were present at the obsequies—a fact which, had he been able to know it, would have touched that great heart which had so keenly felt their sorrows.
A colleague of Dr. Buller writes as follows: “In very delicate cases, where he feared to trust patients in the hands of untrained attendants, and they were too poor to hire professional nurses, he has been known to stay with the patients all night, after an operation, and attend to the dressing himself, lest the eye, so tender and in such a precarious condition, might suffer needless pain or be injured through a slight mistake.”
“Dr. Buller will be especially remembered because of three inventions: (1) the Buller eye-shield (composed of a watch-crystal and strips of sticking-plaster and oftenest employed to protect an unaffected eye when its fellow is afflicted with gonorrheal infection). (2) Temporary tying of the cacalieuli for the prevention of wound infection in operations on the eye-ball. (3) The Buller trial frame. Yet his inventions and investigations were very numerous and, for the most part, successful in every way. Thus, concerning his investigation into ‘Methyl Alcohol Blindness,’ conducted jointly with Dr. Casey A. Wood, De Schweintz declares the work to be ‘by far the most important contribution to the subject and one to which too high praise cannot be given.’” Scientists, members of the profession and all mankind delighted to honor him because of what he had accomplished. High above any desire for pecuniary reward was his deep interest in humanity and an earnest purpose to make his life a serviceable one to his fellowmen.
Foremost among those men whose life’s record seems an inseparable part of Canada’s industrial and commercial growth during the period of their activities, is that of William Watson Ogilvie, whose identification with the milling business covered a period of nearly a half century. The position of Mr. Ogilvie in this important industry was unquestionably at the head. He did more to develop it than any other man before or since his time, and the great success he achieved was fully merited.
William W. Ogilvie was born at Cote St. Michel, Montreal, February 14, 1835, of Scotch ancestry, and belonged to the Banffshire family of that name. He received his education in Montreal schools, and in entering on a business career chose that which was his by inheritance, the milling business.
His grandfather, Alexander, erected in 1801, a mill at Jacques Cartier, near Quebec, where was ground the first flour under British rule that was ever exported to Europe. This old mill was really the foundation of the immense business that was built up by W. W. Ogilvie. In 1860 he entered into partnership with his brothers, Alexander and John, grain merchants and proprietors [109] of a mill at Lachine Rapids. The growth of the business was soon responsible for the building of the Glenora Flour Mills on the Lachine canal. The business continued to grow, and the Ogilvies erected mills at Goderich and Seaforth, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba; and later, the Royal Mills at Montreal. The three brothers operated together until 1874, when the elder brother retired, and on the death of his brother, John, in 1888 the entire business management devolved upon William W. Ogilvie, whose well developed powers were entirely adequate to the demands made upon him in the further control and management of this extensive enterprise, of which he became the head. In addition to the properties mentioned, Mr. W. W. Ogilvie afterward purchased the City Mills, Montreal, and at the time of his death had accepted plans for a very large mill at Fort William. Some years previous to his demise to facilitate the administration of his western business, the Ogilvie Milling Company of Winnipeg was formed in which Mr. Ogilvie was the dominant factor. The Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, of the present, was organized in 1903 and is practically the successor of the Ogilvie Milling Company and various other interests in this line, belonging to Mr. Ogilvie’s estate.
Mr. Ogilvie and his brother John were the pioneer wheat buyers in Manitoba. He had traveled through Canada’s present wheat fields years before they were cultivated and many times afterwards. From the first small shipment of five hundred bushels from Manitoba in 1876, the shipments, in Mr. Ogilvie’s lifetime, to his own mills increased until they reached the enormous total of eight million bushels of No. 1 hard wheat, all purchased by his own expert buyers from the farmers, at his seventy elevators, extending all over the wheat section of Ontario and the northwest.
In the manufacture of flour Mr. Ogilvie spent a lifetime and spared neither time, labor or expense in bringing his product to the very acme of perfection. By steady industry and indomitable energy and most of all the superior quality of his products, upheld at all cost, the business grew until it not only became the largest of its kind in the Dominion, but the most extensive flour business in the world controlled by one man.
Mr. Ogilvie was the first to introduce into Canada the patent process of grinding by rollers. In 1868, he visited Hungary where this system originated, for the purpose of investigating it. He saw at once its value and adopted it. He invented improved machinery used in the milling business, and was always ready to adopt the improvements of others that were practical.
It was said that he had better knowledge of wheat and wheat lands than any man in Canada. His business furnished a market for wheat growers and proved a stimulating influence in the agricultural development of the great wheat-raising section of middle and western Canada. His labors were directly responsible for much of the growth, progress and prosperity of Manitoba and the provinces farther west, and his worth as a business man and citizen was acknowledged by all.
Mr. Ogilvie’s identification with commercial interests was large and diversified. He was a director of the Bank of Montreal; the Montreal Transportation Company; the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company; the Old Dominion Board of Trade; and the Sailors Institute. He was president of the Corn Exchange Association; St. Andrew’s Society; and the Montreal Horticultural [110] Society; governor of the Montreal General and the Royal Victoria Hospitals; president of the Manufacturers’ Association, and served as a member of the Harbor Board.
In regard to agricultural and horticultural interests he manifested an interest and enthusiasm that were contagious, his efforts constituting an example that many others followed. He served both on the council and board of arbitration of the Montreal Board of Trade and was president of that body in 1893-4. In matters of citizenship he was extremely public-spirited and what he accomplished represented the fit utilization of his innate talents and powers. His political belief is indicated in the fact that in 1896 he was president of the Liberal Conservative Club of Montreal. He was a forceful speaker in both French and English and frequently, in his earlier days, addressed public meetings during political campaigns.
As a young man he served as lieutenant and subsequently as a captain in the Montreal Cavalry under his brother, being thanked in brigade orders by Colonel Pakenham in 1866.
He was one of the prominent members of St. Andrew’s church. Mr. Ogilvie always gave with a free hand toward various public institutions, and there was no movement of importance to which he did not contribute. His benefactions were liberal, varied and by no means local. He gave thirteen thousand dollars, towards making up a deficit for completion of the Jubilee wing of the Winnipeg General Hospital. He was one of the first to subscribe to the patriotic fund for the families of those who went with the Canadian contingent to the Transvaal war. Mr. Ogilvie was a man of great business capacity and to a most remarkable extent maintained a personal knowledge of his diversified interests.
His death on January 12, 1900, was very sudden. He had been at his office attending to business as usual, after which he attended a directors’ meeting of the Bank of Montreal. On his way home he was taken ill and passed away soon after reaching there.
Many of the leading mercantile houses and public offices flew their flags at half mast through respect for him. The Montreal Gazette at time of his death, said on January 13, 1900, editorially:
“It is long since any event caused such a painful shock in Montreal as did the death yesterday of W. W. Ogilvie. Strong in body, clear in mind, actively interested in the details of great concerns, he was one of the last whose taking away would be thought of. His loss will be felt the more because of its suddenness and it is a great loss, to the city’s commercial life. Mr. Ogilvie’s business intelligence and energy long ago raised him to a place not among Canada’s alone, but among the world’s great merchants.
“It was a just pride that he felt in directing the greatest milling interest in the world under one man’s control; and the pride was more than personal. He early saw what the northwest meant to Canada, both commercially and nationally, and it was a pleasure to him to feel that as his business spread it was making known the resources of the country, in all of whose affairs he took the deepest interest.
“The success that he gained in his own business caused his counsel to be sought in the direction of other great enterprises. He was a director in the [111] country’s greatest financial corporation, and in other institutions in which he had investments. On the Corn Exchange and on the Board of Trade, his was an influential voice, and it was always raised in behalf of that which was best and broadest.
“He knew how to give generously to a good cause. He earned the respect of all who were brought into contact with him and especially that of the hundreds of men who served him in the enterprise of which his was the directing brain.
“It was a big place that he won through his heart as well as by his head and it will be long ere there will be found another capable of filling it.”
Mr. Ogilvie was survived by his widow and four children, three sons and a daughter, Albert Edward, William Watson (died 1906), Gavin Lang and Alice Helen. Mrs. Ogilvie previous to her marriage in 1871, was Helen, a daughter of Joseph Johnston of Paisley, Scotland.
R. A. Baldwin Hart, prominent as a representative of one of the old families of Montreal, manager-executor of the Theodore Hart estate, and a public-spirited citizen, was born in Montreal, December 5, 1852, a son of Theodore Hart. For a long period the family had been represented in this city, the name figuring prominently in connection with its history. His education was acquired in the schools of Montreal and his life was spent in his native city.
In 1900 in Montreal Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss Mary Isabella Owen, who survives him, the death of Mr. Hart having occurred on the 11th of September, 1903, when he was yet in the prime of life. He was very fond of outdoor sports. He was a wide reader and kept abreast with the events of the day and the progress of the times. Charitable and kindly in spirit, he listened attentively and sympathetically to a tale of sorrow or distress and no worthy object failed to receive substantial assistance from him. Civic affairs were a matter of interest to him and he supported movements which he deemed of benefit to Montreal. His was indeed a well rounded character in which the varied important interests of life received due consideration and he stood as a high type of Canadian manhood and citizenship.
Alan Judah Hart, founder of the Hart Manufacturing Company, of Montreal, is a descendant of one of the oldest English speaking families of Canada, the ancestry being traced back to one who came from New York with General Amherst in 1759. For many generations the family was represented at Three Rivers, Canada. Lewis A. Hart, father of Alan J. Hart, has for forty years or more been a notary in Montreal. He was born at Three Rivers and was educated in Montreal, supplementing his preliminary studies by advanced courses [112] which won him the degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Civil Law. He married Fanny Elizabeth Benjamin and they became the parents of four sons and four daughters: Claude Benjamin, a commission merchant; Arthur Daniel, a manufacturer’s agent; Philip Beyfus, a commercial traveler; Alan Judah; Ethel Muriel; Mabel Ruth; Gladys Judith; and Dorothy Marguerite.
Alan Judah Hart was born in Montreal, October 4, 1879. He was educated in Montreal and for some years was employed by E. A. Small & Company, manufacturers of men’s clothing, and later was with A. H. Sims & Company, manufacturers of ladies’ clothing, acting as superintendent of the house for three years. In 1902 he established the Hart Manufacturing Company for the purpose of manufacturing ladies’ tailor-made suits and cloaks and in the conduct of this business he has been very successful. Mr. Hart is a director of H. Vineberg & Company, Limited, manufacturers of the Progress Brand clothing and has become widely and favorably known in commercial circles.
Mr. Hart married Miss Eva Vineberg, a daughter of Harris Vineberg, and they have a family of five children: Edward Henry, Gordon David, Lawrence Ezra, Alma Ruth and Vera Esther.
Mr. Hart is a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital and a director of Mount Sinai Sanitarium at Ste. Agathe. He was likewise a member of the executive board of the Canadian Manufacturers Association, serving in that capacity in 1912 and 1913, and he is a member of the Montreal Board of Trade and of the Royal Arcanum. His interests and activities are varied and important, winning him recognition of his worth in both commercial circles and in public life.
Hon. Louis Joseph Forget, whose name is written large on the pages of financial and industrial history of Montreal during the past forty years, left the impress of his great constructive force and energy upon mammoth projects which are figured as some of the Dominion’s leading enterprises. He was born March 11, 1853, at Terrebonne, P. Q., a district that has produced many eminent statesmen, writers, merchants and financiers. He was one of the nine sons of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Forget and was descended from a family that came to Canada from Normandy in 1600. Among those nine sons there were two priests, one of whom declined episcopal robes, a notary, two lawyers, two contractors, one farmer and he who was destined to become a power in the financial world, Louis Joseph Forget. His education was acquired at Masson College and his entrance into business circles was in connection with a dry-goods establishment. He had almost reached the determination of trying his fortune in the United States when he chanced upon a newspaper that contained an advertisement of office help being needed by Thomas Caverhill. Mr. Forget applied for the position the next morning and was accepted. From the beginning of his work with Mr. Caverhill the young man displayed unusual aptness as well as great eagerness to learn. He was not an ordinary boy. He took great interest in his work and often asked questions about other features of the business that did not [115] come within his particular line of duties, but a knowledge thereof added to his capability and rendered him fit for promotion and opportunity offered later. It is only natural that a young man of this character should attract the attention of his employer. Mr. Caverhill took great interest in him and was instrumental in causing Mr. Forget to enter the brokerage business. The financial exploit during Jay Gould’s celebrated Black Friday in Wall Street reflected no little credit upon Mr. Forget, displaying in notable manner his insight and ability, and soon afterward he was nominated for membership in the Montreal Stock Exchange by his former employer. It is interesting in this connection to note that he was the first French-Canadian to be admitted to membership in that body and that before he had reached his majority he purchased his seat therein at a cost of nine hundred dollars. He began business as a stock broker in Montreal in 1873, from which time until his death, thirty-eight years later, his prominence and success in the investment security business were not over-shadowed by that of his contemporaries. He founded the financial house of L. J. Forget & Company, one of the foremost in its line in Montreal and remained its head during his life time. The Paris branch of L. J. Forget & Company at 7 Rue Auber, was the first to be established in continental Europe by a Canadian financial house and readily secured a clientele that materially broadened the operations of the firm.
Senator Forget was elected president of the Montreal Stock Exchange in 1895 to succeed H. S. Macdougall and in May, 1896, was reelected. His business and financial connections had been constantly broadening and had long since included a prominent identification with the foremost financial and industrial projects of the time. In 1892 he became president of what was then the Montreal City Passenger Railway Company, now the Montreal Tramways Company. He remained its directing head until 1911, in which connection he accomplished what has meant much to Montreal. To no one man is the city indebted as largely for the upbuilding and development of its transportation system as to Senator Forget. Under his regime the motive power was changed from horses to electricity and the market value of the company’s stock advanced from around one hundred dollars to three hundred and thirty-seven dollars and a half per share.
In 1895 Senator Forget became president of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company. At that time the affairs of the company were far from being on a dividend-paying basis and the rehabilitation of its interests was but another illustration of Senator Forget’s constructive genius. He resigned his position as head of the company in 1905, but in the meantime the stock was paying a six per cent dividend and the affairs of the company generally were in a better condition than ever before.
One of the great achievements of Senator Forget was in carrying through the merger of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company and in doing so he accomplished what many predicted to be utterly impossible, saying that nothing but failure and financial disaster could result. This was in 1900 before the days when big business interests were merged into mammoth enterprises and the amount involved, seventeen million dollars, seemed to stagger even the most progressive element in financial circles. Like all of his undertakings, Mr. Forget had not entered into this without due consideration and he had implicit confidence [116] in its success. It is doubtful if any but he could have swung that deal and how well he succeeded is best indicated in the value of the securities of the company in investment circles.
He was a prominent figure in the notable contest which took place between the Dominion Coal Company and the Dominion Iron & Steel Company. Originally a director and vice president of the coal company he espoused the cause of the steel company in its fight over the coal supply and ultimately the matter was carried to the privy council and was there decided in favor of the steel company. Mr. Forget was elected vice president of the steel corporation when eventually the two companies were merged and he continued to take an active part in the administration of the affairs of the company to the time when his health began to fail. Evidence of his wonderful insight and sagacity in business matters is shown in the fact that when the trouble first arose from which resulted the extended litigation between the Dominion Iron & Steel Company and the Dominion Coal Company Senator Forget went over the point in contention in his characteristic deliberate manner and at once concluded that the claim of the steel corporation would be sustained by the courts, notwithstanding the contrary opinion of some of the greatest legal authorities and business men of the day and time proved that his judgment was correct.
He was the first French-Canadian to be elected to the directorate of the Canadian Pacific Railway and was a member of its board at the time of his death. His greatest enthusiasm was aroused while viewing the untold resources of the west during the many times he accompanied Sir Thomas Shaughnessy and R. B. Angus on their annual tours of inspection. When the life work of Senator Forget was ended the Montreal Daily Star said in part: “By the death of Senator Forget a man of affairs has been lost to Canada. A man of wide vision who saw far into the future and who modeled his career accordingly. A glance through the financial district at the half-masted flags at once conveys an idea of the number and the prominence of the institutions that Senator Forget had been interested in. Senator Forget stood out in Canadian finance, but more than that, he was a true Canadian citizen and had done his share towards the public weal, forgetting not his duty towards the state in the midst of tremendous private enterprises. He was a man of sympathies. At all times courteous and approachable, he could thrust aside great business matters to attend to the small wants of individuals, nor was he ever found wanting or indifferent when charity offered a plea.
“In finance Senator Forget was a true leader. He was one of the first men to loom large in high finance in Canada. He realized many possibilities which other men have realized too—but he followed that by action. He had the courage to follow his convictions and many solid institutions which today enjoy in themselves prosperity and largely aid in the advancement of the Dominion, owe to him debts which can never be repaid to the individual, though they will be to the people of the country. His financial ability brought him into prominence in connection with several of the largest corporations in the Dominion, prominent among which were the Montreal Street, the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company and the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, the Dominion Coal Company, and the Dominion Iron & Steel Company.
“Senator Forget was one of the colossal figures about whom have surged the tides and currents of Canadian finance. The news of his death this morning was as much of a shock as a surprise, both to those with whom he had been so long associated in connection with the organization and the management of the great financial and industrial enterprises of the Dominion and to the thousands of others to whom his name had come to be the shibboleth of success.
“But if Senator Forget represented one thing more than success it was absolute unswerving fidelity to his word. In all the heat and confusion of the stock market amidst the treacheries which sometimes attend on high financing and the deception and duplicity which beset the path of the successful man everywhere, there was never a question of his own unfaltering veracity. Senator Forget was wisely charitable, an intelligent patron of the arts, and a strong supporter of all movements which made for the better government of the city and the state. He will long be remembered for what he was as well as for what he did.”
Another Montreal paper said of him: “His rise to financial fame is written on the business history of Montreal, and the story of his success in the financial world is the history of the development of the city. Although Senator Forget’s estate will count up into the millions, its accumulation was not effected by continuous plain sailing.”
Obstacles and difficulties of grave import arose, but his financial capacity and strict integrity had won the confidence and trust of friends who rallied to his support, and although he saw the storm clouds gather, he was able to turn threatened disaster into brilliant achievement. His investments were most judiciously made and his judgment concerning important financial transactions seemed never at fault. Once his mind was made up as to the value of a security nothing could shake his confidence, and much of his success in life was due to his unerring judgment.
Slow to make a promise or express an opinion, Senator Forget never failed to fulfill a promise and when he gave his opinion it was the expression of his honest conviction and indicated a course which he would follow in a similar position. If he advised an investor it meant that he would not hesitate a moment in investing his own money in the same security. His unquestioned loyalty to his friends covered his entire business career. His recommendation of a security to an investor meant that he would fully support that security and there were instances in his career when even his vast resources were taxed in such support. This was true in connection with the Montreal Stock Exchange in a security where large sums were invested on his recommendation. The implicit confidence that capital had in his judgment enabled him to finance and successfully carry out projects that probably no other man of his time could have handled. His word was as good as his bond. His denial of a rumor killed it immediately just as an admission from him settled all doubt. He could see through a proposition readily and would decide important and extensive matters quickly. His decision was never hasty or ill advised but came as the result of the fact that he had mastered many grave business affairs and with readiness comprehended every phase of a situation that came before him. He was a man of strong personality. His was never the command of the [118] tyrant to go but ever the call of the leader to come. He was never vacillating in his opinions of the best methods to be followed or the manner in which a given work was to be done. He was a most considerate and appreciative man and was always ready to encourage one who was striving upward. He was not a talkative man, that is he talked but comparatively little, yet he talked to the point and with great earnestness and thinking men listened to him with attention. He never laughed aloud, but his smile was one full of humor, enjoyment and good nature. Judging his manner by first appearance might do him an injustice, for a habit of earnest thought had brought a deep furrow in the forehead that might be regarded as a frown. An acquaintance, however, always received the most polite attention from him and his unfailing courtesy of manner showed him to be a perfect gentleman in the highest and best sense of the term.
His interest in benevolent and charitable projects was wide and his support thereof most generous. He became a director of the Notre Dame Hospital and was a governor of both the General Hospital and the Western Hospital. He was a governor of the Art Association and life governor of the Numismatic & Antiquarian Society; also president of the board of governors of Laval University. His political career is an interesting one, for he was not always a supporter of the liberal-conservative party. Although a fellow townsman of Sir Adolphe Chapleau, the Senator had been allied with Sir Henri Gustave Joly de Lotbinière in that leader’s contest with Chapleau, Angers and the rest of the conservative leaders of his time. In federal politics, however, Hon. Mr. Forget declined to follow the free trade policy of Mackenzie and Cartwright, which had been forced against his will upon Rodolphe Laflamme, and from the days of the national policy the Senator worked with the present conservative party. He was appointed to the upper house during the elections of 1896 and was the last conservative senator to enter that branch of the Canadian parliament. Senator Forget seldom addressed the senate, yet his advice in committee was of great value to his fellow members and it was here that the close friendship sprang up between Senator Forget and the ex-prime minister, Sir Mackenzie Bowell. The Senator was a loyal follower of R. L. Borden as leader of the conservative party, both in parliament and in the country. He realized that it was a very difficult matter for any leader to find complete favor in the eyes of all the provinces, but he was confident that Mr. Borden gave his services to the party and to the country in a patriotic manner and consequently deserved the support of a united party in both houses. The Montreal Gazette some years ago termed him “an astute and enterprising man of affairs.” He was more than that. He was a constructionist and builded where others saw no opportunity; he was a patriot without narrow partisanship; a Roman Catholic and stanch churchman without a particle of race prejudice, in evidence of which fact his closest friend in the senate of the Dominion was an ex-grand master of the Orange Grand Lodge of British North America—Sir Mackenzie Bowell. High honors had been accorded him, distinction and notable success had come to him. These things made him an eminent citizen, but, more than that, attractive social qualities and genuine personal worth had gained him the highest regard, confidence, good-will and friendship of his contemporaries and colleagues.
While Senator Forget was a member of a number of clubs, he manifested keenest interest perhaps in the Mount Royal Club, of which he was one of the founders. Among the other clubs to which he belonged were the St. James, of which he had been president; the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club; the Forest and Stream; the Montreal Hunt; the Country Club of Ottawa and the Manhattan Club of New York.
In May, 1876, Senator Forget married Miss Maria Raymond, a daughter of Gustav A. Raymond of Montreal. They were the parents of five children: Loulou, now Mrs. W. W. Skinner; Raymond, who died at the age of four years; Blanche, now Mrs. Guy Boyer; Marguerite; and Pauline. The two younger daughters accompanied their parents abroad and the family was sojourning at Nice when Senator Forget passed away, April 7, 1911.
Thorough preparatory training and broadening experience well qualify Charles M. Black for the important and responsible duties that devolve upon him as secretary and treasurer of the insurance brokerage firm of R. Howard & Company of Montreal. He has many friends in this city, to whom his life record will prove of interest. He was born in Winnipeg in 1890, a son of William Allan Black and a grandson of Charles R. and Elizabeth (Hall) Black, of Montreal. There is a mingled strain of English and Scotch blood in his veins. The birth of William A. Black occurred in Montreal, November 17, 1862. His education was acquired in the schools of his native city, and for some years he was in the service of the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railway Companies. In 1882 he went to Manitoba and the following year became connected with the Ogilvie Milling Company, one of the foremost enterprises of that character in the country. Gradually in that connection he worked his way upward and in 1902 was appointed general manager of the western division, while in 1910 he was elected one of the directors of the company. Still further promotion has come to him in his election as vice president and managing director of the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company. He is likewise a member of the Winnipeg Board of Trade, a councillor of the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange and a member of the grain survey and grain standard boards. He is likewise a director of the Home Savings & Investment Company, Molson’s Bank and Larose Consolidated Mines and is managing director of the Kaministiquia Power Company and president of the Manitoba Cold Storage Company. He belongs to the Winnipeg and Manitoba Clubs. He was married in 1888 to Mary Campbell, daughter of Alexander McEwan, of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The illustrious example of his father has fired the ambition of Charles M. Black, who was reared in Montreal and Winnipeg. Making good use of time, talents and opportunities, he has steadily progressed and is today a well known factor in insurance brokerage circles of Montreal. The business of the firm of R. Howard & Company was established in 1901 and was organized under the present firm style on the 1st of February, 1913, when Charles M. Black became a member of the firm, of which he has since been secretary and treasurer, with [120] Robert Howard as the president. He had received thorough initial business training in three years’ connection with his father, and he is also secretary and treasurer of the Financial Investment Company. A young man of determination and energy, he carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and obstacles and difficulties in his path serve but as an impetus for renewed effort on his part.
High on the list of Montreal’s worthy citizens who have passed from this life appears the name of John Pratt, who from 1839 until 1872 was one of the prosperous merchants of the city. He was born at Berthier, en haut, on the 20th of July, 1812, and after a well spent life of sixty-four years passed away July 22, 1876. He was survived for only a few weeks by his brother, Mr. C. F. Pratt, with whom he had commenced his business career and with whom he was almost continuously associated thereafter.
The father was a merchant at Berthier and in 1833 the sons, Charles F. and John, left the paternal home to establish a business house in Quebec under the firm name of C. F. Pratt & Company. Having succeeded almost beyond his expectations in that city, John Pratt opened a branch establishment at Three Rivers and, as in Quebec, won almost immediate prosperity in the conduct of the enterprise. Soon the brothers found that their sphere of action was too limited and in 1839 they extended the scope of their interests by founding the well known leather house of John Pratt & Company in Montreal.
In 1852 the Quebec house was closed, the brothers concentrating their energies upon the conduct of the Montreal business, out of which they made colossal fortunes, that of Mr. John Pratt amounting to about a million dollars. The tanneries at Roxton Falls were started by the Pratts, who for many years stood at the head of the leather business. In 1869, however, they put aside industrial and commercial interests, but while Charles Pratt confined himself to private affairs, his brother, John Pratt, whose name introduces this review, unable with his active temperament to remain comparatively unemployed, engaged in the conduct of several joint stock companies, with which he had identified himself. At the time of his death he was president of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, over whose board he had presided since 1867. He was president of the Banque du Peuple, of the Rubber Company, and others; and was vice president of the Citizens Assurance Company, a position which he also occupied in connection with other joint stock concerns. He was on the board of directors of the Valleyfield Cotton Company, an enterprise which he had done much to promote. Indeed, it may be said of Mr. Pratt that he was an undoubted authority on all business matters, being sagacious, practical, enterprising and energetic. He seemed to recognize almost from the beginning the possibilities of any undertaking, and he never faltered until his purpose was accomplished.
In 1863 Mr. Pratt was placed on the harbor board, but the succeeding year the government of Sir John Macdonald removed him from office, doing exactly the same by Hon. John Young and Mr. Thomas Cramp. In 1874, however, he was placed upon the newly constituted board, of which he was an active, practical [123] and influential member. His natural modesty impelled him, upon several occasions, to decline nomination for parliament, to which, there is no doubt, had he so desired, he would have been elected. Politically he was a thorough reformer and even by those who differed from him, his opinions were looked upon with great respect. He was at all times a thorough gentleman, a faithful and considerate friend and a real philanthropist.
On the 3d of March, 1840, Mr. Pratt married Marie Mathilde Roy, the widow of Charles Ovide Perrault, who was killed in the rebellion of 1837. Mrs. Pratt died July 29, 1897. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pratt were: Marie Mathilde, who was married in 1862 to Desire Girouard; Charles Alfred, a practicing physician, who in 1866 married Alphonsine Leclair and resides at Longueuil; Eveline Marie Louise, the wife of Joseph Gustave Laviolette, of Montreal; Virginia, who was married September 30, 1878, to George H. Matthews; Aloysia, who was married June 17, 1878, to Percy Franklin Woodcock, the well known artist; Frederick Emile George, who was married May 31, 1883, to Albina Thibault, the widow of his younger brother; and Louis Edouard Albert, who married Albina Thibault and died August 11, 1880.
On the 27th of July, 1876, the body of Mr. John Pratt was taken from the family residence, No. 310 Lagauchetiere Street to the church of St. Jacques, St. Denis Street, and thence to the family vault in the Roman Catholic cemetery. The attendance at the church was immense, comprising all the influential and representative citizens, both French and English, of Montreal. At the church the burial service was celebrated by Rev. A. L. Sentenne, curé of the parish, assisted by Rev. Father Fleck, superior of the Jesuits.
Perhaps no better indication of Mr. Pratt’s high standing could be given than by quoting a letter received by Mrs. John Pratt, reading:
“Dear Madam:
“We, the harbor commissioners of Montreal, take the liberty of intruding upon you to express our sympathy and condolence to you and your family in the irretrievable loss sustained by the death of your late husband, our friend and colleague in the harbor trust. Our late friend rendered such efficient service in the management of this important trust and was so fully in sympathy with every movement for the good of his country and this city in which he lived, as to secure the esteem and confidence of every member of the commission. At such a time we are aware that nothing can be said to assuage the natural grief of yourself and family, still we hope, Dear Madam, it will prove consolatory to you and yours, that your husband, our friend, has filled up his season of life with so many good deeds and in so exemplary a manner, and that although he has now gone from among us, he will be remembered by all who knew him. This we trust will be to you and your family a source of comfort and help you to bear with fortitude and resignation your present great affliction.
“Thomas Cramp,
“Hugh McLennan,
“Andrew Allan,
“Charles H. Gould,
“John Young,
“Adolphe Roy,
“P. Donovan.
“Harbor commissioners’ office, Montreal, July 28, 1876.”
The board of directors of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, at its meeting on Friday, the 28th of July, 1876, passed unanimously the following resolution:
“Resolved: That this board of directors have received with much regret intelligence of the death of the late president of the company, Mr. John Pratt, whose long and valuable services in its behalf secured for him the gratitude, not only of the directors, but of every shareholder in the company. The directors desire to offer to his family the deep sympathy of every member of the board in the loss they have sustained, and to assure them of the high esteem in which the late Mr. Pratt was universally held.
“Hugh Allan, president.
“J. N. Beaudry, secretary.
“Thomas Caverhill.
“Andrew Allan.
“William McNaughton.
“Adolphe Roy.
“D. Masson.
“M. H. Gault.
“Robert Anderson.”
One of the most prominent members of the provincial bar was T. W. Ritchie, who specialized in the practice of commercial law in Montreal and represented many important corporations in his professional connection. A native of Hatley, Quebec, he was born in 1828. After careful preparation for active law practice he was called to the bar in 1852 and opened an office in Sherbrooke. In 1860 he removed to Montreal and became a member of the firm of Rose, Monk & Ritchie. It was in 1867 that he was appointed queen’s counsel. No dreary novitiate awaited him at the outset of his professional career. He brought to its starting point several rare gifts, strong individuality, marked strength of character and high professional ideals, in addition to comprehensive knowledge of the principles of law and ability to correctly apply these. He continued in active practice as a member of the firm of Rose, Monk & Ritchie until Mr. Monk was appointed to the bench. The partnership relation under the firm style of Rose & Ritchie then continued until Sir John Rose left Canada for England. Mr. Ritchie was then joined by J. L. Morris and W. Rose, but the latter left soon afterward and later Mr. Morris retired. Mr. Ritchie then took in as partner Mr. G. H. Borlase, who remained with him until 1879, when he retired. Mr. Ritchie then admitted his son W. F. Ritchie to a partnership under the firm style of Ritchie & Ritchie. The father was one of the most prominent members of the bar of the province, ranking high as an advocate in the department of commercial law and sustaining many important professional relations. At the time of his death, on the 4th of September, 1882, he was solicitor to the Bank of Montreal and the Hudson’s Bay Company and was both [125] director and solicitor to the Montreal, Portland & Boston Railway. For many years he acted as crown prosecutor for the district of Montreal. The court records attest his high standing and his ability whereby he engraved his name high on the keystone of the legal arch. It is the theory of the law that the counsels who practice are to aid the court in the administration of justice, and perhaps no representative of the Montreal bar has been more careful to conform his practice to a high standard of professional ethics than did T. W. Ritchie.
One of the well known members of the medical profession in Montreal, Dr. Albert George Nicholls has made continual progress, and in the field of scientific attainment and research is recognized as one of the most eminent in the profession in the city. His investigations, carried far and wide, have brought forth many valuable truths, and his contributions to medical literature are largely accepted as standard.
Dr. Nicholls was born at Shotley Bridge, Durham, England, April 16, 1870, a son of the late Rev. John Nicholls and Mary Elizabeth (Harland) Nicholls. The father was the well known pastor of St. Mark’s Presbyterian church in Montreal for twenty-two years. In England he became identified with the Methodist clergy and was given charge of churches at Shotley Bridge, Durham; Chester-le-Street, Hetton and Blyth, Northumberland. He was born at Willenhall, Staffordshire, England, in 1840, and had reached the age of fifty-eight years when he passed away in Montreal on the 4th of May, 1898. He had been a resident of Canada for almost a quarter of a century, having arrived in this country in 1874. It was after he came to the new world that he connected himself with the Presbyterian church and for twenty-two years remained pastor of St. Mark’s. The names of few are so closely interwoven with the history of moral progress in this city. For some years he was a member of the Protestant Ministerial Association, was editor of the Bible Reporter, and was a frequent contributor to the press upon questions relative to the work of the church and the extension of Christian influence. At the time of the smallpox epidemic in Montreal he served on various committees formed to relieve the situation and opened his church for the distribution of relief. He was also one of the originators of the Fresh Air Fund and while thoroughly versed upon dogmas and the principles of theology, his religion was ever of that practical character which found expression in good deeds, in ready sympathy, and in immediate helpfulness. The survivors of his family are Mrs. Nicholls; Dr. Albert George Nicholls, whose name introduces this review; and a daughter, Miss Amy Nicholls, B. A.
Education received high rating in the Nicholls home and the son was afforded excellent opportunities for acquiring knowledge that would fit him for any field of labor to which he might choose to devote his efforts. He attended McGill Model School, the Montreal high school and afterward entered McGill University, where he won the Bachelor of Arts degree and became gold medallist in classics in 1890. Three years later his alma mater conferred upon him the Master [126] of Arts degree and in preparation for the medical profession he pursued a course of study in McGill, which won him the M. D. and C. M. degrees in 1894. In 1909 the Doctor of Science degree was conferred upon him and in 1908 the honor of F. R. S. C. Holding to the highest professional standards and wishing to reach the highest possible point of proficiency, Dr. Nicholls has gone abroad for study, doing post-graduate work at Erlangen, Prague and Vienna. A successful practitioner in Montreal, he has devoted much time to original research, more especially in the scientific side of medicine. He is perhaps best known for his work in connection with typhoid fever, Brights disease, tuberculosis and some of the more obscure phases of chronic inflammation and his views have been referred to in several of the more recent authoritative text-books. He is the author of more than forty monographs and other publications on medical subjects, and his writings have largely been accepted as standard by the profession in this section of the country. He was joint author with Professor Adami of The Principles of Pathology, a work of recognized value. He is equally well known as a lecturer on clinical medicine and assistant professor of pathology and bacteriology in McGill University. He is out-patient physician to the Montreal General Hospital and assistant physician and pathologist to the Western General Hospital.
In May, 1907, Dr. Nicholls was married to Miss Lucia Pomeroy, the youngest daughter of the late William H. Van Vliet of Lacolle, P. Q., and they have three sons, George Van Vliet, John Van Vliet and Robert Van Vliet. Dr. Nicholls is a conservative and an ardent imperialist. His religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church, and he is a member of the University Club, Montreal, and the Authors’ Club, London.
Those life forces which work for betterment, for progress and improvement elicit his attention and receive his support, and he is today recognized as a man of splendidly developed talents and well balanced powers, so that he has become a forceful factor in the world’s work.
Success in business resulting entirely from capable management, keen discrimination and unfaltering enterprise came to Captain George Hillyard Matthews, who for many years was president of the Sincennes-McNaughton Line. His birth occurred in Montreal on the 14th of August, 1846, and he passed away at the comparatively early age of fifty-seven years, dying on the 19th of January, 1904. He was a son of George Matthews, of Mount Victoria, Hudson and Montreal. The father came to Canada from Essex, England, as a young man and in this country married a Miss Hudson, also a native of England. They became the parents of six children, including Captain Matthews, who received his military education at Sandhurst, England, in 1871. The following year he entered the army and served for a period of eight years, when he resigned. He was an honorary member of the officers’ mess of the Third Victoria Rifles and also honorary president of the Army and Navy Veterans Association. He never ceased to feel a deep interest in military affairs and [129] believed in the maintenance of a high standard of service in connection with the army and navy.
Captain Matthews’ business affairs also brought him prominently before the public. For many years he was president of the Sincennes-McNaughton Line and during his term of office the major portion of the harbor fleet of tugs was built under his supervision. As opportunity offered he made judicious investments in real estate and became the owner of a large amount of property in Montreal. Following the death of Baron de Longueuil, he took charge of his estate, which he wisely managed.
In 1878 Captain Matthews was united in marriage to Miss Virginia Pratt, a daughter of John Pratt, one of the early settlers of Montreal. He held membership in the St. James Club and he was interested in various significant and vital questions of the day, especially in fish and game protection. He also took an active interest in politics. He was acquainted with all of the different phases of public life having to do with the prosperity and progress of his city and province, and his aid and cooperation could always be counted upon to further movements for the general good.
One of the best known insurance and financial men of Montreal was the late David Burke, who passed away on December 5, 1913. He was born in Charlottetown, P. E. I., in 1850, being the youngest son of Edward and Mary (Acorn) Burke, both of whom were natives of Prince Edward Island. He received his early education in the schools of that province. In early manhood he turned his attention to the insurance business, being but sixteen years of age when he entered upon the field of labor in which he was to attain to importance, making his name one well known in insurance circles not only in Canada but also in the United States. In 1869 he came to Montreal, where he was associated in business with his brother, the late Walter Burke, then general manager for Canada of the New York Life Insurance Company. On the death of the latter in 1879 the company retired from Canada owing to differences with the insurance department at Ottawa. In 1883, being willing to conform to the regulations set down by this department, the company reentered Canada, and Mr. David Burke was appointed general manager. In 1897 he retired from his connection with this firm to organize an insurance company of his own, the Royal Victoria Life Insurance Company, which was absorbed by the Sun Life in 1911. He thus bent his energies to administrative direction and executive control and his opinions were largely accepted as authority upon matters connected with the complex problems of insurance and the control of the business. In 1882 he was elected an associate of the British Institute of Actuaries, being one of its oldest members, and in 1897 was made a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society of Great Britain. In 1904 he was honored with election to the vice presidency of the Economic and Statistical Society of Montreal and in 1906 was chosen president of the Canadian Life Insurance Officers Association. For two years he held the presidency of the Life Managers Association of Canada, a body formed solely of the executive [130] heads of insurance companies in Canada, each company being represented in the association by only one member. He studied every phase of the insurance business with a thoroughness that made his opinions standard, and he was the author of a valuable paper published in 1908 entitled “Insurance as a National Economy.” The Montreal Witness spoke of him as one “recognized as a most capable insurance administrator,” and his contemporaries and colleagues speak of his business ability and resourcefulness in terms of high admiration.
Mr. Burke was married in 1875 to Miss Rose Maclear, the youngest daughter of the late Thomas Maclear, founder of the Maclear Publishing Company of Toronto, and they were parents of four sons and two daughters, as follows: Edmund A., the noted vocalist; Louis, of New York; Alan, of Boston; Maurice N., of Montreal; Mrs. Fred C. Budden, of Montreal; and Miss Marjorie Burke, of Montreal.
Mr. Burke was a member of the St. James Club and in religious faith an Anglican, while his political belief placed him in the position of an imperial protectionist. His views of life were those of a broad-minded man who delved deep into the questions of vital importance and who proved himself the master of those forces which made up his life’s experience.
Dr. James John Edmund Guerin, medical practitioner and educator, and an influential figure in the political history of the province, having served with distinction as a member of the Marchand and Parent cabinets and later as mayor of Montreal, was born July 4, 1856, in the city which is still his place of residence, a son of the late Thomas Guerin, C. E., chief hydraulic engineer of the department of public works, Ottawa, and a brother of the Hon. Edmund Guerin, one of the judges of the superior court, Montreal. Dr. Guerin made his studies at the Montreal College, and later entered McGill University for the purpose of pursuing a course in medicine. He was graduated M. D., C. M. in 1878, and has since engaged in active practice in his native city where he has also done important hospital work. He is the president of the medical board of the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital and one of the governors of the Notre Dame Hospital; in educational circles he is well known as professor of clinical medicine in Laval University. He holds to the highest professional standards of ethics and enjoys the warmest regard of fellow practitioners. He is a director of the Royal Edward Institute and a governor of the Victorian Order of Nurses, and in 1909 he was appointed a member of the royal commission to prevent the further spread of tuberculosis.
Capable and prominent as is Dr. Guerin in his chosen profession, he has also become equally widely known in connection with political activity and has done much important work. In 1895 he was elected president of the St. Patrick’s Society and was reelected in 1896 and 1897. In the former year he was a delegate to the Irish National Convention at Dublin. In October, 1895, he was returned to the legislature for Montreal in the liberal interests by a majority of twelve hundred and fifty-four. In 1897 he was reelected in the general election and was called to the Marchand cabinet without portfolio on the 25th of May of that year. He [131] was a minister without portfolio in the Marchand and Parent administrations from 1897 to 1904, and in 1901 was appointed member of the council of public instruction of the province of Quebec. His opinions carried weight in provincial councils and a discussion of any vital question with him at once indicated how widely and thoroughly he was informed concerning the points at issue. In February, 1910, as the candidate of the citizens’ party, he was elected mayor of Montreal by a majority of twelve thousand nine hundred and eighty-three and in his administration sought at all times to further the best interests of the city. He conducted its civic affairs along economical lines and yet never fettered municipal progress by a narrow conservatism. He represented the city of Montreal at the funeral of King Edward in London in 1910 and at the coronation of King George and Queen Mary in 1911. In 1911 he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, and in 1912 he received the degree of LL. D. from Trinity College, Dublin.
In 1883 Dr. Guerin was married to Miss Mary Carroll O’Brien, daughter of the late Hon. James O’Brien; she died in 1886. Dr. Guerin resides at No. 4 Edgehill Avenue. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. Aside from serving as president of St. Patrick’s Society he has been president of the Shamrock Lacrosse Club and of many other organizations. He is a member of the Mount Royal Club, the University Club and the Montreal Jockey Club. His activity along various important lines indicates his worth and value as a citizen, and his indorsement at the polls testifies to the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens. His ideals of citizenship are high, while in his professional career he manifests the keenest appreciation for the responsibilities and obligations which devolve upon him.
Andrew Stuart Ewing, for almost half a century one of the best known business men of Montreal, was born in 1838 at Lisdillon House, Londonderry, Ireland, and was a representative of an old family of Irish origin, his parents being Samuel and Margaret (Hamilton) Ewing, who crossed the Atlantic to Canada with their family when their son, Andrew, was seven years of age. He was educated in the public schools of Montreal and in 1860 entered into partnership with his brother, Samuel H. Ewing, in the ownership and management of the extensive coffee and spice mills formerly owned by his father, who founded the business in 1845. In 1860 the firm style of Samuel Ewing & Sons was assumed and in 1892, after the retirement of Samuel H. Ewing, Andrew S. Ewing became sole proprietor of the business which was conducted at No. 55 Cote Street. The enterprise was one of extensive proportions and yielded a substantial profit as a result of careful management and wise direction.
During the last fifteen years of his life Mr. Ewing was a prominent member of the Montreal Board of Trade and was interested in its various projects for promoting the material progress of the city and advancing affairs of municipal and civic interest. In politics he was a conservative and a strong supporter of the national policy.
Mr. Ewing died at his home in Montreal, January 8, 1902, and was survived by his widow until June, 1913. The surviving children are Andrew Stuart and Royal L. H. Ewing and two daughters, Mrs. Robert Starke and Miss Adelaide Ewing. The sons are members of the firm of Ewing & Ewing, real estate and insurance, which was established in September, 1906, by the brothers in connection with A. F. Gault, but the last named retired from the firm May 1, 1912. A. Stuart Ewing is a member of the Art Association of Montreal, the Canadian Club, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, the St. James Club, the Manitou Club and the Park Toboganning Club, of which he is vice president.
Mr. Royal L. H. Ewing is a member of the Art Association of Montreal, the Montreal and Canadian Clubs, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Mount Royal Lawn Tennis Club, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, the St. James Club, the Manitou Club and the Park Toboganning Club. The sons are worthy successors to their father, not only in business activity but also in that business integrity for which the family name has always stood.
Dr. Frank Richardson England, an alumnus of Bishop’s College of Montreal and now well known as a practical educator as well as a successful practitioner, was born August 21, 1862, at Cowansville, province of Quebec, and is the eldest son of Francis and Jane (Ruiter) England, of Dunham, Quebec. The family comes of United Empire Loyalist stock and the parents are now deceased.
While Dr. England acquired his early education at Waterloo, he pursued his medical course at Bishop’s College in Montreal, from which he was graduated with the class of 1885, the degrees of M. D. and C. M. being then conferred upon him, and obtaining the Wood and Nelson gold medals. He was professor of diseases of children at Bishop’s College in 1887 and professor of surgery in the same institution in 1894. In 1905 he was graduated at McGill College ( ad eund). The profession has honored him with official distinction, for in 1906 he was chosen president of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society and the following year was vice president of the Canadian Medical Association. He is a governor and fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is now, 1914, surgeon of the Western Hospital at Montreal and in his surgical practice displays comprehensive knowledge of anatomy, of the component parts of the human body and of the onslaughts made upon it by disease or left to it as a legacy by progenitors. He is cool and collected at critical moments and combines strength with tenderness, seeking ever the ultimate good of patient and of profession.
Dr. England was married twice. In 1887 he wedded Carrie Ann, youngest daughter of the late R. L. Galer, of Dunham. Following her death Dr. England married Octavia Grace Ritchie, B. A., M. D., of Montreal, the youngest daughter of the late Thomas W. Ritchie, Q. C. She was born in Montreal and became a student in McGill University, winning the degree of Bachelor of Arts, together with first class honors in natural science in 1883. She was afterward graduated from Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec, with the degree of M. D. and C. M. [133] in 1891. She was one of the first class of ladies to graduate from McGill and the first woman to receive a medical degree in the province of Quebec. Mrs. England took a scholarship at Kingston and later pursued a post-graduate course at Vienna, Austria. She has done much to arouse public feeling in favor of the medical education of women in Quebec and was secretary of the organization called the Donalda Students to procure this concession. She is now a governor of the Western Hospital and was assistant gynecologist there from 1894 until 1896. She has lectured on medical subjects before the Women’s Club and the Young Women’s Christian Association. She is a member of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society and was a delegate to the Quinquennial Congress of the National Council of Women at Toronto in 1909. She is president of the local council of the National Council of Women. In 1897 she became the wife of Dr. Frank Richardson England of Montreal. Both continue actively in the practice of the profession, and each has a large clientage, indicating the prominence to which they have attained.
William John White, whose authorship no less than his practice has gained him eminence and success, is regarded as one of the foremost representatives of the Montreal bar. Contemporaneous writers pronounce upon him high encomiums for his contributions to legal as well as to general literature. A native of Peterboro, Ontario, he was born January 29, 1861, a son of the late Richard White, D. C. L., and Jean (Riddel) White. After completing his studies in the Montreal high school he entered McGill University, where he pursued a classical and legal course, winning the B. A. degree in 1881, the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law in 1882, while in 1885 the Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him and in 1902 that of Doctor of Civil Law. He completed his legal studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and in 1883 entered upon the active work of the profession as an advocate. He has since successfully practiced and was created king’s counsel in 1899. He is now senior partner of the law firm of White & Buchanan and is recognized as one of the leaders of the Montreal bar. In 1901 he was made batonnier. His law practice has been of an important as well as of an extensive character. He was retained as counsel by the Mexican government in the boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico in 1911. His high standing in his profession and his thorough understanding of vital and significant governmental problems have brought him into prominence in various international affairs. He served as a member of the board of investigation appointed by the minister of labor in the United Shoe Machinery case, and his opinions have been sought on various questions of far-reaching importance. He represented the Montreal bar at the annual meeting of the New York State Bar Association at Albany in 1902 and at the Illinois State Bar Association in 1906, and on the latter occasion read a paper on The Law of Quebec. He is the author of a treatise on Canadian Company Law which was published in 1901.
Aside from his profession Mr. White has been connected with several business enterprises and public projects of importance. In 1911 he became one of the [134] directors of the Sherwin-Williams Company of Canada, and from 1906 to 1908 he served as alderman of the city. He is a director and was elected the vice president of the new Technical School of Montreal. He was one of the founders of the Society of Historical Studies and was chosen to the presidency of that organization for 1891-2. He was likewise one of the organizers of the Society of Canadian Literature and of the Canadian branch of the American Folk Lore Society. From 1889 until 1891 he published a monthly magazine known as Canadiana and Dr. John Reade termed him “A writer of taste and force,” while the Montreal Witness spoke of him as “A thoroughly capable man.” Mr. White belongs to a number of the leading clubs, including the St. James, University, Outremont Golf and the Montreal Jockey Clubs of Montreal; the Rideau Club of Ottawa; the Quebec Garrison Club; and the Constitutional Club of London, England. It is in his law practice, however, that he has won the recognition that has placed him in the present enviable position which he occupies. He has ever in his practice been faithful to his clients, fair to his adversaries and candid to the court. In many cases with which he has been connected he has exhibited the possession of every faculty of which a lawyer may be proud—skill in presentation of his own evidence, extraordinary ability in cross examination, strong grasp of every feature of the case, power to secure favorable rulings from the judge, unusual familiarity with human nature and untiring industry. These qualities have gained him notable success in law practice.
At the time of his death half a century was drawing to its close since the subject of this sketch, the late Robert Reford, first established a commercial connection with Montreal. The outstanding position which Mr. Reford occupied in the life of the city was the natural outcome of qualities which quickly bring men to be recognized as a source of strength to whatever spheres in which they may move. He was a man of very pronounced ability, tenaciousness of purpose, firmness of decision and of forceful character but by those who knew him best he will be remembered, chiefly for those high standards of honor which were his for the straightforwardness and uprightness of all his dealings with his fellowmen and for the strong sense of justice which throughout his long career he was so often called upon to exercise.
Robert Reford was born at Moylena, which for generations had been the family seat near Antrim, Ireland, in 1831 and was a lad of fourteen when in 1845 he came with his mother, three brothers and one sister to make his home in Canada. The family arrived at Quebec the night of the great fire when the lower town was almost completely destroyed. After a very brief stay in Montreal they settled in Toronto, where Mr. Reford completed his education. He was, however, still but a boy when he became engaged in business and, though he was indentured to work for his first employer for two years at a fixed salary, it is indicative of the great natural capacity which he possessed and of his steadiness and alertness in business, that at the end of the first year his salary was increased fivefold and again at the end of the second year that amount [137] was doubled. In three years time, still barely on the threshold of manhood, Robert Reford had proved his ability to such an extent as to be offered a partnership with William Strachan in a wholesale and retail grocery business which the latter was about to open. This offer was accepted but the firm dissolved after a few years duration and Mr. Reford started a business on his own account, which he continued to conduct alone for several years, only taking Richard Dunbar as a partner when he acquired, by purchase, from William Ross, another large wholesale business of the same nature. The two businesses were run separately, one as Reford & Dunbar, the other in partnership with the late John Dillon, as Reford & Dillon, wholesale grocers and merchants. It would indeed have been strange if a man, imbued with the spirit of enterprise and courage, as was Mr. Reford to a very remarkable degree, had been content to remain without some wider scope for his abilities than that offered, even by a successful wholesale business. It was not long before he took the initial step which was to lead him so far along the path of that vast question of transportation.
Mr. Reford was one of the pioneer workers in this direction, entering the carrying trade, in the early ’60s. He amassed a considerable fortune during the forty odd years he was engaged in shipping pursuits but never did he lose sight of the fact that Canada’s interests as a whole are intimately and indivisibly bound up in every phase of the shipping industry, nor did he ever fail to consider and work towards the benefit of those wider interests of his adopted country.
The operation of vessels on the Great Lakes was the beginning of Mr. Reford’s shipping enterprises. In 1860 he equipped the schooner “Seagull” and sent her with a general cargo of Canadian produce to Port Natal, South Africa, thus being the first man to undertake direct shipping connection between Canada and that part of the world.
In 1865, associated with his old friend William Ross, the firm opened a branch in Montreal. This was the commencement of the present Montreal firm. The business was now assuming large trading proportions with Great Britain, the United States, China, Japan, the West Indies and other foreign countries; nevertheless it soon began to confine itself more strictly to ocean shipping. The firm became agents and part owners of the Thomson and Donaldson lines. When the story of the growth of Canada’s shipping comes to be written the name of Robert Reford will loom up largely on its pages. Mr. Dillon severed his connection with Mr. Reford in the shipping business in 1897 and it was then that the present company, the Robert Reford Co., Ltd., was incorporated, with very extensive steamship services of six different lines to many of the world’s principal ports and with branch offices established in Quebec, Toronto, St. John, New Brunswick, and Portland, Maine. Canada owes not a little to Mr. Reford for contributing so materially to the opening up of new markets for her produce along the east coast of Great Britain, and also for the building up of further valuable trade connections by giving direct shipping communication between Canada and the Mediterranean ports. Every aspect of the carrying trade had been studied by him with that thoroughness and regard for detail which characterized the man in everything he undertook. His opinions and advice on shipping and on transportation generally were appreciated [138] as those of an expert, and sought after by people from all over the Dominion.
Apart from his shipping enterprises, which remained the main issue of his commercial life, the most important of his other business activities was his interest in the Mount Royal Milling and Manufacturing Company. Mr. Reford founded the company in 1882 for the milling of rice, with mills in Montreal and Victoria, British Columbia, and acted as its president up to the time of his death. He was also president for many years of the Charlemagne & Lac Ouareau Lumber Company, president of the York Lumber Company, president of the Crown Trust Company and vice president of the Labrador Company; and a director of the Bank of Toronto, of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company and of the Paton Manufacturing Company.
From 1901 to 1905 Mr. Reford was a member of the Montreal Board of Harbour Commissioners and in 1903 was a delegate to the fifth congress of the Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, but no doubt his chief public service was rendered first as a member and then as chairman of the Royal Commission on Transportation, 1904-1905. The work involved in this important commission necessitated its members visiting every Canadian port, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with a view to recommending all possible desirable improvements for the increase of and facilitating the transportation trade appertaining to the Dominion, both ocean and inland. The commission sent in an exhaustive report to the government in December, 1905, based on very thorough personal observations and study, together with the result of carefully gathered evidence of those residents in the different sections of Canada who were best fitted to judge. It strongly advocated the building of the Georgian Bay canal and the formation of national ports on the Atlantic and Pacific, the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes. Further, it was urged that there should be a fast all-round-the-world British steamship service which would bind together more closely all portions of the empire, by taking advantage of the shorter ocean route which services between Canada and Europe, via Great Britain on the east, and Asia and the Orient on the west, could offer, if Halifax and Galway were used as the termini for the Atlantic coasts. Mr. Reford’s work on this commission was stupendous, but none of it was done in the light of the public eye. Few knew of the great personal sacrifices which it demanded and which were willingly made by this man of then seventy-four years. In fact all his life Mr. Reford avoided rather than sought any kind of prominence or recognition.
Many of Montreal’s educational and charitable institutions looked to him for guidance and help and whether the requests came to him for his advice, or for financial support, provided he was in sympathy with the object, to either his response was equally ready and generous. He was a governor of McGill University and was the first to respond to an appeal for aid by donating fifty thousand dollars towards a fund for the increase of salaries of the professional staff. In 1911 when the campaign for the general funds of the university was made, it found in him one of its leading spirits and most ardent supporters. Again he gave proof of his faith in the higher education of men’s minds as being an asset of immeasurable national value and set the inspiring example of a one hundred thousand dollars contribution.
Could we mention all the hospitals, homes for the aged poor and for little children, and in fact every kind of philanthropic institution which knew and enjoyed his generous help, the list would indeed be a long one and few such in Montreal omitted from it. Some of his largest donations were to the Montreal General Hospital of which he was a life governor and to which in recent years he gave thirty-five thousand dollars; to the Young Men’s Christian Association he gave ten thousand dollars, and a like sum to the Diocesan Theological College.
In manner the late Robert Reford was somewhat abrupt but this arose purely from that eagerness and energy which every move of the body seemed to betray, and not from any unkindly feeling. He was an exceptionally clear thinker, his mind worked with precision; his plans were made and carried out with unvarying promptitude and method which perhaps supply the key to his amazing capacity for the accomplishment of work. Self indulgence knew no place with him and to the end he adhered to his stern habits of life, granting himself but little respite and no holidays. From the age of twenty-two when he was made captain of No. 4 Company in the Queen’s Own Rifles his interest in civic affairs never waned. He fought untiringly for reforms, often with a lack of support which would have discouraged most men, but this North of Ireland man was not of such stuff. He was of the kind which the hand of Providence seems to have scattered far from their native shores, over the face of the British Empire to give it that salt, without which it could have no savor.
Mr. Reford was twice married; first to Miss Margaret McCord, daughter of A. T. McCord, chamberlain and treasurer of the city of Toronto, who died within a year after the marriage. In 1866 he married Miss Katherine S. Drummond, daughter of Andrew Drummond of Stirling, Scotland. Mrs. Reford survives him, as do five of his children, they being: Robert Wilson Reford, president of the Robert Reford Co., Ltd.; A. D. Reford; L. L. Reford, M. D.; Mrs. H. B. MacDougall; and Miss Kate Reford.
Mr. Reford was a member of St. George’s church and a stanch believer in the power of the church to be a light unto the lives of men. In all things he acted as he believed and so the community is bereft of a personality of strength, of courage and of truth.
Morris Stansfeld Blaiklock entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railway over thirty years ago and since 1907 has held the position of engineer of maintenance and survey in connection with this road. He is a son of the late Frederick William Blaiklock, who died in 1900, and Elizabeth (Whittaker) Blaiklock, who died in 1889. The father was public land surveyor and head of the Cadastral Bureau of Montreal. The family has long been prominent in engineering circles, the grandfather of our subject, Captain Blaiklock, having been one of the Royal Engineers. A brother of our subject was the late Major W. F. Blaiklock, of the Royal Scots. The family is of English origin.
Morris S. Blaiklock was born in the city of Quebec on the 19th of July, 1859. He pursued his early education in a private school in Quebec and upon the removal of the parents to Montreal in 1870 attended the high school in this city, rounding out his course by receiving private tuition. He then studied architecture for three years and in 1879 entered the employ of the Grand Trunk Railway as assistant engineer, remaining in that position until 1889, when he became resident engineer for the St. Clair Tunnel Company in connection with the same road, holding this office until 1892. In that year he was promoted to the position of inspector, continuing as such until 1897, when he became engineer of the eastern division of the Grand Trunk Railway. In 1902 he was appointed superintendent of the eastern division and in 1907 engineer of maintenance and survey for the system. He has held this latter office ever since. He is one of the foremost men in his line, basing his success upon native ability, a vast experience and executive force of rare quality.
On November 12, 1889, Mr. Blaiklock married Miss Mary Elizabeth Tunstall, eldest daughter of the late Gabriel C. Tunstall, of Ste. Anne de Bellevue, province of Quebec. Mr. and Mrs. Blaiklock have two children, Jessie B. and Stansfeld. The family residence is at No. 405 Mackay Street, Montreal. Mr. Blaiklock is a member of the Church of St. James the Apostle (Episcopalian). Politically he is an independent conservative.
Progressive citizenship in the twentieth century finds a prominent exemplar in Alexander Michaud, mayor of the city of Maisonneuve, who is an active factor in public affairs and business life of the city. His clear insight, his keen sagacity and his public spirit have made his influence a potent factor in bringing about not only Canada’s commercial progress, but also her moral uplift. He might be termed a practical idealist, for, while he strives for the betterment of many civic and commercial conditions, the methods which he employs take cognizance of present day situations and opportunities and present none of the impractical views of the dreamer. In a word, he is a man of action rather than of theory.
Mr. Michaud is a representative of one of the old French families of Quebec, while the maternal line is of an unadulterated Irish strain. He was born January 27, 1868, at Back River, Quebec, a son of J. B. and Norah (Connolly) Michaud. His education was acquired at the Christian Brothers school and in the Plateau Academy of Montreal. In 1881 he entered the employ of his father, who was a well known miller and flour merchant, remaining with him until 1885. During that period Alexander Michaud, while acting principally in a clerical capacity, also acquired a good general knowledge of the business in its various departments. In 1885 he accepted a position with A. L. Hurtubise & Company, grain merchants of Montreal, with whom he remained for several years in the capacity of bookkeeper and confidential clerk. His ability gained him recognition, followed by promotion, and at the time he resigned his position in that house he was manager of the business.
It was then that Mr. Michaud organized the firm of Michaud Brothers & Company, which soon took a foremost position among the leading wholesale grain and export firms of Montreal. Its existence covered a period of about fifteen years and an extensive business was conducted, constituting another forward step in the career of Alexander Michaud. However, recognizing the fact that the field of real-estate activity and land speculation in Montreal afforded great opportunity for profitable investment, he withdrew from active connection with the grain trade and entered the real-estate business. It is unusual for a man who has been so long identified with one line of business to make so radical a change, but the subsequent success of Mr. Michaud is indicative of his splendid business foresight and capability. The success that he has achieved in the real-estate business has been substantial, is well deserved and represents methods that have lent dignity to the undertaking. There are few, if any, who have more intimate or comprehensive knowledge of realty values or whose judgment is more to be relied upon and these facts have served to bring him an extensive and desirable clientage.
In connection with his public career a Montreal paper has said: “Perhaps the field in which Mr. Michaud was best known to the citizens of Montreal is political. He was an alderman and was president of the finance committee of Maisonneuve from 1905 to 1909 and was elected mayor by acclamation three times in succession. During this time Maisonneuve has made those wonderful strides in growth which have been the admiration of the entire country and have placed herself on a footing which is attracting the attention of the entire world. The part played in this great advance in manufacturing and commerce by the city is not a little due to the energy and foresight of her mayor, who has brought his business acumen and farsighted commercial judgment into play in running the civic side of affairs, the same as he did as a merchant or miller. Mr. Michaud prefers to talk about Maisonneuve rather than about himself, about the opportunities there are there for capital, the splendid locations for factories and the many other inducements which have made the city one of the leaders in commercial advancement during the past five years. It is an interesting subject and more Aladdinlike than Africa diamond mines or the gold strewn coasts of Alaska.” It may be mentioned here that Maisonneuve, though surrounded by the city of Montreal, is an entirely separate city, having its own autonomy.
Perhaps the most unique point in Mr. Michaud’s public career is its cause. Like many other men who had been similarly attracted to that locality, Mr. Michaud took up his residence in Maisonneuve but with neither time nor inclination for public office. The city at that period had a population of seven thousand. Twenty-four liquor licenses had been issued and the town, in modern parlance, was “wide open.” It was a great rendezvous for hundreds of people from Montreal who would go down there on Sundays, the open saloons serving as a great attraction. This disregard of the law and the undesirable notoriety it gave the town aroused the indignation of the better class of citizens, who, however, were powerless, owing to the inactivity of those who were in charge of the city government. Mr. Michaud was one who set about to bring order out of chaos and while his first article in the local papers attracted attention, his second and subsequent ones certainly aroused the opposition of the lawless [144] element whose arrogance had so long held sway. Personal violence was threatened Mr. Michaud and his residence was attacked by a mob that broke every window within reach. Missiles of every description were hurled inside. This cowardly attack instead of intimidating Mr. Michaud, only spurred him on to further action and showed that the Irish blood in him could mean fight—not fight in the brutal sense of the mob but with that courage that comes of honest conviction combined with fearlessness. In the face of such bitter opposition Mr. Michaud became a candidate for alderman, was elected and wielded such an influence in favor of good government and progress that from the time he entered politics to the present he has made a most creditable record. No citizen of Maisonneuve has worked so incessantly or taken greater pride in what has been accomplished. That city today, with forty thousand population, contains but nineteen licensed saloons, all conducted under strict observance of the law. He is, indeed, a resourceful man and in the management of public affairs displays the same spirit of careful watchfulness and wise control that he does in conducting his private interests. He was named by the provincial government a member of the Metropolitan Parks commission of Montreal, of which body Sir William Van Horne is president.
In 1909 Mr. Michaud was the chief factor in the organization of the Dominion Light, Heat & Power Company and during the two years of its successful operation, before being absorbed by the Montreal Public Service Corporation, he was prominently connected with its management. He is a man but little past middle age and his whole capital when starting in life was energy and ambition, yet he has been highly successful, not only in the way of winning prosperity, but also in valuable service to the city and province. He gets much out of life in comfort and pleasure and has never lived solely to accumulate wealth, but has ever been a lover of nature and of outdoor life and it is only severe weather that prevents him from enjoying the four and a half mile walk daily from his office to his home. In the latter his greatest interest centers and he is always happiest when in the company of his family. Mr. Michaud was married February 21, 1898, to Miss Marie Virolle and to them have been born four children: Margaret, Paul, Germaine and Alexander. Mr. Michaud is an indulgent father and the comrade of his children. For a number of years he has spent the summers with his family at Old Orchard, Maine.
In the later years of his life John Milne Browning lived retired in Montreal. He was of Scotch birth, a native of Edinburgh, born in June, 1826. His father, Matthew Browning, died when the son was a young man and the latter, who had been educated in the schools of his native country, came to Canada in 1852, when twenty-six years of age. He located at Beauharnois, where he continued until 1873 and then removed to Montreal, where he resided through the succeeding fifteen years. In 1888 he went to British Columbia, where he lived for eleven years, but on the expiration of that period returned to Montreal, where he spent his remaining days in well earned and honorable retirement from business. He [145] had been a land commissioner and was also connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway Townsite Company. He displayed excellent business ability in that connection and handled important realty interests.
In 1855 Mr. Browning was united in marriage to Miss Magdeline H. Norval, born in 1833, in Beauharnois, Quebec, a daughter of R. H. Norval, who came from Edinburgh when twenty-one years of age and remained thereafter a resident of Canada until his death in 1856. His daughter, Mrs. Browning, has seen Montreal develop from a comparatively small place into a wonderful city, being ever an interested witness of the changes which have occurred. It was on the 20th of December, 1906, that Mr. Browning was called from this life and his loss was mourned in the various localities where he was well and favorably known. He was a member of a number of clubs and won popularity in those organizations. His public spirit found tangible expression in many ways and his religious faith was evidenced in his membership in the Crescent Street Presbyterian church. His life was honorable and upright at all times and he left behind him an untarnished name.
Prominent for many years among the merchants of Montreal was James Power Cleghorn and equally well was he known through his support of charitable and philanthropic projects and his cooperation in affairs of public benefit. He was born in Montreal, October 31, 1830, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 14th of December, 1911, when he passed away. He was a son of Robert Cleghorn, who came to Montreal at a very early day. The latter married Miss Eliza Power, a native of Sorel, province of Quebec, and whose father was connected with the commissary department of the army. Their family numbered ten children. Robert Cleghorn was a public-spirited citizen and a man of domestic tastes, and the influences of a home of culture and refinement left their impress upon the life of James Power Cleghorn, who with the passing years rose to prominence along the different lines in which he exerted his activities.
He was educated at Howden & Taggart’s Academy and entered commercial circles as junior clerk in the mercantile house of J. G. Mackenzie & Company of Montreal in 1853. In that establishment he gradually worked his way upward until admitted to partnership in 1864, after which he had largely control of the business, which was extensive in proportion and which ranked with the oldest mercantile houses of the city. Mr. Cleghorn, however, did not confine his efforts entirely to one line. In fact he became recognized as a power in other business connections, both commercial and financial, and was elected to the directorate of the Intercolonial Coal Company, the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, the Merchants & Manufacturers Association, the Canada Accident Company and Molson’s Bank. He served as president of the Board of Trade and it was during his incumbency of the office that the site for the present building was selected. He was also a trustee of the Mount Royal Cemetery Association and the president of the Intercolonial Coal Company. His cooperation was likewise sought in behalf of those institutions where humanitarian principles must combine [146] with executive ability in successful management. He was made a governor of the Montreal General Hospital, of the Montreal Hospital for the Insane and the Montreal Dispensary. An active member in the Church of England, he served as a delegate to the synod and cooperated in its work along many helpful lines. In politics he was a conservative and he stood ever for the welfare of the people.
On the 14th of February, 1865, Mr. Cleghorn was married to Miss Anna Spalding, of Port Hope, Ontario, who was born in Peterboro, Ontario. Five children were born to them: George S., connected with the W. R. Brock Company, Limited; C. Power, a general insurance broker, who married Florence Fechheimer, of New York, and to whom have been born two children, James Power and Helen Power; Emily C.; Helen G., who died at the age of thirteen years; and James Herbert, whose death occurred when he was eighteen years of age.
The family residence is at No. 256 Bishop Street, and their summer home, “Blinkbonny” is situated at Como in the province of Quebec. The death of Mr. Cleghorn left a gap in those circles where he had moved as a central figure. In business and social relations and in his connection with humanitarian interests he had established himself in an enviable position by reason of personal worth and capability, and his name is inscribed high on the list of Montreal’s valued citizens.
If one would seek a fitting poetical phrase to express the life work of the Hon. George Washington Stephens these lines might well be chosen:
For an extended period he was in public life, and whether connected with municipal, professional, or national affairs was always the same public-spirited, progressive citizen, ever seeking the welfare of the constituency which he represented. He was born in Montreal in 1832, the second son of Harrison and Sarah (Jackson) Stephens. The father removed from the state of Vermont to Montreal in 1828 and for years was a leading merchant of the city.
George W. Stephens was educated at high school, afterward entering business circles. He became identified with the firm of Law Young & Company, but after a time determined to enter upon professional activities, and with this end in view took up the study of law, following a law course at McGill University, which conferred upon him the B. C. L. degree. Called to the bar in 1863, he at once entered upon active practice and for some time was a partner of the late John A. Perkins, an eminent barrister of Montreal. Mr. Stephens personally conducted the cause celebre of Connolly versus Woolrych, which he brought to a successful conclusion. The case was a notable one, awakening widespread interest among the legal fraternity and establishing the validity of an Indian marriage, celebrated according to the custom of the tribe.
After a number of years devoted to successful law practice, Mr. Stephens was obliged to abandon the profession in order to assume the management [149] of his father’s estate, and proved himself equally capable, sagacious, farsighted and enterprising in that connection. His ability and his devotion to the general welfare led to his selection again and again for public office. In 1868 he was elected alderman of Montreal and for seventeen consecutive years remained a member of the city council, during which period he served on several occasions as acting mayor. He did much during that period toward shaping the policy of city affairs and upholding those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. In fact he became distinguished for his constant opposition to wrong-doing and dishonesty, and his stalwart support of a prudent and economical progressive administration. From the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise he advocated the principles of the liberal party and upon its ticket was elected to the provincial legislature, representing Montreal Centre in the Quebec assembly from 1881 until 1886, and so earnestly and faithfully guarded the public interests as to earn the title “watch dog.” At the general election of 1892 he was returned for Huntingdon and was reelected at the general election in 1897. On the formation of the Marchand administration in May of the latter year he was called into the cabinet, without portfolio. He was the organizer of the Good Government Association of Montreal and in January, 1897, received the thanks of that body for his “vigorous efforts and judicious action” in the Quebec assembly in reference to certain local measures. In 1896 he promoted a measure prohibiting indecent play bills and posters being displayed on the public streets. No one ever questioned the honesty and virtue of his position and his belief. Though others may have differed from him in policy they recognized the patriotic spirit which actuated him in all his public service, and none was more earnest in opposition to misrule in public affairs.
Aside from his active work in the assembly, Mr. Stephens utilized many other opportunities for advancing public progress and improvement. He was at one time a member of the council of the Montreal Board of Trade, was president of the Mercantile Library Association and president of the Citizens Gas Company. He was also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane. His cooperation could ever be counted upon in support of any measure or plan to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate and, as a member of the Unitarian church, he took an active interest in all good works done in the name of charity or religion.
Mr. Stephens married first in 1865, Elizabeth Mary MacIntosh and afterward in 1878, Frances Ramsay MacIntosh, daughter of Nicholas Carnegie MacIntosh, of Edinburgh, Scotland. For many years Mrs. Stephens was president of the Decorative Art Association of Montreal and a recognized leader in social circles. She has accomplished work of far-reaching importances and benefit in connection with the Woman’s Immigrant Society; the Soldiers’ Wives League, which was organized during the South African war; the Maternity Hospital, and the Montreal Cooking School. In religious faith she is a Unitarian and in more strictly social lines is connected with the Canadian Woman’s Club, the Ladies Morning Musical Club and the Royal Montreal Ladies Golf Club. The children are two sons and two daughters: Major G. W. and F. C. Stephens; and Mrs. J. Wedderburn Wilson and Mrs. A. Hamilton Gault.
Mr. Stephens was devoted to his family and ever held friendship inviolable. He belonged to both the St. James and Union Clubs and his military experience covered service as a cavalry major until he was placed on the retired list, his connection being with the Montreal Rifle Rangers. One of the leading newspapers styled him “a liberal of the old school, fearless and brave.” The same qualities characterized him throughout his entire life in every relation, and many who were his associates and contemporaries felt at his passing, which occurred at his country residence, Lac à l’eau Claire, in 1904, that,
Public opinion accords Major Victor Evelyn Mitchell a position of leadership among the members of the Montreal bar, not only because of his extensive practice and the ability displayed therein, but also because of his contribution to the literature of the profession. His military record also gives him right to public recognition. A native of London, England, he was born October 17, 1865, and is of English lineage, his father having been James Mitchell, of London, England. In the attainment of his education he attended the City of London school and afterward McGill University, where he won his B. C. L. degree and valedictorian honors in 1896. The same year he began practice as an advocate in Montreal with the late R. D. McGibbon, K. C. He had been a resident of Canada for eight years, and thus it was that his preparation for the bar was pursued in McGill. The ability which he has displayed in practice is indicated by the fact that he was created K. C. in 1909. He is now a member of the firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Mitchell & Casgrain and devotes himself to corporation and commercial law. He published the first English edition of the The Code of Civil Procedure and in conjunction with J. L. Perron, K. C., brought out an Insolvency Manual. He is not unknown in the educational field, having lectured on The Legal Aspects of Trade Unionism and on Warranties and Representations re Contract of Life Insurance. All this establishes his position as a lawyer well versed in his profession and capable in handling intricate and involved legal problems. He is also a well known publicist; his letters to the Montreal Star on the naval question created great interest and showed a thorough knowledge and study of the subject.
Aside from his professional interests Major Mitchell has become known in business circles and in connection with projects of a public or semi-public character. He is a director of Penman’s, Ltd.; the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company; Ames, Holden, McCready, Ltd.; the Canadian Consolidated Felt Company, Ltd.; the Charlemagne & Lac Ouareau Lumber Company, Ltd.; and many other commercial companies. He is also a director of the Laurentian Sanitarium and a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and the Western Hospital.
For some years Major Mitchell was connected with the volunteer military service, joining the Sixth Fusiliers in 1889, and when that regiment amalgamated [151] with the First Prince of Wales Rifles in 1898 he became senior major in that corps. In 1900 he was placed on the list of retired officers.
Major Mitchell was married in 1911 to Miss Sarah Proulx, and they reside at No. 377 Peel Street. Major Mitchell holds membership with the Anglican church and is well known in club circles, belonging to the St. James, Canada and University Clubs, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, the Montreal Jockey Club, Outremont Golf Club, Royal Montreal Golf Club, the Manitou Club of Montreal, the Railroad Club and the Alpha Delta Phi Club of New York and the United Empire Club of London, England.
A well known figure in railroad circles of Montreal is Walter Hardman Ardley, who since 1913 has acted as general auditor of the Grand Trunk Railway system and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. A native of London, England, he was born April 24, 1858, and is a son of James and Elizabeth (Dunton) Ardley, the former of whom passed away during the early childhood of his son Walter and the latter in 1896.
Mr. Ardley was educated in the City of London College and made his advent in the business world as an apprentice in a London office. He came to Canada in November, 1882, entering the service of the Grand Trunk Railway, in the chief accountant’s office, on November 5, 1882. Steadiness of purpose, faithfulness and diligence won him advancement. On December 31, 1907, he was made chief clerk and general bookkeeper and so continued until August 31, 1908, when he became auditor of disbursements. He held this office until September 30, 1908, when he became assistant general auditor, and in 1909 he was made general auditor of the Grand Trunk Railway system and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Mr. Ardley stands high in the estimation of the officers of the road on account of the efficient management of his department.
On December 12, 1889, Mr. Ardley married Miss Tamar Jane Phillips, a daughter of Henry Phillips, of Upway, England. He is independent politically and a member of the Church of England.
A man who has made his zeal and commanding ability the basis of an important work not only in the cause of religion but in the public service along lines of charity and reform is Rev. Herbert Symonds, since 1903 vicar of Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal. He is a prominent orator and preacher, an able writer and an untiring worker for the promotion of religious and social advancement and is regarded as one of the vital forces in the spread of movements looking toward Christian unity. He was born in Rickinghall-Inferior, Suffolk, England, December 28, 1860, and is a son of George and Hannah (Wright) Symonds. He studied in Framlingham College in England and in Trinity University, [152] Toronto, Ontario, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1885, receiving the degree of M. A. and the prize for an English essay and sermon in 1887. He holds the honorary degree of D. D., given him by Queen’s University in 1901, and the honorary degree of LL. D., conferred upon him by McGill University in 1910.
Rev. Herbert Symonds came to Canada in 1881 and four years later was ordained deacon in the Anglican church. He received orders as a priest in 1887 and from that year to 1890 was a fellow and lecturer in Trinity University in Toronto. The next two years he spent as professor of divinity in the same institution and in 1892 was made rector of St. Luke’s church in Ashburnham, Ontario. He resumed his work as an educator in the year 1901, being made headmaster of Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, serving in that capacity from 1901 to 1903. In the latter year he was transferred to Montreal and made vicar of Christ Church Cathedral in this city, and he has since held the position, which affords him an excellent scope for his talents and abilities and in which his work has carried him forward into important relations with Anglican affairs. He was president of the Montreal Protestant Ministerial Association in 1905, first president of the Canadian Society of Christian Unity and in 1910 a delegate to the World’s Missionary Congress, held in Edinburgh, and the Anglican Church Congress, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Mr. Symonds married, in March, 1883, Miss Emma Blackall, fourth daughter of the late Mossom Boyd, of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, and both are well known in social circles of Montreal. Since 1907 Mr. Symonds has served as Protestant school commissioner and he is well known in military circles, having been from 1896 to 1907 chaplain of the Third Prince of Wales Canadian Dragoons and since that time chaplain, with the honorary rank of major, of the First Regiment, Prince of Wales Fusiliers. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and is a past grand chaplain of the grand lodge of Quebec. A writer of great force and power, he has made many contributions to The Week and Expository Times of England and other papers and is the author of articles on Trinity University and University Federation, published in 1894, on Christian Unity, published in 1899, and The Anglican Church and the Doctrine of Apostolical Succession, 1907. He is regarded as one of the ablest preachers in the Anglican pulpit at the present time and has made this talent also a force in the accomplishment of a great and lasting work.
Very few if any men in Montreal were any better known in their respective lines of business than was Henry Hogan, in connection with the hotel business. He occupied a position among his contemporaries that made him a unique personage. The story of his life is best told by the history of the hostelry, St. Lawrence Hall, that his name had made famous and over which he had charge for upwards of a half century. Mr. Hogan was born at La Tortue, near Laprairie, on the 12th of April, 1820, and was a son of Nicholas Hogan, who served in the British army in the Peninsular war and at Waterloo under the [155] Duke of Wellington. He was engaged in the woolen manufacturing business in Manchester, England, and upon coming to Canada established a mill at La Tortue. He met his death from drowning, the result of the giving way of the rail on a boat, which precipitated him into the St. Lawrence river. He was survived by a widow and several children.
Henry Hogan was but a boy when he came to Montreal and his early training in a business way began in the line of business of which he made such a great success in later life, the hotel business. In 1851 he became proprietor of what was then called the Hogan Hotel, in which enterprise he was in partnership with Messrs. Borden and Compaine, but both men retired early, being succeeded in the firm by Frederick Penn, who remained a partner with Mr. Hogan until 1869. After that time the latter was alone as sole proprietor of St. Lawrence Hall. In 1856 he was one of the prominent factors in the grand banquet given by the citizens in the Hall to mark the opening of the Grand Trunk Railway, on which occasion many distinguished citizens were his guests. In 1860 he entertained the members of the suite of the Prince of Wales, later His Majesty, King Edward VII. In those days Mr. Hogan entertained many people of title and prominence. The story of this hotel has its own connection with the history of Canada, for under the roof of St. Lawrence Hall there occurred many things that led to the present-day development of the Dominion. Here Mr. John A. Macdonald, later the great Sir John, met his sturdy opponent, Mr. George Brown, and exchanged views on the best means of uniting the scattered provinces. From this beginning confederation was achieved and Mr. Hogan performed his share in these events and at all times faithfully carried out the duties of citizenship. St. Lawrence Hall was for many years the best known hotel in Canada and one of the best known on the continent. Princes of the royal blood, soldiers and statesmen, political refugees, artists and poets, stars of the operatic and dramatic stage partook of its hospitality and their names recall events of bygone days. The opening of Victoria bridge brought many notables to the Hall, and during the progress of the Civil war in the United States the clank of the sword was heard at St. Lawrence Hall, which became the headquarters for the Confederate representatives and southern refugees. Jefferson Davis and John Wilkes Booth were guests of the Hall, and during the Trent affair it was the headquarters of the officers. During the trial of John Surratt, the register of the Hall was taken to Washington and has never been returned. After the Civil war, General Sherman, of the Union army, and also one of the most prominent Confederate generals visited Montreal and were entertained by Mr. Hogan, as was Henry Ward Beecher and other distinguished Americans. The banquets held at St. Lawrence Hall were noted affairs, the place being the scene of many brilliant social gatherings.
The ancestral records of the Hogan family included the names of many prominent in military circles and Henry Hogan also took a deep interest in these affairs, being for years commanding officer of the Montreal Field Battery, of which he was lieutenant in 1855, afterwards became colonel and assumed command, retiring with that rank in 1866. Mr. Hogan had been connected with numerous business enterprises aside from his hotel interests. He always had implicit confidence in the future of Montreal and made investments that proved [156] highly profitable. His business ability won him success and prominence in his chosen field and his capability, tact and resourcefulness made him an ideal host, whether entertaining a little private gathering of friends or a large concourse of notable and eminent citizens at a banquet. In religious belief he was a Unitarian. His death occurred October 9, 1902, and he was survived by a widow, two sons, Henry H. and Lawrence H., and also two daughters: Anna W., now the widow of Major Low, of the British army; and Marion E., who died unmarried.
Martin Montgomery Reynolds enjoyed the reputation of being one of the foremost experts in railroad accounting and finance. He had thirty years of experience along that line and was connected with roads in the United States and Mexico until he came to Canada in 1908 as fifth vice president of the Grand Trunk Railway and third vice president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. At his death, which occurred June 17, 1914, he held the position of vice president in charge of the financial and accounting departments.
Martin M. Reynolds was born in Syracuse, New York, and educated there. His first notable position in the railroad world was that of auditor of the Mexican National Railroad, which office he held until 1892. He then went to Vermont as general auditor of the Central Vermont Railroad, which office he held until 1896. From 1896 to 1899 he was auditor for the receivers of this road, and from 1899 to 1902 auditor for its successor, the Central Vermont Railway. From 1902 to 1904 he was comptroller of the National Railway of Mexico and in 1904 accepted in addition to this office the comptrollership of the Mexican International Railway and the Interoceanic Railway of Mexico, continuing in this office until 1908. In that year he came to Montreal as fifth vice president of the Grand Trunk Railway and third vice president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and in 1910 was promoted to the third vice presidency of the Grand Trunk. From 1911 Mr. Reynolds was vice president in charge of the financial and accounting departments of the Grand Trunk and Grand Trunk Pacific and affiliated lines. His office was one of the most important in the service. Mr. Reynolds was also a director of the Canadian Express Company.
In 1894 Martin M. Reynolds was united in marriage to Miss Flora Livingstone and they resided at the Linton apartments, Montreal. Although he was in Montreal only a few years he quickly became imbued with the Canadian spirit and his aims and interests became thoroughly Canadian.
Charles A. Briggs was an active business man of Montreal, well known and respected. He conducted a retail fur store under his name on Notre Dame Street, and careful management and wise direction of his interests wrought the substantial success which eventually came to him. A native of Montreal, he was [157] born October 3, 1839, a son of Russell Briggs, who came to this city from Vermont and here spent his remaining days. Charles A. Briggs was indebted to the public-school system of Montreal for the educational opportunities he enjoyed. In early life he acquainted himself with the fur business and eventually became proprietor of a retail fur store on Notre Dame Street. He closely applied himself to the conduct of the business and his able management and reliable methods were strong elements in his growing success.
In 1862 Mr. Briggs was united in marriage to Sarah S., a daughter of Mansfield Holland, who in early life came from Maine to Montreal and was actively identified with the infant industrial development of the city, building the first rolling mill here and also a nail and spike factory, making the first railroad spike manufactured in Canada. His plant was located on Mill Street and there he continued actively and successfully in business throughout the remainder of his days, his death occurring in 1883. He was then seventy-four years of age, his birth having occurred in 1809. He was twenty years of age when he arrived in Montreal in 1829, becoming a most active factor in its business circles, for, with the growth of his enterprise, he employed many men. His wife was in her maidenhood Miss Gould and by their marriage they became the parents of twelve children. Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Briggs became the parents of seven children: Charles Russell; Celia; Florence; Edwin; Dr. George Nixon; Henry, who died young; and Ethel.
Mr. Briggs held membership in St. James Cathedral, to the support of which he made generous contribution. He stood stanchly in support of many of those factors which work for the betterment of the individual and for the community and at the same time he conducted a successful business indicative of his ability and his enterprise.
Standing deservedly high in the respect of all who knew him, John A. Pillow was regarded as a progressive business man and valuable citizen of Montreal, of which city he was a native. He was educated in the public schools and for many years ranked as one of Montreal’s oldest and best known manufacturers. In his business career he made advancement step by step, gaining thus a broader outlook and wider opportunity. He made wise use of the advantages that came to him and eventually reached a position of prominence in manufacturing circles. It was in the late [161] ‘60s that he succeeded to the rolling mill business of T. D. Bigelow & Company, which was one of the oldest establishments of the city, having been founded for a century. Forming a partnership with Randolph Hersey, he continued the business under the firm name of Pillow & Hersey. Later this was converted into a stock company and Mr. Pillow was elected to the presidency. He stood deservedly high in the regard of his contemporaries in commercial circles. Business men knew him as one whose word was thoroughly reliable, who met every obligation and kept every engagement, and the record which he thus made was one which any might envy. He was very thorough and competent in all that he did, neglecting no details and at the same time developing his interests along the broad lines characteristic of business enterprise at the present day.
Mr. Pillow was united in marriage to Annie Elizabeth Hillyer, and their surviving children are two sons, Laurence B. and Howard W. He was a man of domestic tastes, devoted to the welfare of his family and finding his greatest happiness in promoting their interests. He rejoiced in his prosperity not merely from the standpoint of success but because of the opportunity which it gave him to provide liberally for his family and to give generously to the poor and needy. He attended the American Presbyterian church and in his life exemplified his Christian faith. He was much interested in the welfare of his native city, cooperating in many movements that have promoted its interests along various lines. He belonged to the Board of Trade and his social nature found expression in his membership in St. James Club, the Forest and Stream Club and the Manhattan Club of New York. Death called him February 16, 1902. He had remained a lifelong resident of his native city and his worth was widely recognized by those who had been his associates in business and by those who met him in social relations.
James Elliot, for more than half a century one of the best known bankers of Montreal, was born June 2, 1840, in this city, and was the eldest son of the late Andrew and Sarah (Pullan) Elliot. The father was a native of Northumberland, England, and following his arrival in Montreal in 1832 became a well known contractor of the city.
After acquiring a thorough education in the Montreal high school James Elliot entered the dry-goods establishment of the late Mr. Alexander Molson, and after a time spent in that connection entered Molson’s Bank in 1860. In 1870 he became accountant and further promotion came to him in recognition of his ability in his appointment to the position of manager of the Montreal branch in 1879. Step by step he advanced in his connection with financial interests until he became recognized as one of the foremost bankers of the city. In May, 1900, he was appointed general manager, which position he ably filled until his death, December 19, 1913. In banking circles he was recognized as a man of exceptional ability, prudence and sagacity, and was termed both a model man and a model banker. That he occupied a position of distinction in business and financial circles was evidenced by the large number of business men who paid their last tribute of respect to his worth when he passed away.
Mr. Elliot was for many years a councillor of the Canadian Bankers Association and was otherwise officially connected with interests of importance to the public, being a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, a vice president of the Montreal Prisoners Aid Association and an active factor in philanthropic work. Mr. Elliot was also an attendant at the Melville Presbyterian church. His political support was given to the conservative party. Although he was past the allotted age of three score years and ten when called from this life, Mr. Elliot’s friends were drawn largely from the younger generation. He was a quiet, unostentatious gentleman of the old school, whose delight outside of his business was his home and garden on Cote St. Antoine road. This home was one of the early residences in Westmount and when erected more than a quarter of a century ago was surrounded by open fields.
Mr. Elliot was unmarried. After providing with great liberality for near relatives he bequeathed five thousand dollars to the Montreal General Hospital, five thousand dollars to the Protestant Hospital for the Insane and a thousand dollars each to the Western Hospital, McKay Institute, Grace Dart Home, the Protestant House of Industry and Refuge and the Salvation Army. His bequest to these many organizations showed his broad-mindedness and his deep interest in the welfare and uplift of his fellowmen.
Joseph Arthur Couture, a notary public practicing in Montreal and in Maisonneuve, was born on the 29th of December, 1881, at Sherrington in the county of Napierville, P. Q., his parents being Jules and Dométhile (Bourgeois) Couture. He represents two of the old French families of the province. His great-grandfather and his grandfather, both of whom bore the name of François Couture, were farming people, the former following agricultural pursuits at Lacadie, while the latter was a farmer at St. Cyprien in the county of Napierville. He married Sophie Ward and their family included Jules Couture, who married Dométhile Bourgeois. Her father, Pierre Bourgeois, was at one time a farmer at St. Jean, P. Q., and later at St. Cyprien, where he was residing at the time of his death. His wife was a member of the Granger family. Jules Couture was born in St. Cyprien, county of Napierville, and made farming his life work, but since 1900 has lived retired, his home being in the village of Napierville. His wife was born in the parish of St. John, P. Q., and died on the 15th of September, 1907. They had a family of twelve children, of whom three daughters and five sons are living.
Joseph Arthur Couture, the youngest of the family, attended the parish school to the age of ten years and afterward studied with the parish priest of Sherrington for three years. He next entered Montreal College, where he pursued a five years’ classical course and later became a student in the Seminary of Philosophy, where after two years, or in 1902, he won his degree of Bachelor of Letters. In September of that year he matriculated in Laval University where he studied law in preparation for the notarial profession, receiving his LL. L. degree in 1905. He was received as a notary in July of the same year and in September began practice in the village of Napierville, where he continued until the 1st of October, 1906. He then removed to the city of Maisonneuve, where he continues in practice, and at the same time maintains an office in the city of Montreal. He is likewise a commissioner of the superior court in and for the district of Montreal. He carefully prepared for his chosen calling and his knowledge of the law and his understanding of all phases of the notarial profession have given him high rank among his associates in that field of labor.
Mr. Couture is also interested in some syndicates, purchasing lots on the island of Montreal. He is a director of La Société du Boulevard Pie IX, Limitée and of Salmon River Gold Fields and of the Montreal Consolidated Real Estate and Investments, Limited. His connection therewith has resulted in bringing him good financial returns, while in his profession he is making continuous advancement.
On the 9th of October, 1905, Mr. Couture was married to Miss Mathilda Ida Lachapelle, a daughter of Alfred and Mathilde (Beauchamp) Lachapelle, the former in his life time a merchant of Montreal. Mrs. Couture died at Maisonneuve, at the age of twenty-seven years, on the 17th of December, 1913, leaving no issue. Mr. Couture is a member of the Roman Catholic church and in politics he was formerly a conservative but became a nationalist as he did not approve of the naval policies of either the liberal or conservative parties. He is still, however, a member of the Montreal Liberal-Conservative Club. He was for three years recording secretary of Court Gounod No. 3240, I. O. F., of which he is now deputy chief.
The name of Hon. J. O. Villeneuve is inseparably interwoven with the history of Montreal and its progress. Modesty at all times characterized his bearing and simplicity his habits, yet the sterling worth of his character and the high order of his ability brought him to a position of leadership in connection with municipal and provincial affairs. He labored untiringly for the best interests of Montreal while acting as chief executive of the city and was equally faithful in his support of matters relating to the provincial welfare when serving as senator. A native of the county of Terrebonne, he was born at Ste. Anne des Plaines, on the 4th of March, 1837, and his life record covered the intervening period to the 27th of June, 1901, when he passed away at the age of sixty-four years. He was but a young lad at the time of the removal of his father, Octave Villeneuve, and the family to Montreal, so that he was indebted to the school system of this city for his educational opportunities. He started in the business world as clerk in a dry-goods store in 1853, when a youth of sixteen years, and his traits of loyalty and faithfulness were manifest from the beginning, as is evidenced by the fact that he remained with one establishment until 1865. Ambitious to engage in business on his own account, he carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to open a grocery store at Mile End. There he conducted business for some time and subsequently founded the wholesale grocery house of J. O. Villeneuve & Company, which rapidly gained patronage and a high and well merited reputation in commercial circles. He was a farsighted man and one who on recognizing a public need at once sought to meet it. Realizing the lack of communication between the extreme northern section of Montreal and the outlying parishes, he established an omnibus route in 1860 between Mile End, Terrebonne, Sault au Récollet and New Glasgow, which he later sold to the Montreal Street Railway when it seemed feasible to extend the railway lines into that section.
Mr. Villeneuve was frequently called to public office and it is a notable fact in his career that no public trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree. For more than seventeen years he was mayor of St. Jean Baptiste village and again, when the organization of the town took place, he served for four years more, carefully guiding the interests of village and town so as to bring about needed reforms and improvements. Following the annexation to the city in 1885 he represented St. Jean Baptiste ward from that date until 1894 in the city council and as a member of the finance committee his experience in financial matters was found to be of great service to the public. Higher official honors awaited him, however, for in 1894 he was elected Montreal’s mayor and filled that position for two years, proving a capable executive and one who most carefully and systematically safeguarded the public interests. For eighteen years he served as warden of the county of Hochelaga and in 1886 was elected to represent that county in the Quebec legislature, where his record was so commendable that he was reelected in 1890 and again in 1892. In 1888 he was made a member of the harbor commission and served for several years on that body. In January, 1896, he succeeded the late Hon. Joseph Tasse as senator for the De Salaberry division. All this, however, did not cover the many phases of his activity. For many years he was a member of the Board of Trade, and he had important business connections, serving as director of the Dominion Cotton Company, in addition to which he had other large manufacturing, mercantile and real-estate interests in the city. He was resident director of the Banque Nationale and a member of the harbor board and a governor of Laval University. He was also senior partner of the firm of L. Villeneuve & Company, wholesale lumber dealers.
In 1861 Mr. Villeneuve married Miss Susan Ann Walker, a daughter of Captain James Walker, of Sorel, Quebec, who survives together with their four children. Her father was a captain in the regiment stationed at Sorel and was a son of Dr. Edward Walker, surgeon of that regiment. Jacques Villeneuve, the eldest of the four children, residing at St. Jerome, Quebec, is proprietor of a stone quarry and brick manufacturing business there. He married Miss Lamontague and they had seven children, Jacques, Edgar, Charles Eugene, Lia, Adrienne, Marguerite and Jeanne. For his second wife Jacques Villeneuve wedded Miss Poitevin, and they have a son, Jean. Eugene W., the second member of the family, was born in Montreal in 1865 and was associated in business with his father until the latter’s death. He brought about the royal commission, giving a change of administration and management of the city by a board of control. In November, 1910, at a meeting held at St. Jean Baptiste market hall, he proposed that the centenary of the birth of Sir George Etienne Cartier should be appropriately commemorated and that steps should be taken for the erection of a monument to his memory. Since then the monumental enterprise has assumed not only national but empire scope and representatives of every portion of the empire will be present at the commemorative celebration September 6, 1914. Mr. Villeneuve has served faithfully as president of the executive committee in charge of the celebration and the erection of the monument. He married Miss Alice Crompton, and their children are James and Reginald. Frederic Villeneuve, the third member of the family, is a graduate of Laval University and was afterwards advocate in Montreal and in Edmonton, Alberta. For several years he was [164] editor of Canadian West and for four years, from 1898 until 1902, sat for St. Albert in the legislature. In 1909 he was appointed librarian of the Montreal Civic Library. He married Miss Howie, of St. Johns. Rachel Villeneuve, the youngest of the family, married Alphonse Morin, protonotary of St. Johns. Their children are Josephine, Louise, Susan, Pierre Villeneuve, Lucie, Madeleine and Andre, and they reside at No. 629 Dorchester West.
The death of Hon. J. O. Villeneuve occurred on the 27th of June, 1901, at the family residence at 862 St. Denis Street. Editorially the Gazette said of him: “Senator Villeneuve is dead at the comparatively early age of sixty-four. His career was a typical one and included fully thirty years of public service, municipal and parliamentary. His straightforward conduct and good faith gained him general respect and for almost a generation he could count on election to whatever office in the gift of the county of Hochelaga or city of Montreal he aspired to. His municipal career was crowned by the mayoralty of Montreal and his political work by a senatorship. He was a thoroughly well meaning man, of modest bearing and simple habits, whose innate worth was behind his business and public success. In his death Montreal loses a good citizen and parliament a member of safe judgment and right purpose.” To thus win the merit and plaudit of the press shows that the life of Hon. J. O. Villeneuve was one of far-reaching usefulness and of importance in Montreal. He neglected no opportunity, slighted no duty nor passed unheedingly the chances to benefit city or province by helpful service on his part.
John Dillon, for many years one of the best known merchants of Montreal, was a member of the firm of Reford & Dillon. He was born in Chambly, March 18, 1836, a son of John Dillon, Sr., a native of Belfast, Ireland, who emigrated to Canada and for some years resided in Toronto and Montreal, his death occurring in the latter city in 1875. He was father of two sons, George Graham and John Dillon. The former passed his active business life in Toronto, where he was connected with the retail dry-goods house of George Bowes & Company. He died in Toronto, while his widow, Mrs. Catherine Jacques Dillon, passed away in Montreal. They were survived by a daughter, Miss Elisabeth J. Dillon, who for many years lived with her uncle, John Dillon, who never married.
It was in Toronto that John Dillon formed a partnership with Robert Reford under the firm name of Reford & Dillon, wholesale grocers, and in 1867 the business was moved to Montreal. This association continued for about forty years and the business was most successfully and capably conducted according to modern progressive methods. A few years prior to his death Mr. Dillon retired from the firm, but maintained his interest in other industrial and commercial institutions. Up to the time of his death he was a director of the Mount Royal Milling and Manufacturing Company and was also vice president of the Gould Cold Storage Company. His business judgment was sound, his discrimination keen and his enterprise unfaltering. He could see farther than many a man in business circles, foretelling the outcome of any enterprise [167] from the beginning and, moreover, he had the power to coordinate and unify forces into a harmonious whole.
Mr. Dillon was much interested throughout his lifetime in charitable work and among other institutions with which he was actively associated was the Old Brewery Mission. He was an active member of the Dominion Square Methodist church, which he joined as a charter member upon its organization.
The Montreal Star in announcing his death on the 15th of May, 1908, said, “In the death of Mr. John Dillon which took place this morning very suddenly at his residence, 19 McGregor Street, Montreal loses one of its oldest and most respected citizens. Mr. Dillon, who had been in good health, was speaking to a relative about 11:30 today, when he was overcome by heart failure, his death taking place almost immediately. Thus passed onward one who always strove to do his duty by his fellowmen.”
Carlos A. Hayes, who for a number of years was connected with the Grand Trunk Railway, lastly as freight traffic manager, was on July 1, 1913, appointed general traffic manager of the Canadian Government Railways, with headquarters at Moncton, New Brunswick. Mr. Hayes has long been prominently connected with Canadian railway service and has in that way contributed toward the opening up of vast natural resources in the Dominion.
He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, March 10, 1865, and when a boy of seventeen entered the railway service in 1882, continuing along that line with various roads in the United States until the year 1892, when he was made New England agent and, in 1896, manager of the National Despatch-Great Eastern Line. He held this position until 1903, when he became connected with the Grand Trunk Railway as assistant general freight agent in Chicago. Readily grasping railroad problems and possessed of the true generalship of a railway executive, he was chosen in 1908 to succeed J. E. Dalrymple as general freight agent of the Grand Trunk, with headquarters at Montreal, and there remained, first as general freight agent and later as freight traffic manager, until his recent appointment. Mr. Hayes is a well known figure in Dominion railway circles and stands high in the estimation of business men.
John Edward Martin, K. C., a well known member of the Montreal bar, was born in September, 1859, at Shefford, in the province of Quebec. He received his early education in the public school at Waterloo, P. Q., and at McGill Normal School, and later entered McGill University, where he graduated with the Degree of Bachelor of Civil Law in 1883, being the medallist of that year.
In July, 1884, he was admitted to the practice of law and began the practice of his profession at Sweetsburg, P. Q., in partnership with the late Senator [168] Baker. In 1893 he removed to Montreal and for over twenty years has been a member of the law firm of Foster, Martin, Mann, Mackinnon & Hackett, and his constantly expanding powers brought him prominently before the public as an able lawyer and led to his being named king’s counsel in 1903.
The litigated interests intrusted to his care have on the whole been of a most important character, and he has successfully practised before all the courts of the province, the supreme court of Canada, and has frequently appeared before the judicial committee of the privy council in London, England.
Mr. Martin has specialized in corporation and insurance law, and his preparation of cases is always thorough and exhaustive, and the court records indicate his ability in securing verdicts favorable to his clients.
He was a member of the council of the bar of Montreal for several years and batonnier of the bar of Montreal and batonnier-general of the bar of the province of Quebec during the year 1913-1914. In 1913 he was elected an honorary member of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Martin has been married twice. His first wife, Nellie, daughter of J. Rooney of Sweetsburg, P. Q., died in January, 1909. In December, 1910, he married Emily Violet, daughter of James Patterson of Guelph, Ontario.
In politics Mr. Martin is a conservative, and he is a member of the Anglican church. He is a member of the Mount Royal, Forest and Stream, Canada and the Laurentian Clubs. He has a wide acquaintance among the leading residents of the city, where his ability and personal worth have gained for him the high regard of those with whom he has come in contact.
James Alexander Lawrason Strathy, long a factor in financial circles in Montreal, was born in London, Ontario, July 22, 1857, where his father, James B. Strathy, was at one time collector of customs. The mother, Mrs. Elvira Strathy, was a daughter of Dr. Hiram D. Lee and of United Empire Loyalist stock. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded the son, who was educated in the Moncrieff Preparatory School, in Hellmuth College at London, Ontario, and in Upper Canada College. At the age of seventeen years he came to Montreal and entered the employ of the brokerage firm of Gordon Strathy & Company, later becoming a partner in the business. He subsequently was admitted to the Montreal Stock Exchange, while six years later he became a member of the Board of Trade. In the following years he devoted all his time to the Montreal Trust & Deposit Company, of which he was one of the organizers. He was appointed general manager of the business and remained with the company until his death. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Royal Electric Company and in business connections gave evidence of his ability to handle important interests and solve intricate problems.
Mr. Strathy was a justice of the peace of Montreal and in official position made a record equally creditable with that which he won in business. He was a member of St. Andrew’s Society and vice president of the United Empire Loyalist Association. Distinction and honors also came to him along military lines, his [169] military record dating from his appointment as second lieutenant of the Fifth Royal Scots of Canada, in 1880. He was advanced to the rank of captain in 1884, became major in 1891 and was made lieutenant colonel, commanding his regiment, in 1893, so continuing until his connection with the regiment ceased in December, 1897. In 1894 he became vice president of the Canada Military Institute at Toronto and the same year was appointed to the staff of the governor general of Canada as an extra aide-de-camp.
Mr. Strathy was widely known in sporting circles. As a gentleman rider he was the winner of the Montreal Hunt Cup Steeplechase in 1880, 1881 and 1886 and of the American Grand National Hunt Steeplechase at Saratoga in 1882 and of the steeplechase open to gentlemen riders. His political allegiance was given to the conservative party and the interests and duties of citizenship found ample recognition in his life activities.
On the 9th of January, 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Strathy was married to Miss Margaret, daughter of Andrew Robertson, of Montreal, and they became the parents of six children, of whom five are living: Marguerite F., Isabella D., Alison L., R. Lee A. and Elvira M. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 7th of October, 1901, Lieutenant Colonel Strathy passed away. He was a popular member of the St. James Club and his position as a business man and in military and sporting circles classed him with the representative residents of his city.
John Rigney Barlow, a civil engineer, who in 1900 was appointed to the position of city surveyor of Montreal, has since served in that capacity and is one of her best known civic officials. A native of Scotland, he was born at Stornoway, Lewis, on the 29th of July, 1850, a son of the late Robert Barlow of the Canadian Geological Survey. The first five years of his life were spent in the land of hills and heather, after which the family came to the new world. John R. Barlow was reared in Montreal and started in the business world in the employ of the Canadian Geological Survey, with which he remained from 1872 until 1875. He then entered the service of the corporation of Montreal in 1876, and did important duty in that connection. He was engaged in the construction of water works in the town of St. Henri and did other important duties. He became assistant city engineer of Montreal in 1880 and was made deputy city surveyor in 1882. Further advancement came to him in his appointment to the position of city surveyor in 1900, and he is now acting in that capacity. He thoroughly understands the scientific principles which underlie his work as well as every practical phase of the business and now occupies an enviable position among the civil engineers of Montreal.
In March, 1877, Mr. Barlow was married to Margaret Coutts, a daughter of the late Rev. William Darrach, and they reside at No. 78 St. Luke Street. Mr. Barlow is a member of the Engineers Club and also of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, in which he was elected to membership in 1887. His fraternal relations are with the Masons, and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian [170] church. His professional relations have brought him an extensive acquaintance, while his sterling traits of character have gained him firm hold upon the affectionate regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
Clearly defined purposes and close application were salient features in the career of William Smith, who died in Montreal on the 14th of March, 1910, when nearly eighty-four years of age. He was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, September 20, 1826, and came to Canada when a young man. He practically spent his remaining days in this city. He at first engaged in the dry-goods business, which he followed for many years with good success. Eventually he became a manufacturing tobacconist and again prosperity attended his efforts in the commercial field. He also owned valuable real estate, having taken advantage of early opportunities for investment along that line. The soundness of his judgment and the clearness of his vision were indicated in the rise in his property values, making his holdings well worthy of consideration.
Mr. Smith was married in Montreal to Miss Margaret Watson, daughter of George and Margaret (Selkirk) Watson of Montreal. He continued to make the city his home until his life’s labors were ended in death, when he had reached a venerable age. He was a man respected by all and such was the regard entertained for his opinions, that his advice was frequently sought upon important questions. He was an attendant at Erskine church. Mr. Smith is survived by his widow, who resides in what has been for years the family residence, built by Mr. Smith at No. 56 Simpson Street and which home stands on the site of the former home of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, discoverer of the Mackenzie river and the first European to cross the Rocky mountains.
Joseph Arthur Bourgault is one of the most prominent figures in real-estate circles in Montreal, his well defined and carefully executed plans constituting a potent force in the substantial development and improvement of various sections of the city. He is yet a young man but has already attained a position that many a one of twice his years might well envy. He was born May 30, 1887, at St. Louis de Bonsecours, Richelieu county, P. Q., his parents being Henri and Caroline (Loriviere) Bourgault, the former a native of Ste. Victoire, Richelieu county, and the latter of St. Judes in St. Hyacinthe county, P. Q.
Joseph Arthur Bourgault pursued his education in the schools at Sorel, P. Q., and was graduated from St. Bernard College on the 19th of June, 1905. He started in the business world as a bookkeeper and afterward was traveling salesman, but eventually turned his attention to the real-estate business, which he conducts under the name of J. A. Bourgault & Company with offices at No. 97 St. James Street in Montreal. His progress has been continuous, and his efforts [173] have been constantly of greater public value, as he has developed and improved property which hitherto had been an unsightly waste or had little commercial value. In 1911 he developed and sold Montmorency Park including eleven hundred lots which brought three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars; and in 1912 he sold a part of Niagara Garden including thirty-two hundred lots, of which nineteen hundred brought four hundred and twenty thousand dollars. He also sold a subdivision on the south shore called Woodbine Park including over eleven hundred lots. All this extensive property has been sold exclusively by Mr. Bourgault. He is a wide-awake, alert, enterprising young man thoroughly in touch with the real-estate market. He knows what property is for sale, is conversant with values and seems never to make a mistake in his investments. He was graduated at the National Salesmen Training Association, which has its headquarters in Chicago, and he is a member of the Headquarters International Realty Company of that city.
On the 25th of November, 1912, in Montreal, Mr. Bourgault was married to Miss Berthe Daignault, a daughter of the late J. Daignault. They have gained many friends during the period of their residence here. Mr. Bourgault has attractive social qualities which render him popular socially and add not a little to his success in the management and control of an extensive and growing real-estate business.
In Montreal stand many evidences of the ability and skill of Daniel Wilson in a number of the larger and more substantial buildings of the city, where for a long period he engaged in the business of general contracting. He was born in Avoch, Scotland, March 2, 1827, and was in the seventy-ninth year of his age when he passed away. He had been a resident of Canada since 1853, having come to the Dominion to take charge of stone quarries at Pointe Claire for the construction of the Victoria bridge. After the completion of the bridge he entered upon the work of general contracting and erected many of the largest buildings of Montreal, including the Royal Insurance building, Molson’s Bank, the Merchants Bank, the Mutual Telegraph building, the Erskine church, the Windsor Hotel, and others. He retired from business about 1886, having met with notable success that brought him a gratifying income.
Mr. Wilson was prominent in public affairs. For eight years he represented St. Antoine ward in the city council and was interested and active in support of various projects which have had to do with the welfare and upbuilding of this city. He was also Protestant school commissioner for a number of years and aside from positions having to do with the public service he was connected officially with various charitable and benevolent projects. For six years he was on the board of the Outdoor Relief and the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, was a life governor of the General Hospital and a trustee of Mount Royal Cemetery Association. He was also one of the oldest members and for eleven years a deacon and twelve years elder of the Crescent Street Presbyterian church and [174] when other interests left him leisure for sports, he enjoyed curling and became one of the founders of the Caledonia Curling Club.
Mr. Wilson was married in Scotland to Miss Margaret Stephen, who died in Montreal in 1856, being the mother of two children: James, a resident of Montreal; and Margaret, the widow of Henry Downs, of St. Paul, Minnesota. In Montreal, in 1858, Mr. Wilson married Miss Catherine MacGregor, a daughter of Daniel MacGregor, and to this union six children were born: Robert, a contractor residing in Vancouver; Lillias Ann, who died in young girlhood; Lillias Isabella, the wife of Peter C. Small, of Vancouver; Christina, who married James Sutherland and died in Montreal in 1896; Kate, who is Mrs. William A. Coates, of Montreal; and John William, a contractor of Montreal.
On the 14th of February, 1906, Daniel Wilson was called from this life, leaving behind him a record of many good deeds undertaken for the benefit of his fellowmen and consummated in following the highest ideals of manhood and responsibility toward those with whom and for whom he lived.
Arthur Ecrement, who for many years has figured prominently in the public life of the province and is a well known representative of the notarial profession, was born at St. Gabriel de Brandon, on the 29th of June, 1879. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him and after attending Montreal College and Laval University he entered upon public life. In fact his activities have always been of a public or semi-public character and his labors have been of far-reaching and beneficial effect. For five years he was secretary to the Hon. R. Dandurand, speaker of the senate, and he was also secretary of the liberal organization of the district of Montreal. He was first elected to the house of commons in 1908, in the liberal interests, and his efforts as a member of that body have been pursued with a singleness of purpose in the interest of general progress and good government. He brings to bear in the discharge of his duties executive ability, keen insight into the situation and a loyalty to the public good that is above question.
One of the most popular and able ministers in the Anglican church in eastern Canada is Rev. Frank Charters, who for the past seventeen years has done earnest and zealous work as rector of St. Simon’s church, Montreal. He is a man of force, experience and capacity, high in his ideals, earnest in his purposes and straightforward in his methods, and his labors have been potent forces in the spread of the doctrines in which he believes and in the promotion of the moral development of the community in which he resides.
Dr. Charters was born in Montreal, March 16, 1865, and acquired his preliminary education at Arnold school and Fettis College. He afterward entered McGill University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1888. In the [175] same year he completed a course in the Montreal Diocesan College, and in 1911 he was given the honorary degree of D. C. L. from the University of Bishop’s College in Lennoxville. He is a governor of the Montreal Diocesan College and a member of the corporation of the University of Bishop’s College. He was ordained deacon in the Anglican church in 1888 and received full orders in the following year, going immediately afterward to Iron Hill and West Brome, Quebec, of which he became Incumbent. In 1896 he was transferred to Montreal, and here since that time he has done earnest and capable work as rector of St. Simon’s parish. This congregation was organized in 1892 and the church building erected in the same year by Dean Carmichael. Rev. Samuel Massey was first pastor and officiated until the spring of 1896, Dr. Charters succeeding him. The latter has proved a capable and efficient rector, fully conscious of the obligations and responsibilities which devolve upon him, and he has accomplished in the course of years a great deal of consecrated work among his people, whose love he holds in large measure. He is, moreover, a man of good business ability and foresight, and the affairs of his parish have been ably administered and the funds carefully conserved. Dr. Charters has two hundred and seventy-five families under his charge and manages a church property valued at fifty thousand dollars. He is very popular among people of all denominations in Montreal and his unostentatious life, filled with well directed and zealous labor and characterized by earnest personal service, has brought him the esteem and confidence of all who are associated with him.
The life record of John T. Wilson spanned sixty-four years. He was born in Greenup, Scotland, February 9, 1841, and died in Montreal on the 23d of February, 1905. His parents were John and Mary (Thomson) Wilson, the former a sea captain. The youth of John T. Wilson was marked by events and experiences such as come to the lot of all. He reached a turning point on the journey of life, however, when he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for Canada. Settling in Montreal, in 1866, he became one of the city’s foremost business men, his name being engraved high on the roll of those who contributed most largely to the commercial greatness and consequent prosperity of the city. He was for forty years the senior member of the firm of Wilson, Paterson & Company, importers and general manufacturers’ agents, continuing in active business until his demise. The volume of trade developed with the growth of the city and had its inception in the progressive methods, initiative spirit and undaunted enterprise of the partners.
When business hours were over and the cares of the day were put aside, Mr. Wilson greatly enjoyed a game of golf or billiards. His interest, too, reached out to many of those projects which recognize the needs of the city and the claims of humanity. He attended St. Paul’s Presbyterian church. For ten years he was a member of the council of the Board of Trade and was ever keenly alive to the projects instituted by that society for the benefit and upbuilding of the city. He belonged to the Canadian and St. James Clubs of Montreal, and [176] the Hunt Club. His business activity was evenly balanced with his honorable methods in trade; his interest in club life and in manly outdoor sports giving him the necessary rest and recreation from that line of work which takes strong hold upon the emotions and calls forth the more tender sentiment in nature. In a word, his was a well rounded character and his place as a representative citizen of Montreal none contest.
Successful in business, Charles Byrd rejoiced in his prosperity not so much because of the opportunities which came to him from his wealth, but because it enabled him to again and again aid his fellowmen. In this he was prompted by no sense of duty but by a higher interest in humanity—a genuine regard for his fellow travelers upon life’s journey. His hand was ever downreaching to aid those who were struggling to raise and he shed around him much of the sunshine of life not only through his material assistance, but also through the words of encouragement and inspiration which he spoke.
Mr. Byrd was born at Lachute, province of Quebec, March 4, 1848, and was therefore sixty-three years of age when he passed away at Nassau, Bahama Islands, on the 3d of March, 1911. He had been a resident of Montreal from early manhood, embarking in the grocery business upon his arrival here. This he abandoned to enter the Munderloh firm in 1868, at which time its founder, William C. Munderloh was in control. After the death of this gentleman Mr. Byrd entered into partnership with Henry Munderloh, son of William C. Munderloh, in the continuation of the business. In 1909 the firm was organized as a joint stock company and Mr. Byrd had active voice in its control, assisting in formulating plans which had to do with its substantial growth and progress. It became one of the important enterprises of the kind in the city and through his connection therewith Mr. Byrd won notable, gratifying and enviable success.
Mr. Byrd was united in marriage in 1873 to Miss Kate Macdonald, a daughter of the late Alexander Roy Macdonald of Montreal. During the last years of his life Mr. Byrd was in poor health and, accompanied by his wife, had spent two winters in the West Indies. He went again in February, 1911, in order to escape the rigors of the Canadian winter and there passed away on the 3d of March.
His memory is enshrined in a halo of good deeds, for he was continually active in support of organized charities or in individual assistance. He gave liberally to a number of the benevolent organizations of Montreal and served on the board of management of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane at Verdun to which he made a contribution of five thousand dollars. He was also one of the board of managers of the Montreal General Hospital to which he gave ten thousand dollars; was vice president of the Protestant House of Industry and Refuge at Longue Pointe, to which he gave ten thousand dollars; was vice president of the Moore Home and an officer of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, to which his contribution was five thousand dollars. He gave twenty-five hundred dollars to the Western General Hospital; two thousand dollars to the Alexandra [179] Hospital; two thousand to the Montreal Protestant Orphan Asylum; five hundred dollars to the Boys’ Home; one thousand dollars to St. Patrick’s Society, a goodly sum to the Erskine church for home movements and a sum of twenty-five thousand dollars for foreign movements. He was an elder of the old St. Gabriel church on St. Catherine Street and afterward joined the Erskine Presbyterian church when it was amalgamated with the Chalmers church. A high-minded Christian gentleman, the principles of his religion permeated his life in all of its different connections and his contribution to the world’s progress along moral and religious lines was a valuable one.
The life record of David Morrice might be summed up in the term successful achievement. It has, however, been more than the success that is calculated in the terms of dollars and cents, for his outlook of life has ever been broad, his conceptions of its opportunities accurate and his recognition of its duties and obligations correct. He has as fully and carefully met the last mentioned as he has his chances in a business way. While he has passed the eighty-fourth milestone on life’s journey, in spirit and interest he seems yet in his prime. To him might be applied the words of Victor Hugo: “The snows of age are upon his head, but the spring of youth is in his heart.” He was born in St. Martin, Perthshire, Scotland, August 11, 1829, and after acquiring his early education there, started in business life as an employe in dry-goods stores, remaining for some time in that connection in Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester and London. The growing western country attracted him with its almost limitless opportunities, and in 1863 he established himself in Montreal where he founded the business that has since become one of the most important commercial enterprises of the city. Under the name of The D. Morrice Company the business is now one of extensive proportions. Manufacturers’ agents and general merchants, they have one of the largest and best appointed establishments of the city, and Mr. Morrice is also at the head of important productive industries and is said to be one of the best authorities in cotton matters in the Dominion. He is president of Penman’s Limited; of the Canadian Cottons, Ltd.; and of the Montreal Investment & Freehold Company. He is likewise a director of the Bank of Montreal; of the Dominion Textile Company; and of the Mount Royal Cemetery Company. While he has now in large measure retired from active management of these interests, his opinions still carry weight in business councils, and his judgment and discrimination are those of a man of not more than three score years and ten. While conducting important and extensive commercial and manufacturing interests, he has found time to become a factor in the management and control of many projects for the benefit of his fellowmen in the alleviation of the hardships of life for the unfortunate. He is now vice president of the Montreal Tubercular Association; president of the Montreal General Hospital; president of the Montreal Sailors’ Institute; president of the Mackay Institute for the Deaf and Dumb; and governor of the Montreal Boys’ Home. He has long been an interested member of the Montreal Art Association of which he is one of the councillors and he maintains [180] an equal interest in Christian education as chairman of the board of managers of the Montreal Presbyterian College, in which position he has remained for forty-two years. He has ever been a firm believer in the early religious training of the young and has labored untiringly to advance the interests of moral direction for the youth of the land. In 1905 he was chosen vice president of the Quebec Sunday School Union and in 1902 was president of the Presbyterian Sunday School Association. In 1882 he erected the David Morrice Hall of the Montreal Presbyterian College at a cost of ninety thousand dollars. His gift to the Montreal General Hospital in 1906 made that institution richer by twenty-five thousand dollars and in 1910 he gave ten thousand dollars to the Montreal Art Association.
On the 14th of June, 1860, Mr. Morrice married Anne S. Anderson of Toronto, and of their children, William J. and David J., are connected with The D. Morrice Company. The others are Robert B., who is connected with Penman’s Limited; Arthur A., a resident of Toronto; James Wilson, a distinguished artist; and a daughter, who is now the wife of Allen G. Law, of the firm of Law, Young & Company of Montreal. The son, James Wilson Morrice, born in Montreal in 1864, attended the city schools and the Toronto University and afterward developed his art talent by study in Paris. He has not only won high reputation in that city but also in London and is considered one of the greatest painters of Brittany coast scenes. He has been a frequent exhibitor at the Paris Salon and one of his pictures has been purchased by the French government and another by the Canadian government for the National Art Gallery at Ottawa. He largely paints landscapes, yet gives some attention to figures and in all of his work there is an even balance maintained between technique, creative faculty and poetic feeling.
Mr. David Morrice is now eighty-four years of age, but still maintains deep and active interest in the church and in the benevolent and civic projects with which he is identified. Moreover, he still holds membership in the St. James Club, the Montreal Club, the Mount Royal Club, the Montreal Hunt Club and the Forest and Stream Club. Someone has said, “there is an old age which need not suggest idleness or lack of occupation; on the contrary there is an old age which grows stronger and better, mentally and morally as the years advance and gives out of the rich stores of its wisdom and experience for the benefit of others.” Such is the record of David Morrice.
One of the able advocates of Montreal and one who has filled with honor various official positions, is J. F. Dubreuil, a descendant of a distinguished family which has found mention in Abbé Tanguay’s “Dictionnaire Généalogique.” In this book L’Abbé Cyprien Tanguay mentions among the earliest ancestors of the house of Dubreuil the following. Christopher Dubreuil, born in 1696; Jean Du Breuil, born in 1655, a son of Pierre and Catherine (Gosselin) Du Breuil, married September 28, 1682, at Montreal; wife died December 22, 1685: one child; married August 6, 1686, Ste. Famille Marguerite Gaultier: seven children. Jean [181] Etienne Dubreuil was a notaire royal and a brother of the above mentioned Jean. He married twice and had a family of many sons and daughters.
J. F. Dubreuil was born at Lachine, province of Quebec, January 24, 1845, and is a son of Joseph and Hélène (Barré) Dubreuil, the former of Pointe-aux-Trembles and the latter, of Montreal. The father was for many years a notary public. J. F. Dubreuil received his education at the Jesuit College of Montreal, famed for its thorough teachers, and completed the course of instruction by graduation on February 6, 1866. He subsequently engaged as an advocate and as he was able, capable and conscientious, soon enjoyed a profitable practice, his services being demanded by a representative clientèle. He served from 1873 to 1882 as deputy clerk of the crown and peace, and from June, 1883, until June, 1889, as deputy sheriff of Montreal.
On January 26, 1869, at Sorel, Mr. Dubreuil was united in marriage to Miss Marie L. C. Beaupré and they have the following children: J. F. L., vice president of the Commercial Travelers Association; George, who is employed in the registry office at Hochelaga; Charles, of Richelieu, Ontario; and Raoul, who is with the Canadian Electric Company.
In his political faith Mr. Dubreuil is a conservative, giving his support to that organization. For many years he has made Montreal his home and has witnessed the change from a comparatively small city to that of a world’s metropolis, having participated in bringing about the transformation according to the best of his ability. He is deeply interested in the growth of the city along material, as well as intellectual, lines and as he has always lived a life of conscientious righteousness, is highly esteemed and respected in the community where he is widely known.
No worthy enterprise of Montreal sought in vain the assistance of John Rankin, and his public spirit found expression in tangible effort for the general good. At the same time he conducted important business affairs as representative of large corporate interests of his native land. He was born in Lanark, Scotland, in 1825, and had traveled far on life’s journey when death called him February 27, 1908. Coming to Canada in 1854, he carried on business first under his own name and afterward as senior partner in the firm of Rankin, Beattie & Company. He also represented J. & P. Coates, the world renowned thread manufacturers of Paisley, for many years, and was instrumental in establishing for them a large Canadian business. He was likewise financial agent for the house of Arthur & Company, of Glasgow, and in the further development of his business interests became one of the founders of the Shedden Company and of the Guarantee Company of North America. As his worth and business talent became recognized his cooperation was sought along many lines and when keen business judgment prompted his investment in any interest he was almost at once accorded voice in the management. He became a promoter of the New York Daily Graphic, the Consolidated Bank and of the Montreal & Sorel Railway, now a part of the Delaware & Hudson system. As a business man, his position was second to none and his record was one which any man might be proud to possess. He never made [182] engagements that he did not keep, nor incurred obligations that he did not meet, and his name became a recognized synonym of integrity and enterprise in commercial and industrial circles. At River David, in 1861, Mr. Rankin was married to Miss Louisa S. C. Wurtele, a daughter of Jonathan Wurtele, in his life time, Seignor of River David. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rankin: James L., a contractor of Montreal; Archibald J., who resides in Edmonton, Alberta, where he is a clerk in the government offices; John, who is a civil engineer, residing at Victoria, British Columbia; Norman S., who is connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Calgary; Allan C., a bacteriologist in the employ of the Siam government, at Bangkok; A. G. Ernest, who is a notary of Montreal; Louisa M., who is Mrs. John Fair, of Montreal; and Isobel S., at home.
None ever questioned Mr. Rankin’s interest in the city and the general welfare of its people. He stood for all those things which are a feature in civic betterment and his interest in moral progress was evidenced in his membership in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church, of which he was secretary and treasurer when the present edifice was erected. He was also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital. His high standing is further indicated in the fact that his name was on the membership roll of St. James Club. To him were accorded the “blest accompaniments of age—honor, riches, troops of friends.”
The summer home of Mrs. Rankin is “Manor House,” Pointe Seche, County Kamouraska, Quebec.
While Dr. Emmanuel Persillier Lachapelle has gained prominence and won honor in various directions, perhaps the one act which will longest stand as an enduring monument to his worth and work will be the creation of the board of health of the province of Quebec, of which he is now the president. His efforts were a potent factor in bringing about the organization of this board, the far-reaching effects of which are immeasurable. In this and other connections he has entered upon a campaign of education for the purpose of bringing to the public a knowledge of sanitary and health conditions that will forever prevent widespread contagion and check the ravages of disease even in individual cases. A man of strong character and wide knowledge of men and things, his life work has by no means reached its full fruition. In private and hospital practice he has gained eminence and his name is associated with one of the strongest and best equipped medical schools of the country.
Dr. Lachapelle was born on the 21st of December, 1845, at Sault au Récollet, Quebec, his parents being Pierre Persillier and Marie Zoe (Toupin) Lachapelle, descendants of some of the earliest settlers of New France. His father was born at Cote des Neiges, in the county of Hochelaga, in the province of Quebec. Making his home at Sault au Récollet he followed farming and was proprietor of grain mills. His parents were Pascal Persillier and Marie (Ladouceur) Lachapelle, who lived at Cote des Neiges. The maternal grandparents of Dr. Lachapelle were Charles P. and Angelique (Leduc) Toupin, of Montreal. The ancestors came to this country in the early days of the French [185] colony and were married at Laprairie, near Montreal, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river.
After acquiring a classical education in the Montreal College Dr. Lachapelle entered upon the study of medicine in the old Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery and after a brilliant course was admitted to practice in 1869. From the first years of his professional life he devoted considerable attention to the question of hygienic science. He continued his reading and research after leaving college and is still as keen and devoted a student as ever. He has long been ranked as a successful practitioner of high standing in Montreal, especially prominent in the field of hygiene.
In 1872 Dr. Lachapelle was appointed surgeon of the Sixty-fifth Regiment, Mount Royal Rifles, and retained the appointment until 1886. He was unable to accompany the regiment on active service to the northwest in 1885, owing to the demands of his professional engagements, but he personally superintended the preparation of the medical equipment which the regiment took on service and secured the services of an assistant surgeon, who went with the regiment.
Dr. Lachapelle took a very active part in the refounding of the medical legislation and in 1878 was elected a governor and the treasurer of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec, retaining an official connection with that important body almost continuously since, while for nine years he has held the position of president. At the time of the memorable small-pox epidemic in Montreal in 1885-6, when hundreds of new cases of the disease were reported daily, until the death rate claimed ten thousand victims, and when the city was practically placed in a state of quarantine in respect to the rest of the continent, Dr. Lachapelle came to the front as an outspoken and fearless advocate of the drastic measures adopted to check the disease. The contagion was spreading so rapidly throughout the country that it became necessary to take advantage of an old statute law and to create a central board of health which would apply throughout the province means for prevention and cure. Such a course had previously been adopted in Montreal. The moment the horror of the great pestilence was at an end Dr. Lachapelle proceeded to organize the forces of medical science for the conservation of the health of the people. He was chiefly instrumental in getting the provincial government to pass a law for the creation of a provincial board of health with powers coterminus with provincial bounds. Prior to that time there was only a local authority operating within restricted bounds. From that time forward the body which Dr. Lachapelle may be said to have created was to have jurisdiction over the whole province. The beneficial results of this measure were soon seen in better methods, improved sanitation and, above all, in the general vaccination of the people who had been so terribly scourged because of the lack of this preventative in 1885. For the most important and valuable work which he did in this connection Dr. Lachapelle received high encomiums from all sections of the American continent and from foreign lands as well, not the least flattering being the recognition of the French republic in 1898 which conferred upon him the Order of the Legion of Honor. With the establishment of the provincial board of health he was appointed its president, a position which he has since filled with credit to himself and great advantage to the entire province.
Moreover the name of Dr. Lachapelle has been intimately associated with the effort to improve medical legislation and to raise the standard of medical education in Quebec. On the establishment of a branch of Laval University in Montreal, decided upon in 1878, and the inauguration of the medical faculty in temporary class-rooms in the old Chateau du Ramezay, on Notre Dame Street, he was one of the most ardent instigators and supporters of the movement and contributed in a great measure to its success. At the present time he holds the positions of dean of the medical faculty at the university and of professor of hygiene; from 1876 until 1894 he was proprietor and editor of L’Union Médicale. In 1885 he had the honor of presiding as president over the convention of the American Public Health Association. He had the honor of being elected an associate member of the Société Française d’Hygiène of Paris. He has been closely and prominently associated with the Notre Dame Hospital ever since its establishment and can almost be called its founder. The splendid institution which owes its establishment partly to the clinical requirements of the then recently founded medical faculty of Laval was incorporated in 1880, Dr. Lachapelle being a member of the board of governors and holding the position of general superintendent until 1906, while to the present time he is president of the hospital.
A stanch member of the liberal party, Dr. Lachapelle has often been urged to become a candidate in nomination for political preferment but although willing to use his influence for the benefit of his party he has invariably declined to accept a nomination because of a sense of duty toward his professional interests and benevolent engagements. In 1902 he was urged by many of the most influential citizens of Montreal, both French and English, irrespective of party to accept nomination for the mayoralty. He did accept provisionally but later withdrew to avoid racial complications. When the city government was changed about three years ago it was deemed fitting that one so eminent as an authority on sanitation and hygiene and one so dignified and high-minded as a foremost citizen should be a member of the new board which was henceforth to administer the affairs of the city. The Doctor has little inclination for publicity but yielded to the appeals addressed to him and became controller of Montreal. He has made a most admirable official, the value of his service being widely recognized. It is his desire to accomplish the best possible measures of reform during his term of office, and his efforts have already been productive of great good. He was elected in 1910 for a term of four years.
Aside from his professional and public activities previously mentioned Dr. Lachapelle is also a director of the Credit Foncier Franco-Canadien and of other financial institutions and life insurance companies. He has been identified with various national and benevolent movements and in 1876 had the honor of serving as general president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society. He is also a member of the British Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, Société Médicale de Montreal, the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, the Royal Edward Institute of Montreal and the Canadian Anti-Tuberculosis League. He has been attending physician to the Hôtel-Dieu and other institutions, and served as a delegate from the Canadian government to the second Pan-American Medical Congress held in Mexico in 1896, and to other similar bodies. He has been a frequent contributor to medical literature, [187] writing largely for the Union Médicale du Canada and other periodicals. He is a councillor of the University Club and a member of the metropolitan parks commission. In religious faith he is a Roman Catholic and in political belief a liberal. He belongs to the Mount Royal, University and Montreal Jockey Clubs. By reason of notable ability he has attained to a position of prominence and power and has been termed “a second Laurier.” Were his ambitions along political lines he would undoubtedly attain distinction in that field. He prefers, however, the even broader field of professional activity wherein his scientific investigation and research combined with practical knowledge and skill have gained him eminence and made his life work of signal serviceableness to mankind.
Bernard Melancon, a notary public who has engaged in the practice of his profession for more than four years in Montreal, was born at St. Jacques l’Achigan on the 20th of August, 1881, a son of Moise and Elodie (Gaudet) Melancon, the former a zouave who participated in active military duty in 1869-70. The son attended College Ste. Marie, a Jesuit school, and Laval University of Montreal. He prepared for the notarial profession, becoming a notary on the 16th of July, 1909, after which he was associated with M. M. Loranger under the firm name of Loranger & Melancon. Subsequently he became a member of the firm of Mayrand, Loranger, Ecrement & Melancon, but now practices as a member of the firm Loranger, Seguin & Melancon, with offices at No. 99 St. James Street, Montreal. He is conducting a successful business and stands well in the profession, possessing the comprehensive knowledge so necessary to success as well as the energy and ability which must precede progress in any profession or business line.
Mr. Melancon is a nationalist in political faith and allegiance and in religious belief is a Roman Catholic. He was married at Montreal on the 18th of June, 1912, to Miss Annette Jodian, a daughter of L. O. Jodian, who died on the 17th of May, 1913. Mr. Melancon is yet a young man, but has already made progress that many an older member of the profession might well envy, and his past record gives indications of future advancement.
The earliest record of the Hurtubise family leads back to one Louis Heurtebise (the spelling having been changed later), who was born in 1667 and married on May 3, 1688, at Montreal, Jeanne Gatteau and died on January 24, 1703. The present generation of this old and distinguished French-Canadian family is represented by Gabriel Hurtubise, a civil engineer and land surveyor, who is independently established in business under the firm name of Hurtubise & Hurtubise, his brother Louis being his partner. He was born on November 3, [188] 1883, in the city of Montreal, and is a son of Edwin and Emélie (Brault) Hurtubise, both of whom have passed away. The father was prominent in insurance circles in Montreal as a member of the firm of Hurtubise & St. Cyr, representatives of the Royal Insurance Company, and died on the 30th of December, 1913, in Montreal.
Gabriel Hurtubise enjoyed advantageous educational facilities at St. Mary’s College, pursuing his more professional studies at the Polytechnic School of Laval University, from which he graduated on June 14, 1907, as civil engineer, and on June 10, 1909, as land surveyor. He has since been prominently engaged in this line in Montreal, having had charge of most important contracts. He began his career under F. C. Laberge, C. E. and Q. L. S., of Montreal. At present he is a member of the firm of Hurtubise & Hurtubise, who are doing an extensive and profitable business.
On May 30, 1911, at Montreal, Mr. Hurtubise was united in marriage to Miss Yvette Brault, a daughter of H. A. A. Brault, a well known notary of this city. In his political views Mr. Hurtubise is independent, preferring to entirely follow his judgment in support of candidates. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church. Fraternally he is a member of La Fontaine Council of the Knights of Columbus. Yet a young man, Gabriel Hurtubise has already made his mark in the world and has taken his place in business circles of Montreal. Ambition has been the beacon light of his life and his career again is proof of the fact that ambition, coupled with industry and energy, will lead to success.
George Browning Cramp was for many years a veteran member of the Montreal bar and a distinguished representative of the profession, his opinions being largely accepted as authority on questions of real-estate law, in which department of jurisprudence he specialized. He was born in England in 1833, a son of Rev. J. M. Cramp, who came to Montreal to accept a position at the Baptist College. For years he was at the head of Acadia University in Nova Scotia and was one of the prominent educators in the maritime provinces.
In the schools of England and of Nova Scotia George B. Cramp pursued his education and qualified for the bar as a student in the law office of J. J. Day, K. C., an eminent member of the bar. Thorough and careful preliminary training resulted in his being called to the bar about 1855 and he entered upon active practice in connection with his former preceptor. The latter had been called to the bar in 1837 and was one of the most distinguished lawyers of Montreal at an early day. Following his retirement, Mr. Cramp entered upon active professional association with A. F. Lunn, K. C., under the style of Lunn & Cramp, a connection that was continued until the death of Mr. Lunn in 1894. Four years later, or in 1898, Mr. Cramp was joined by J. Armitage Ewing, K. C., under the style of Cramp & Ewing, and two years later they admitted George S. McFadden, at which time the firm name was changed to Cramp, Ewing & McFadden. This relation was maintained until the death of the senior partner, who was then in his eightieth year. While well versed in the [191] various departments of the law, he specialized in the field of real estate and became an expert on legal questions relative thereto. He was regarded as an expert in the matter of titles. He was retained in a consulting capacity by such corporations as McGill University, Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company, the Montreal Loan & Mortgage Company, and the White Star Dominion Line. He remained throughout his entire professional career an active and discriminating student of law, constantly broadening his knowledge by reading and investigation, as well as experience.
Mr. Cramp held membership in the Mount Royal Club and the St. James Club and was a casual attendant of the Olivet Baptist church. For many years Mr. Cramp spent the summer season at Saratoga, New York, or at Lachine, while his city residence was at No. 62 McTavish Street, where his sister, the last survivor of the family, now resides. He passed away February 16, 1913, at the age of eighty years, leaving behind him the record of a well spent life, in which he had wisely employed his time and talents.
High on the list of mechanical and hydraulic engineers appears the name of Thomas Pringle. Scientific study, investigation and experience brought him to the enviable position which he long occupied, making his word authority upon many problems relating to the profession. He was born in Huntingdon, province of Quebec, in 1830, and died in Montreal on the 7th day of May, 1911. His father, David Pringle, was a farmer of Huntingdon and it was there that the son was reared and educated, but in 1850, when a young man of twenty years, he engaged in business in Montreal as a milling engineer and for many years was prominently connected with many water power developments and mill building operations throughout Canada. Every phase of the milling business seemed familiar to him and each forward step that he made seemed to bring him a wider outlook and broader opportunities. He later interested himself in the Montgomery Cotton Mills, the Hochelaga and St. Ann’s Mills, of the Dominion Cotton Company, and the Magog Print Mills, owned by the same corporation. His connection with all these different important projects constituted him a forceful factor in the industrial development of the country. He was thus associated with many of the chief productive industries of Canada and beyond this he became one of the foremost consulting engineers. It was in the [194] ‘60s that his attention was first attracted to the water power possibilities of the Lachine Rapids, which were subsequently utilized by the Lachine Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company. At that early date, now more than half a century ago, he made preliminary plans and wrote a report upon the feasibility of the development in the interests of Hugh Fraser, founder of the Fraser Institute. Mr. Pringle predicted then that the water power would some day be used and he lived to see the day when the prediction was fulfilled. In 1891 he was again asked to report on this power in the interest of the Royal Electric Company, and the following year was asked to report on the Chambly water power for the same concern. In 1892 his eldest son was admitted to the business under the firm style of T. Pringle & Son, hydraulic engineers, and during the succeeding three years close observations were made and much data accumulated concerning the water power resources of the country, the firm being regarded as authority upon many questions relative thereto.
Mr. Pringle retired from the firm in 1898 but the business has since been continued by his son under the same name. His services were greatly sought, owing to his sound judgment, his scientific attainments, his keen insight, and his practical experience. He was considered the soul of honor and none ever questioned his integrity. He assisted many men to gain a start in life and many others were benefited by his powers of perception and keen insight. His services were in constant demand as an arbitrator when insurance companies were concerned in milling matters. John McDougall took delight in giving him credit for the creation of the large McDougall fortune and others acknowledged their indebtedness to him in a similar way. As a natural mathematician he perhaps had no superior in all Canada and he was regarded as one of the most distinguished members of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
In 1861 Mr. Pringle was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Ross, a daughter of Alexander and Isabella (Lang) Ross, of Chateauquay Basin. The mother, who came from Scotland in 1832, made her home at Chateauquay Basin, until death called her at the notable old age of ninety-seven years. Alexander Ross was a builder and assisted in the construction of the locks at Lachine Canal but his death occurred when he was yet a young man. Mr. and Mrs. Pringle had two sons: David Alexander, a mechanical engineer of Montreal; and R. E. T. Pringle, of Toronto, an electrical engineer.
One of Montreal’s foremost business men, whose prominent identification with the financial and industrial life of this city has made him an important factor in business circles, is Andrew J. Dawes, president of the National Breweries, Ltd., and also president of Dawes & Company, Ltd. The latter is the oldest established industrial institution in the Dominion, and was founded more than a century ago by Thomas A. Dawes, the grandfather of Andrew J. Dawes, who was the first of the family to leave England and settle in Canada.
Thomas A. Dawes was first connected with the brewery at River St. Pierre. Ambitious to engage in business on his own account, he established the Dawes Brewery in 1811, placed it upon a substantial and profitable basis and was later joined in its management by his sons, Thomas A. and James P., who were admitted to a partnership in the business. When James P. Dawes passed away in 1878 his share in the business passed to his two sons, James P. Dawes, Jr., and Andrew J. Dawes, who then became associated with their uncle, Thomas A. Dawes, in continuing the business which developed steadily until it became one of the most extensive enterprises of its kind in the Dominion.
Thomas Dawes, Jr., son of Thomas Dawes, the founder of the family in Canada, was familiarly and affectionately styled Tom throughout Lachine and wherever he was known. He there resided for nearly eighty years and it was said that such was the regularity of his habits that one could tell the time of day by his actions. He always took the same train into town each morning and the same walk in the evening and visited the bank at the same hour each day. His life was to the utmost methodical and systematic, and he was modest in demeanor and of retiring disposition. He occupied a beautiful home on the river bank of Lachine with his maiden sister. There he passed away on the 14th of May, 1908, when he was in the seventy-ninth year of his age, his birth having occurred in Lachine on the 19th of September, 1829.
James P. Dawes, Sr., another son of Thomas Dawes, the founder of the family in Canada, married a Miss Leishman, who died in 1856, leaving three sons, James P., Andrew J. and Thomas A. James P. Dawes, Sr., was prominently identified with the business during his active life, and contributed his part towards its progress and expansion. He died in 1878. His son, Andrew Joseph Dawes is now at the head of the mammoth business, which had its inception in the brain of his grandfather and took on material form through his efforts, and grew and developed through the labor of representatives of the family in intermediate generations to the present.
To accumulate a fortune requires one kind of genius; to retain a fortune already acquired, to add to its legitimate increment and to make such use of it that its possessor may derive therefrom the greatest enjoyment and the public the greatest benefit, requires another kind of genius. Mr. Dawes belongs to that generation of business men called upon to shoulder responsibilities differing materially from those that rested upon their predecessors. In a broader field of enterprise they find themselves obliged to deal with affairs of greater magnitude and to solve more difficult and complicated financial and economic problems. Such is the position in which Andrew J. Dawes found himself and he has proven at all times equal to the occasion and the demands made upon him.
Born in Lachine, June 15, 1846, he received his education in that town, and also in Montreal. His business career began early in connection with the interests of his father and on the death of that parent he assumed additional responsibilities in the business, which have been continued to the present time. Mr. Dawes has been a prominent factor in the development of the business. With its gradual growth facilities were increased, new buildings were added and the plant has thus expanded until it is represented by immense blocks of buildings, covering several acres on each side of the main street in Lachine. Aside from his extensive interests in the brewery business, Andrew J. Dawes is prominently identified with various projects and organizations for the development and improvement of the province along horticultural and agricultural lines, being especially interested in the subject of fruit growing.
He is a director of the Montreal Horticultural and Fruit Growing Association; is president of the Council of Agriculture of the Province of Canada, and at one time was president of the Lachine Horticultural Association. He is a director of the Merchants Bank and holds the same official position in regard to the London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, Ltd. He is well known in social and club circles and was president of the Auto Club of Canada from 1903 to 1906, while his membership relations extend to the Mount Royal, St. James, Forest and Stream, Royal Montreal Golf, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht, Montreal Hunt, Auto and Aero, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Polo, and St. George Snow Shoe Clubs and to the Rideau Club of Ottawa.
Mr. Dawes married Miss Mary O. A. Wilgress, of Lachine, and they have two daughters: Rachel M., the wife of F. L. Bond, of Montreal; and Frances H., the wife of B. Hazen Porteous, of Montreal.
A man of unusual energy whose exceptionally well preserved physical condition enables him to display a capacity for business more becoming to one twenty years his junior, success has made possible for Mr. Dawes the enjoyment of many social pleasures and interests. Yet prominent club man, that he is, Mr. Dawes’ first interest is the extensive business of which he is the controlling head and he is everywhere recognized as a forceful, resourceful man, ready to meet any emergency and ever looking beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future.
It is a trite saying that there is always room at the top, for while the lower ranks of life are crowded, comparatively few have the ambition and the energy to climb to the heights in connection with business or professional interests. Recognizing and utilizing his opportunities and wisely employing his time and talents, T. Sterry Hunt became recognized as one of the eminent Canadian scientists, his ability winning for him the unusual honor of being made a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut, September 5, 1826, a representative of an old New England family. It was his parents’ desire that he should become a representative of the medical profession, but a strong inclination toward the study of chemistry, mineralogy and geology prevented him from becoming a physician. In 1845 he pursued his studies under Professor Benjamin Silliman of Yale University and later became his assistant. His constantly expanding powers marked him a man above the ordinary and distinguished honors came to him as the years passed. As early as 1846 the result of his original research work was published in an article which he wrote for the American Journal of Science. When the Geological Survey of Canada, then recently organized by Mr. (later Sir) William E. Logan, required the service of a competent chemist and mineralogist, Mr. Logan applied to Professor Silliman to supply the man and Mr. Hunt was recommended for the position, which he accepted early in 1847. His connection with the survey continued until 1872, when, much against the wish of the government, he resigned. His work embraced a large amount of field geology. The most difficult problems presented by the geological formation of Canada are those of its crystalline rocks. To this study Mr. Hunt addressed himself from the beginning and made the first clear exposition ever presented of the earlier rocks of the country. He afterward gave the names of Laurentian and Huronian to these rocks and in his investigations, analyses and scientific research laid the foundation of what he regarded as his life work. He also gave constant attention to the economic and practical departments of the survey and was the first to make known the deposits of phosphate of lime in Canada and call attention to its commercial value for fertilizing purposes, [197] collecting and sending specimens of the same to the foreign exhibits of 1851, 1855 and 1867. He analyzed soils, investigated the petroleums of Canada and their distribution, and his studies of the mineral waters of the Dominion were the first and most complete ever made. His work in many respects constituted the foundation, basis and stimulus of all later investigation.
During his connection with the survey work Mr. Hunt took part in the great exhibitions of 1856 and 1867, acting as judge at both, while his services in a similar connection were sought at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. His fame was world-wide as the result of his investigations and researches were made known, for he took the lead in much pioneer geological work on the North American continent.
From 1856 until 1862 Dr. Hunt was professor of chemistry at Laval University in Quebec and was continued as one of its honorary professors until his death. His annual course of instruction there comprised forty lectures in the French language and for some years he was also lecturer at McGill University. In 1872 he accepted the chair of geology in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, there remaining until 1878, when he resigned in order to concentrate his efforts upon further study and professional work. His scientific attainments have gained him recognition both on the American and European continents. Harvard University created him Master of Arts in 1852 and from Laval and McGill Universities he received the degree of Doctor of Science. In 1881 he had the unusual honor of receiving the degree of Doctor of Laws from Cambridge University of England, and in special recognition of his eminence as a geologist he was created a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1859. In 1874 he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and in 1882 he was one of those called upon by the Marquis of Lorne to aid in the organization of the New Royal Society of Canada, becoming that year chief of the section of physical and mathematical sciences. In 1884 he was elected its president. Thus year after year honors were conferred upon him—honors well merited yet worn with becoming modesty. He was one of the founders of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at Philadelphia and in 1870 was elected to its presidency. He was also an early member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and was its president in 1877, while in 1880 he became the founder and president of the American Chemical Society. Among the decorations conferred upon him was that of the Legion of Honor, bestowed by Napoleon III, and the cross of St. Mauritius and St. Lazarus from the king of Italy. He contributed much to scientific literature and was a well known lecturer on scientific subjects. He frequently went abroad for study, spending much time in that way in Great Britain, Switzerland and Italy. A chemical green ink which he invented in 1859 was the cause of giving the name of greenbacks to American currency. His explorations on the American continent had extended from the Gulf of St. Lawrence southward to the Gulf of Mexico and westward to the Pacific.
In January, 1878, Dr. Hunt was married to Miss Anna Rebecca Gale, the eldest daughter of Justice Samuel Gale of Montreal, who was judge of the court of queen’s bench for Lower Canada. His wife was Mary M. Hawley, who was born in Montreal and was educated in this city and abroad. One of their daughters became the Baroness von Friesen, of Dresden. After the death of the [198] father in 1865, Mrs. Hunt traveled extensively in Europe in company with her two sisters. She is the author of one or two volumes of poems of considerable merit, so that her name, like her husband’s, is known in literary circles. Dr. Hunt passed away in February, 1892. His contribution to the world’s work was a valuable one. His investigation, research and native intelligence constituted the key which unlocked for us many of the portals beyond which lay nature’s mysteries. The earth and its construction were largely to him an open book and he made it a readable volume for others, placing his investigations before mankind in a way that has constituted the foundation for further research.
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick William Hibbard has been frequently before the public as a speaker and writer upon topics of public interest. Although never a candidate he was for years a participant in both federal and provincial politics and has appeared on numerous public occasions both in the province of Quebec and in that of Ontario. He is the senior member of the firm of Hibbard, Boyer & Gosselin, and a successful member of the Montreal bar. Ireland claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Dublin on the 19th of October, 1865. His father was the late Lieutenant Colonel Ashley Hibbard, of Montreal, and his mother was Sarah Ann Hibbard, the second daughter of the Rev. Ambrose Lane, M. A., perpetual curate of St. Thomas, Pendleton, Manchester, England.
After spending some years under private instruction, Lieutenant Colonel F. W. Hibbard entered McGill University, where he took his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886. After a couple of years spent in teaching he returned to the university for the study of law, graduating as B. C. L. in 1891. In addition to the degree of B. C. L. received in that year he was also gold medallist. In 1892 he received the degree of M. A. He began practice as a barrister in 1893 and was created king’s counsel in 1907. His advancement at the bar has been continuous and long since he left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few. From 1907 until 1910 he was crown prosecutor for the district of Montreal, and his clientele of a private character has been extensive and important. In literary circles he is known and has given papers and addresses upon a number of subjects. In 1903 he was president of the St. James Literary Society of Montreal. His popularity as a lecturer is based both upon the entertaining and the instructive nature of his discourses. He has addressed various audiences upon the following comprehensive subjects:—Canadian Constitutional Government, The Land Defence of Canada, The Value of Organized Effort in Municipal Affairs, The Prophecy of the West, and Canadians at Home and Abroad. He is not merely a theorist, for his ideas have many times taken practical, tangible form, and in 1910 his fitness for the position led to his appointment to the presidency of the Quebec public utilities commission. In military circles his name is known, for he holds a first class certificate from the Royal School of Artillery, and in 1894 joined the Second Regiment Canadian Artillery as a lieutenant. He was advanced to the rank of captain in 1895, major in 1897, lieutenant colonel in command in 1901 and R. O. in 1906. He was one of the artillery officers of [199] the Second Canadian Contingent at Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, received the Diamond Jubilee medal from the hand of King Edward, and was presented to the late Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. In 1900 he was elected to the presidency of the Montreal Military Institute and in 1905 became vice president of the Dominion Artillery Association.
Lieutenant Colonel Hibbard was married in November, 1898, to Miss Emily Laura Baker, the third daughter of Joseph S. Baker, of Dunham, P. Q. He finds recreation in golf and has been president of the Outremont Golf Club. He is a member of the St. James and University Clubs and the Quebec Garrison Club. A liberal in politics, he has been active in support of the principles of his party, recognizing the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship. In religious belief is an Anglican, having twice served as warden of his church, is a member of the synod of Montreal and of the executive committee of the diocese. Mr. D. A. Lafortune, his colleague as crown prosecutor, has characterized him as “a man of dignity and learning.” His lifelong habit of study and investigation, his deep and continuous interest in important public questions, and his earnest purpose, prompting him to action in behalf of the public welfare, have made him a citizen of value in advancing progress and working toward that better ordering of things which is always the goal of progress.
Among the better known advocates of Montreal is J. Adélard Ouimet, who is a member of the firm of Ouimet & Guertin. He is one of the most successful men in his line, and by his career carries forward the tradition of the family which to a large extent has been connected with the legal fraternity. The grandfather, Michel Ouimet, was justice of the peace of St. Rose, in the county of Laval, and also took an active part in the insurrection of 1837. The father of J. Adélard Ouimet was Landré Ouimet, and his wife was in her maidenhood Miss Euphémie Bourqué. A brother of our subject, also named Landré Ouimet, was for ten years an alderman for St. Jean Baptiste ward and an uncle on the paternal side was judge of the court of appeals and president of the City and District Savings Bank.
J. Adélard Ouimet was born at Ste. Scholastique, in the county of Two Mountains, on the 7th of March, 1868. He pursued his classical studies in the Seminary of Ste. Thérèse and at the University of Ottawa and his law course at Laval University, being admitted to the bar in 1895. He then became a partner of the well known legal firm of Ouimet, Emard, Maurault & Ouimet, but after the appointment of the Hon. J. A. Ouimet, his uncle, to the judgeship of the court of appeals he entered into partnership with A. Délisle, Q. C., then a member of parliament for Portneuf county, but two years later decided to engage in practice independently. In May, 1913, he formed a partnership with C. A. Guertin, Q. C., under the firm name of Ouimet & Guertin. He possesses every quality of which a lawyer may be proud—skill in the presentation of his evidence, marked ability in cross-examination, persuasiveness before the jury, a strong grasp of every feature of the case, the ability to secure a favorable ruling [200] from the judge, unusual familiarity with human nature and the springs of human conduct and, last but not least, untiring energy. He has often occasion to demonstrate his ability and has handled many important cases since his admission to the bar, his clientele being of the most representative character. He is dignified and impressive, deliberate in manner, his speeches always commanding attention. Entirely free from ostentation and display, he largely relies upon the simple weight of his character and is ever prepared to meet any attack of the opposing counsel, as his mind works with a rapidity which often excites the wonder and admiration of his colleagues.
On the 3d of September, 1901, Mr. Ouimet was united in marriage in Montreal to Miss Dersina Vaillancourt, a daughter of Benjamin Vaillancourt, a well known grain merchant of Montreal, and they have one son, George Etienne. As is but natural, Mr. Ouimet has taken a conspicuous part in the public life of his city and province, having participated in all elections since 1890, not only in the province of Quebec but also in Ontario. He is a conservative in his political affiliations and stanchly upholds the principles of his party. He was the founder and first president of Le Club Morin, holding the executive office during 1893 and 1894. From 1894 to 1896 he was also president of Le Club des Jeunes Conservateurs and is an active member of Le Club Cartier, of which he served as treasurer from 1910 to 1912. He is also a military man. After having been in the Sixty-fifth Regiment for ten years, he then joined the Eighty-fifth Regiment, becoming captain in 1900. He will be major of that regiment in 1914. Fraternally he is chief ranger of the Catholic Order of Foresters and is a member of the Royal Guardians and of the Catholic Foresters Club. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church, to the work of which he gives his moral and material support. At the Ottawa University he was the founder of La Société des Débats Canadien Français in 1889 and served as its first president. In 1908 he was also elected president of L’Association St. Jean Baptiste of St. Jean Baptiste parish. Mr. Ouimet is a successful lawyer in the truest sense of the word, a man unusually broad-minded and intelligent, tolerant and of wide experience, never mercenary or grasping, believing in something greater than mere material wealth, who in the course of a distinguished career, spent simply and unostentatiously, has been a factor for good along various lines. His public-spirited citizenship has been a boon to Montreal, who proudly claims him as one of her citizens, and Mr. Ouimet returns the honor which the city’s people entertain for him by a loyalty which could not be more devoted.
Charles Francis Smith, for half a century a leading figure in the business and social life of Montreal, was born in Aylesford, Hampshire, England, in 1841. He had reached the psalmist’s allotted span of three score years and ten when death called him in Montreal on the 30th of September, 1911. His position was one which gained for him not only the respect but also the admiration and love of his associates. Important and extensive as were his business enterprises, they constituted [203] but one phase of an existence that was largely devoted to charitable works and civic affairs and he was no less esteemed for his generosity and unfailing kindness than he was admired for his business acumen. His residence in Canada covered a period of forty-eight years. He came to this country as a member of the standing army. The shed in which he and his fellow soldiers slept the first night after landing at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, is still standing near the beautiful summer home which he afterward built for himself there. His entrance into commercial circles in Montreal was made as proprietor of a shoe store on St. Mary Street. He afterward entered into partnership with the late James McCready and upon the latter’s death became sole proprietor of the business and so remained for almost one-third of a century; yet in order to give his employes the opportunity of sharing in the profits of the business he formed a limited company nine years prior to his demise. In April, 1911, the business was sold to D. Lorne McGibbon, although Mr. Smith retained an interest in the new company,—the Ames, Holden, McCready, Limited,—of which he became a director.
Public affairs as well as private interests profited by the efforts, the sound judgment and keen discrimination of Mr. Smith. He was at one time alderman of Montreal; was a member of the finance committee and was again and again urged to become a candidate for the mayoralty. Native modesty, however, caused him to remain in private life even when it was almost a certainty that he would be elected to any office to which he might aspire. He was the only English member of the French Commercial School which was established by the Gouin government, and he belonged to the Board of Trade for five or six years, being first a member of the council and rising through the offices of treasurer and vice president to that of president, being elected by acclamation. He was also a vice president of the Dominion Express Company; managing director of the Laurentide Pulp Company; a director of the Merchants Bank; a director of the Montreal Trust Company; a director of the Dominion Textile Company; was at one time the president of the Western Hospital, and had been for years one of the governors of both the Notre Dame and General Hospitals, and vice president of the Royal Alexandra. He was a well known figure in the city’s fashionable clubs, belonging to the Mount Royal and St. James Clubs, the Royal Montreal Golf Club, the Forest and Stream Club and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. He was also a charter member of Canada Council of the Knights of Columbus; a prominent parishioner of St. Patrick’s church, as well as warden of the same; a director of St. Patrick’s Orphan Asylum, and president of the Catholic Sailors’ Club. He was also a well known member of St. George’s Society.
His kindness of heart was invariable, he was especially devoted to his home and shunned ostentation. At St. Andrews where he spent every summer, one of his greatest pleasures consisted in the companionship of those friends of his who lived near him, of whom Sir Thomas Shaughnessy was among the number. Taking a great interest in matters pertaining to education, he was one of the founders of the Catholic high school, and a member of the administration of Laval University, and though, well known in life as a conservative in politics, he was appointed by Hon. Lomer Gouin as governor of L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales. Besides being a practical manufacturer, Mr. Smith gave special attention to tariff matters, and his contributions to the campaign against unrestricted [204] reciprocity in 1891, when Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Mr. Erastus Wiman and their friends endeavored to establish free trade between Canada and the United States, did more than a little to secure the protectionist victory of that year.
For years Mr. Smith did not actively participate in civic affairs, but in 1890, when a reform wave was sweeping over the commercial metropolis he was asked to come forward as a candidate in one of the civic divisions. He hesitated for some time, but finally consented to contest the west ward if his warm personal friend, the late Mr. Frank Hart, would also seek a seat in the city council. At that time the late Colonel Stevenson was a landmark in civic politics as well as in military and social circles, and so well was the colonel known that there were many who considered that with him as an opponent Mr. Smith had hardly a fighting chance. It was contended that a Roman Catholic could not be elected in such a pronounced Protestant district as the west ward, but the success achieved by Mr. Smith in that contest proved that the reform candidate’s reputation was too well established to leave him a victim of the religious cry. He served in the council during 1890 and 1891, on the finance committee, and though assured that he could have a second election by acclamation, he declined both the aldermanic and mayoralty honors that were offered him.
In a quiet and unostentatious manner he was a generous contributor to deserving charities, irrespective of nationality or creed. He was one of the most prominent English-speaking Catholics in Montreal. As a personal friend of Archbishop Bruchesi, Mr. Smith was frequently consulted in the church’s temporal affairs.
Mr. Smith twice married: His first wife was Miss Mary A. McGlynn and his second wife who survives him, was Miss Margaret M. McNally, daughter of the late Bernard McNally. Two sons were the issue of the first marriage, Clarence F. Smith, vice president and general manager of the Ames, Holden, McCready, Limited, and Frederick H. Smith, who lived in the West Indies, until his death in April, 1912. To the second marriage the following children were born: Rose M.; Charles F., who died on August 20, 1911; Marguerite M.; Francis C.; May G.; and Geraldine M.
The Montreal Herald said of Mr. Smith: “There was no better citizen of Montreal than the late Charles F. Smith. He had made his way in the world by dint of rare power of business organization. In addition he was a man who made friends and held them. He had no taste for public life himself, but he had a deep interest in public affairs and in the men who in public life supported his views. It was so in the affairs of the Board of Trade and resulted in his becoming president of that body. It was so in civic affairs and resulted in his being much against his inclination, elected to the council. It was so in Dominion politics, and if he has passed away before his party friends had the opportunity of showing their appreciation, it is certain that the fighting ranks of the conservative party had few more prudent or more generous counsellors.
“Mr. Smith went to the city council with Mr. Laporte, Mr. Ames and the late Mr. Hart at a time when the city had just been aroused to the need of wholesale reforms. He played a part of much importance, for with two or three other trained business men he sat in at the centre of things, on the old finance committee and supervised a general cleaning up of the city hall. It was the good work of those days that made possible the larger reforms of later years.”
The Montreal Gazette said editorially of him: “By the death of Mr. Charles F. Smith another able and successful man has been taken from Montreal’s commercial life. Mr. Smith through years of painstaking energy built up a successful business, from which the city benefited as well as himself.
“In the process he won the respect of all with whom he became associated. Commercial organizations valued his advice. The Board of Trade counted him as a wise counsellor. When the city’s affairs were in need of improvement he served in the council and with his associates did useful work in its behalf. He could have had other public offices had he desired, but his preference was for private life. He has passed away at a ripe age, held in regard alike for the qualities of his mind and of his heart, and leaving a memory that will encourage others to follow his footsteps.”
Since 1908 Gerald O. R. Eliott has occupied the position of assistant marine superintendent of the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company’s Atlantic steamship lines. He was born March 28, 1874, in Dalhousie, India, and is a son of George Augustus and Helen (Jardine) Eliott.
Gerald Eliott received his education at Taplow grammar school, the Maidenhead high school and then served as a cadet on H. M. S. School Ship Conway. Naval life having a particular attraction for him, he entered the mercantile marine and served for some time in sailing vessels of the White Star line. He was an officer in connection with various steamship lines and was doing service on boats which carried British troops during the South African war. In 1901 he joined the Canadian Pacific steamship lines and served as an officer on various ships until he was appointed to his present important position of assistant superintendent in 1908.
Mr. Eliott’s naval career includes the following appointments: midshipman, R. N. R., 1890; appointed acting lieutenant in H. M. S. Jupiter in 1900, having gone through the gunnery and torpedo course; received naval reserve decoration for fifteen years’ service in commissioned rank; retired in 1912 as commander.
In 1908, in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Eliott married Miss Edith Aspden, a daughter of Thomas Aspden, of Lancashire, and later of Chicago, Illinois, and Toronto. Mr. Eliott is a member of the Church of England and upholds conservative principles at the polls. His club is that of the Commercial Travelers of Montreal.
Aurelien Boyer, a man of recognized professional ability and prominence, who since 1899 has been an associate member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, was born in Montreal and pursued his education in schools of the city. He was graduated with honors as civil engineer and metallurgist from Ecole Polytechnique, a department of Laval University, with the class of 1896 [206] and at once entered upon the active work of his chosen profession. He was in charge of the survey and location of the Yukon telegraph line and resigned from the department of public works of Canada after his appointment as superintendent of government telegraphs and cables for Quebec and the maritime provinces. In 1905 he was chemical engineer and local manager of the A. D. Gall Petroleum & Chemical Company, having charge of their wood distillation plant at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and in 1909 became vice president and chief engineer of the Duckworth Boyer Engineering & Inspection Company, Ltd., which was later consolidated with the Canadian Inspection Company, Ltd., under the name of the Canadian Inspection & Testing Laboratories, Ltd. Of the latter company he is now vice president and treasurer. Scientific knowledge, acquired skill and ability have brought him to a place in the front rank of those who are engaged in similar enterprises in the province.
In June, 1903, Mr. Boyer married Madame Elmira Corinne Dufresne, of Three Rivers, Quebec. He belongs to the Engineers Club and the Winchester Club. He is now a member of the board of administration of L’Ecole Polytechnique and a director of Association des Anciens Elèves de L’Ecole Polytechnique.
Lieutenant Colonel James George Ross, president of the Ross Realty Company, Ltd., and favorably known in Montreal as a prominent figure in financial circles, was born in this city, October 18, 1861, a son of the late Phillip Simpson and Christina Chalmers (Dansken) Ross, both of whom were natives of Scotland. His early education was acquired in private schools, with later attendance at the high school of Montreal and subsequent attendance at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, from which he was graduated with the class of 1881.
Mr. Ross went to the northwest upon an extended trip with a view to settling there, but returned to Montreal and associated himself with his father, who was a representative of the profession of chartered accountant. Shortly afterward he was admitted to partnership with his brother, the business being carried on under the firm style of P. S. Ross & Sons, and on the death of his father he became the head of the firm. He is a chartered accountant and a member of the Association of Accountants and is a fellow of the Dominion Association of Chartered Accountants. Aside from his business in that connection he is president of the Ross Realty Company, Ltd., and as such figures prominently in real-estate circles, negotiating and managing many important property transfers.
Mr. Ross has always evinced a great interest in military matters. In 1879 he joined the Ontario Field Battery, retiring in the year 1883. In 1884 he held a commission as officer in the Victoria Rifles, retiring in 1891 with the rank of captain. In 1898 he joined the Fifth Royal Highlanders and in 1899 was gazetted captain while in August, 1906, he was promoted to the rank of major and in May, 1909, was made lieutenant colonel. In 1907 he received the Long Service medal for officers having served for twenty years. He is in active connection with the Montreal Board of Trade and is a director of the Crown Trust [209] Company. His interest and support extend to charitable and benevolent projects and he is a life governor of the Montreal Western Hospital. Fraternally he is a Scottish Rite Mason, while in club circles he is widely and favorably known, his membership being in the St. James Club, Canada Club, Beaconsfield Golf Club, Canadian Club, Montreal Curling Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, Westmount Athletic Club and the Junior Army and Navy Club of London, England. In his younger days he was very active in athletic sports, especially in running, and he handled the snowshoe with expert skill. In 1887 it was claimed that he was “the best man in Canada who ever strapped on a racing shoe.” In the winter of 1888 he accompanied Lieutenant Schwatka in the explorer’s trip through the Yellowstone Park and was the only man who came out in as good shape as he went in.
In March, 1891, Mr. Ross married Miss Alice Margaret Monk, daughter of the late John Monk, an advocate of Montreal, and they have two daughters, Marjorie and Evelyn.
One of the best known merchants of the past generation in Montreal, and a man whose well ordered life and high business principles commanded the respect of all who knew him, was born in 1804, in Yorkshire, England, and came to Canada with his parents in 1817, the family home being established in the south part of the province of Quebec near the Vermont line.
Thomas Mussen early entered business life in Montreal, becoming a clerk with the firm of William Smith & Company with whom he remained for about ten years. He was careful with his earnings and in 1827, he had saved sufficient capital to enable him to purchase a small stock of dry goods, opening a store on St. Paul Street, near Jacques Cartier Square, then the heart of the retail district.
The business prospered from the first and when larger quarters were demanded he removed to Notre Dame Street, at the corner of St. Gabriel, being the first merchant to locate on Notre Dame Street, and afterwards located at the corner of St. Lawrence boulevard and Notre Dame Street, where he continued until 1865. In that year the store was removed to Craig Street, near St. Lawrence boulevard, where he continued until his new building was erected at the corner of St. Lambert and Notre Dame. There the business was successfully continued by him until his death April 5, 1892. Each removal had indicated a demand for larger quarters. The business was marked by continuous growth and development under the strong guiding hand of Mr. Mussen, who came to be ranked with the leading merchants of the city. His store was one of the leading commercial establishments of the province. After the death of Mr. Mussen, the business was carried on by his sons, William W. and Henry S., until 1900 when it was discontinued, the brothers retiring from active business. William W. Mussen died in 1904 and Henry S. Mussen passed away in 1912.
Harold Beaufort Mussen, son of William W., and a well known insurance and real-estate broker of Montreal, after acquiring his education in the schools of his native city, entered the employ of the Canada Atlantic Railway, where his [210] developing powers and ability won him promotion until he became general agent. He continued with them until October, 1904, when after a service of twelve years he withdrew to engage in business on his own account.
In the death of Peter Lyall Montreal lost a citizen who left the impress of his individuality for good upon the community in which he lived. He was a man of fine personal appearance, and his splendid physique was an indication of the strength of his mental and moral nature. For many years he was connected with business interests as a prominent contractor, being the head of the Peter Lyall & Sons Construction Company, Ltd. While in his seventieth year at the time of his death, he had always remained in active connection with his business until a few days prior to his demise.
Scotland numbered Mr. Lyall among her native sons, his birth having occurred at Castletown, Caithness, Scotland, where he gained a practical knowledge of the contracting business before crossing the Atlantic in 1870. When he sought a home in the new world Montreal was his destination and he made his initial step in circles here in the employ of his cousin, the later Peter Nicholson. Six years were sufficient to bring him a wide acquaintance that he believed justified him in embarking in business on his own account. He was joined by his two sons, William and Traill O. in 1892, who are still connected with the business that was established in Montreal in 1876. The third son, Peter D. Lyall, is head of a large contracting firm in Winnipeg. From the time that he started out independently Peter Lyall was successful and his name figured prominently in connection with building operations in Montreal and this part of Canada. He kept in close touch with all phases of the business and with all progressive steps therein. Many of the business structures of Montreal still stand as monuments to his ability, his energy and his notable ambition. He carried out the erection of the Quebec Bank Building, the Royal Victoria Hospital, Macdonald Engineering buildings at McGill, the Sun Life building, the Canada Life, the Grand Trunk general offices, the Coristine building, the new Board of Trade, the Stock Exchange, the Guardian Life, the Dominion Express and Transportation buildings, and hundreds of others. Some of the finest residences of the city also stand as monuments to his handiwork, notably among which are the homes of the late Sir Edward S. Clouston and George L. Cains. From the time that he started out in business his rise was continuous. It was soon evident that he understood the building business, both from a scientific and practical standpoint, that his reliability made him worthy of a liberal patronage, and that his energy and indomitable spirit made possible the prompt and faithful execution of his contracts. Success came to him soon and was well merited, so that he gained place among the prosperous residents of the city. His ability in management, his power of carefully formulating plans and then executing them with determination was seen in his cooperation in the organization of a number of companies which have constituted leading factors in industrial, commercial and financial circles. He was one of the promoters of the Lachine Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company, [211] formed in 1896, and of the Midway Land Company in the same year. He was one of the organizers of the Laprairie Brick Company in 1904.
Mr. Lyall was united in marriage to Miss Christina Oman, who, like her husband, was a native of Castletown, Caithness, Scotland. They became the parents of three sons, William and Traill O., of Montreal, Peter D., of Winnipeg and a daughter, now Mrs. D. W. Lockerby, of Montreal. Mr. Lyall possessed a social nature that found expression in his membership in the Canada, Reform, Canadian, Country and Engineers Clubs. His kindly disposition made him a favorite in all circles, and among no class of people was he more appreciated than by his own employes. He was deeply interested in all that pertained to affairs of government and to municipal progress. For many years he was a prominent member of the liberal party, earnestly striving to promote its success, and in 1904 he unsuccessfully contested the St. Antoine district for the Dominion parliament. At one time he was president of the Montreal Reform Club and at all times took a firm stand in opposition to misrule in public affairs and in support of all that he believed would uphold the honored tenets of government and promote the best interests of the people in general. For two years he was a member of the Montreal city council and brought his splendid business acumen to bear on civic problems, proving himself one of the strongest men at the council table. He was afterward eagerly besought to again become a member of the council but declined. He took a deep and helpful interest in the Citizens Association, being in hearty sympathy with its purpose, and at the time of his demise was one of its vice presidents. Above and beyond all this Mr. Lyall was known as a man of most generous and benevolent spirit, ever seeking to promote the welfare and happiness of his fellowmen. He could not listen unmoved to a tale of sorrow or distress, and to the extent of his ability he extended a helping hand to the needy. He gave not only freely of his money but also a large portion of his time to good works. He was president of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane at Verdun, and his efforts were a potent force in making it one of the excellent institutions of its character in the country. The Western Hospital found him equally helpful and generous. Thus he made his presence felt beneficially in commercial, political and philanthropic circles. To know him was to esteem and honor him by reason of what he accomplished and the methods he pursued. The most envious could not grudge him his success, so honorably was it won and so worthily used.
In insurance circles in Montreal and among business men in general the name of Alfred B. Dufresne is well known because of his activity in the field to which he directs his efforts. He was born April 13, 1874, at Joliette, Canada, a son of J. Alfred and Honorine (Delfausse) Dufresne, who now reside in Montreal. He was educated in Plateau Academy and at the age of eighteen years began work as a clerk in the office of the Alliance Assurance Company in Montreal. During the twelve years he served the company he won promotion from time to time until he became chief clerk, his capability and fidelity thus winning [212] him recognition and gaining for him substantial advancement. In 1903 he was appointed inspector for the Mount Royal Assurance Company and so continued until 1907, when he was appointed chief specific rating inspector of the Canadian Fire Underwriters Association. In 1908 he was appointed manager of the Montreal-Canada Fire Insurance Company, filling the position for two years, or until 1910, when he took up general agency work, now representing the Northwestern National Insurance Company, the Montreal-Canada Fire Insurance Company, the Anglo-American Fire Insurance Company, the Protection Fire Insurance Company and the Rimouski Fire Insurance Company, with offices in the Duluth building.
On the 12th of October, 1909, Mr. Dufresne was married to Miss Gabrielle Mathieu, and to them have been born two daughters, Jacqueline and Françoise. The family reside at No. 171 Esplanade Avenue, and Mr. Dufresne is a member of the St. Denis Club. Much of his life has been passed in the city where he now resides, and his admirable traits of character, as well as his business ability, have gained him firm hold on the regard and good-will of all with whom he has been associated.
The name of Charles Albert Duclos figures in professional circles in Montreal as that of a lawyer whose ability has won for him a large clientage. He is a man of scholarly attainments, which, added to his knowledge of the law, has gained him prestige among the successful advocates of the city. A native of Joliette, P. Q., he was born on the 3d of August, 1861, his parents being the Rev. R. P. and Sophie A. Jeaureneaud Duclos. The father was a French-Canadian, while the mother was born in Switzerland. The Rev. R. P. Duclos has devoted his life to the work of the ministry as a representative of the Presbyterian church. Realizing the value of education as a factor for success in any chosen field of labor, the father provided his son with good opportunities in that direction and, after attending the Montreal high school, Charles A. Duclos entered McGill University, in which he pursued the arts course, winning the B. A. degree in 1881, and then entered upon the study of law, winning the B. C. L. degree, with the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal in 1884. His high standing in scholarship constituted the basis upon which his friends builded their belief in his successful future, and the faith which they manifested has found justification in his professional career. Following his graduation he at once entered upon active practice in Montreal, where he has remained continuously since. Aside from his practice he is the vice president of the Ross Realty Company, which was organized in 1906, and in that connection he has displayed sound business judgment and enterprise.
In June, 1889, Mr. Duclos was united in marriage to Isabella Spence, a daughter of G. M. Holbrook, of Ottawa, and they reside at No. 488 Elm Avenue, Westmount. Mr. Duclos’ fellow citizens of Westmount called him to the office of mayor, in which he served in 1905-6, giving to the city a businesslike and progressive administration. He is a conservative in politics, and he stands for [215] all that means progress along material, intellectual, political and moral lines. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. His social connections are with St. James, Canada, Royal Montreal Golf, St. George Snowshoe Clubs, of Montreal; and the Rideau Club, of Ottawa. Appreciative of the social amenities of life and readily recognizing and appreciating these qualities in others, he has gained many friends in these organizations. However, he regards the practice of law as his real life work and bends his energies, in major part, toward his professional duties. He was created king’s counsel in 1903, and the years of his active practice now cover nearly three decades—years in which he has made continuous advancement as the result of constantly developing power in the line of his chosen profession.
Rev. Canon John Macpherson Almond, rector of Trinity church, Montreal, is a man whose practical piety has been demonstrated in many ways, as a traveling missionary, on the field of battle, in the pulpit and in quiet work among his people. His name stands as a synonym for sincerity of purpose, upright living and breadth of mind, and his accomplishments have already been important enough to form a notable part of the history of the Anglican church in Canada. Canon Almond was born in Shigawake, Quebec province, July 27, 1872, and is a son of James and Mary Ann (Macpherson) Almond. He studied in the University of Bishop’s College at Lennoxville, from which he was graduated B. A. in 1894 and M. A. in 1901. He was ordained deacon in the Anglican church in 1896 and priest in the following year, being stationed first as a missionary in Labrador and becoming afterward traveling missionary for the Quebec diocese. In October, 1899, he was commissioned chaplain to the Royal Canadian Regiment and accompanied it to South Africa, where he was chaplain to the Nineteenth Brigade, composed of the Gordons, Cornwalls, Shropshires and Canadians. His conduct during the campaign received high praise, more particularly in connection with his attendance on the enteric fever patients at Bloemfontein, and he was given a medal for courageous and untiring work in all conditions of danger both from the enemy and from disease and discomfort.
Returning to Canada in December, 1900, Canon Almond was made assistant curate at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Quebec, and as such remained one year, after which he was appointed rector at Grand Mere. In 1904 he was transferred to Montreal, where he has since filled the position of rector of Trinity church, winning the love, respect and confidence of his parishioners and the high regard of all who have an opportunity of knowing his honorable and upright life. Canon Almond is a preacher of great power and forcefulness and has won a wide reputation as a speaker, delivering among others the oration at the decoration of the soldiers’ graves in Montreal on Victoria Day, 1905. He was elected president of the South African Veterans Association of Montreal in 1908 and of the Last Post Association two years later. Since March, 1911, he has held the office of chaplain, with the honorary rank of captain, in the Sixth Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars. In 1912 he was appointed chaplain of the Montreal [216] jails. Archdeacon Ker has called him “a splendid preacher,” and the Toronto Globe speaks of him as “a man of zeal, practical piety and unselfishness, with a knack for executive work”—tributes which he has won by most able and untiring work in many fields. Canon Almond was married in October, 1901, to Nellie Estelle, daughter of H. G. Beemer of Quebec.
William Langley Bond, one of the well known advocates of Montreal, belongs to an old Canadian family, his parents being Lieutenant Colonel Frank and Mary (Scott) Bond. Colonel Bond is a well known financial agent and stockbroker of Montreal and is the eldest son of the late Archbishop Bond, Primate of All Canada, and Eliza (Langley) Bond. The father has been connected with banking and financial interests for many years and has also been prominent in military life.
William L. Bond was born in Montreal, January 20, 1873. He attended the high school in Montreal and then entered McGill University, from which he received the degree of B. A. in 1894 and of B. C. L. in 1897. In 1898 he became an advocate and shortly thereafter a member of the legal firm of Atwater, Duclos, Bond & Meagher, of Montreal. Among the famous cases which he argued was the Cantin case, which was tried before Jl. Comte, P. C., England. In November, 1911, he was appointed a K. C.
For a number of years Mr. Bond was captain and adjutant of the Prince of Wales Fusiliers. He is also honorary treasurer of the Province of Quebec Rifle Association. In his religious faith he is an Anglican and was elected lay secretary of the Montreal Synod in 1907 and also church advocate. In 1910 he was made a governor of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College. Mr. Bond is prominent in club life, being a member of the committee of St. James, and a member of the Reform, the Arts, and the Winter Clubs. He is a great friend of outdoor sports and the lines along which he seeks recreation are indicated by his membership in the Royal Montreal Golf Club, the Montreal Curling Club and the Forest and Stream. He also belongs to the Montreal Military Institute and is an honorary member of the Polo and Country Club.
Robert Anderson Becket, did much to promote musical talent, directly assisting many young musicians, and thus his loss was distinctly felt in musical circles, when death called him on the 6th of May, 1910. He had passed the seventy-fifth milestone on life’s journey, his birth having occurred in Scotland, December 30, 1834. His father, James Becket, came to Canada with his family in 1841 and was connected with the customs department at Montreal, where Robert A. pursued his education in private schools. He was a young man in his twenty-fourth [217] year, when on January 11, 1858, he wedded Anne Wilson, born in Bellemeana, Ireland, a daughter of Samuel Wilson.
Robert A. Becket had made his initial step in business as bookkeeper for his uncle, J. C. Becket, on St. James Street in Montreal, but in the year of his marriage, removed to Belleville, Ontario, where he embarked in business on his own account conducting a music and stationery store, for about eight years, or until 1866, when he returned to this city and became manager for the D. Morris Ice Company. Some time passed and he became owner of this enterprise, in which connection he built up a large and profitable business. He organized a joint stock company called the City Ice Company, Limited, and devoted all of his time to the conduct of his business, carefully directing its interests. He was a progressive man and was especially active along musical lines, doing much to help young musicians. He was also a prominent figure in quartet and choir work and there was perhaps, no one who did more to stimulate among the young, a love for music of the higher class, than Mr. Becket.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Becket were born twelve children, of whom five are living: Christina A.; Dr. George C., of East Orange, New Jersey; Ralph A., of Montreal; Fred M., of Niagara Falls, New York; and Frank W., of New York. The family attend the Erskine church, of which Mr. Becket was a prominent member and elder, his religious faith constituting the root from which sprang his many good deeds, wrought along lines of continuous benefit to his fellowmen.
Harold Earle Walker, practicing at the bar of Montreal as a member of the law firm of Chauvin, Baker & Walker, was born in Westmount, Quebec, in 1882. His father, James Robert Walker, a native of the city of Quebec, became senior partner of the well known firm of J. R. Walker & Company of Montreal and is not only well known in business circles but also through his active connection with public affairs. At one time he was mayor of Westmount and has taken an active part in furthering matters of civic virtue and civic pride. He married Agnes Cooper Earle.
After attending the Abingdon school, Mr. Walker became a student in McGill University, completing the arts course in 1904 and the law course with the class of 1907. His standing is indicated by the fact that he won the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal and the Macdonald scholarship. Following his graduation with the class of 1907, which was indicative of the completion of the thorough course of law prescribed by McGill, he was admitted to the bar and after a year spent in France returned to Montreal to enter upon the active practice of his profession, which he now follows as a member of the law firm of Chauvin, Baker & Walker. An extensive practice is fast adding to his experience and developing the powers with which nature endowed him.
In Montreal, in 1911, Mr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss Hazel A. Hart, a daughter of R. A. Baldwin Hart. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, and something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that he is a member of the Beaconsfield Golf Club. He is a typical young [218] professional man of the age, alert, energetic, watchful of opportunities. His friends anticipate for him future success, and the record he has already made shows that he has taken a far step in advance since entering upon the active practice of law.
The history of a country is no longer an account of wars and conquests, but is a record of notable business activity, of intellectual, aesthetic and moral progress and political management and control. While never active in the field of politics, Joseph Bowles Learmont was not only highly successful where his tastes led, but was as well one of the foremost merchants of the city, and well known in the business community of Montreal. He cooperated in various interests having broad humanitarianism as their basic principle, and he was a connoisseur on rare books and engravings. His interests were wide and varied and brought him into close connection with many of the leading citizens of the Dominion.
Mr. Learmont was a native of Montreal. From the beginning of his business career success attended him so that he at length was numbered among the city’s most substantial business men. In all his career there was no esoteric phase, his advancement having been through constructive and progressive methods. Studying the demands of the times and the conditions of trade he was no small factor in the growth and development of the extensive wholesale hardware business of Caverhill, Learmont & Company, of which Mr. Learmont was the senior member. This well known house succeeded Crathern & Caverhill (which was established in 1854) and occupies a foremost position in its line, with a reputation for commercial integrity second to none.
Successful business man that he was, commerce constituted but one feature in the life of Mr. Learmont. He was of decided literary tastes and was frequently heard on literary and historical subjects. He was, moreover, the author of a most interesting paper on folk lore, in which extended mention is made of the folk lore of Canada. Another paper of equal interest from his pen is on The Canadian Indian. Mr. Learmont was widely known as a collector of rare books and manuscripts, etchings, engravings and autograph letters, his knowledge of such being that of a connoisseur. His collection of Bibles comprised more than one hundred rare volumes. He also wrote on engravings, translations of the English versions of the Bible, children’s elementary books, etc.
Mr. Learmont’s keen interest in matters historic was probably best shown in his purchase of Quebec House, the home of Major General James Wolfe, Westerham, Kent, England. The motive which inspired him to make the purchase was to secure the property for the Canadian people, to be held by them in perpetuity “irrespective of race, language or creed.” His desire was that the Canadian people maintain it so that it may be open to visitors and free to all that are interested in Canada. Mr. Learmont always manifested the keenest interest in anything associated with Wolfe and had made a collection of engravings of the famous general. He also possessed an excellent painting of Wolfe’s father, the work of Sir James Thornhill.
Mr. Learmont was a member of the council of the Montreal Art Association and treasurer of the local branch and one of the council of the Archaeological Institute of America. He likewise became one of the early members of the Antiquarian Society of Montreal.
Mr. Learmont was first married to Miss Amelia Jane Holton, a daughter of the late Hon. L. H. Holton, M. P., a prominent parliamentarian and statesman. Following her death, he married, in 1882, Charlotte Smithers, a daughter of the late Charles F. Smithers, president of the Bank of Montreal. Mr. and Mrs. Learmont were always in full accord concerning religious and charitable work. He was connected with the Congregational church and a generous supporter of church and benevolent enterprises. Mrs. Learmont is particularly well known in efforts to ameliorate the conditions of life for the unfortunate. She is interested in the movement for providing playgrounds for children; is vice president of the Montreal Day Nursery; vice president of the local branch of the Needle Work Guild, and president and convener of the local branch of the ladies’ committee of the Victorian Order of Nurses. She is likewise a director of the City Improvement League; was one of the directors of the Royal Edward Institute, and is one of the honorary presidents of the Young Women’s Christian Association. She was one of a deputation, headed by the Countess of Aberdeen, who presented Queen Alexandra an address of congratulation from twenty-five hundred women of Canada.
Mr. Learmont was a member of the committee of management of the Montreal General Hospital; a member of the board and a governor of the Montreal branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses, and a director of the Charity Organization Society. He belonged to the Montreal Board of Trade, of which he was for two years a councilor, and in more strictly social lines was a member of the St. James, Mount Royal, Montreal and City Clubs. He was termed “a man of exquisite taste and deep knowledge on special subjects.” He was an advocate of all that is most progressive and beneficial, never choosing the second best but seeking out those things which are most beneficial to the individual and to the community, recognizing every man’s relation and obligation to his fellowman.
Mr. Learmont died March 12, 1914.
Centuries past the history of a country consisted of a record of wars and conquests—the contest of man with man; today the history is the record of man’s contests with material forces and those who are making the history of a country are the men who are controlling its important agricultural, commercial and professional interests. It is they who are shaping the annals of the nation and those who rise to leadership in any given line are the men who are preparing the records that in years to come will be eagerly read as the history of the past. In this connection the name of Frederick William Thompson stands prominently forth, for he became one of the foremost figures in connection with the milling industry of Canada. He was born in Montreal, January 16, 1862, [222] and was but in the prime of life when he passed away in London, England, May 7, 1912. His parents were the late Andrew and Josephine (DeLesperance) Thompson. The son was educated in Montreal and in Brooklyn, New York, living for some years in the latter city. Subsequently he returned to Montreal and entered the service of the Exchange Bank as a clerk, remaining with that institution for seven years. It was thus that he gained his preliminary business experience which he later turned to account in the management of milling operations. In 1882 he joined the Ogilvie Mills in Winnipeg, becoming general manager of the Ogilvie Milling Company in 1888. Following the death of W. W. Ogilvie in 1900 the entire company’s interests were consolidated and the business purchased by Mr. Thompson and C. R. Hosmer. In 1911 the Ogilvies were made millers to the King. The business gradually grew and developed and became a focal point in the milling industry of the country, setting the standard for activity along that line. Mr. Thompson was active in coordinating forces and in developing an enterprise which became second to none in all Canada. He had wonderful powers of organization and could unite seemingly diverse elements into a unified and harmonious whole. He considered no detail as too unimportant to claim his attention, while, at the same time, he gave due regard to the major points in his business. His executive force and management were many times called forth in other connections.
He had voice in the control of many important business and financial interests and in affairs of a public and semi-public character. He was a director of the Canadian branch of the Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company, the Montreal Transportation Company, the Canadian Appraisal Company, the Electric Flour Patents Company, the E. N. Heney Company, the Royal Bank of Canada, the Manitoba Assurance Company, and was president of the Keystone Transportation Company and of the Canada Appraisal Company. He was also the originator of the Kaministiqua Power Company and of a large number of other enterprises which contributed to the history of the country in its commercial and financial development.
As stated, Mr. Thompson was a prominent figure in relation to many public and semi-public interests. He was a governor of the Winnipeg General Hospital; and a life governor of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, the Western Home and the Boys’ Home. In 1908 he lectured on Plain Business Facts. He was president of the Winnipeg Industrial Exchange Association and of the Winnipeg Board of Trade. He was likewise a vice president of the Winnipeg Rowing Club; president and patron of the local branch of the Royal Caledonia Curling Club, and honorary president of the Winnipeg Hockey Club. He was a director of the Montreal Association for the Blind, governor of the Montreal Western Hospital, councilor of the Montreal Board of Trade, and in Montreal no less than in Winnipeg he was greatly interested in all public enterprises and philanthropic undertakings. In 1903 he was a delegate to the Fifth Commercial Congress of the Empire.
In the previous year Mr. Thompson received the Prince and Princess of Wales, now King George and Queen Mary, at the Ogilvie Mill in Winnipeg and subsequently presented the Princess with the picture of the largest flour mill in the British Empire. It was in the same year that the largest shipment of flour to South America from the Dominion of Canada was made.
In 1882 Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Wilhelmina Reid, a daughter of the late William Reid of Bedford, province of Quebec, and their children were Marion, Fred, Alice and Helen. The first named became the wife of D. C. Rea, of Winnipeg, manager of the Royal Bank. Mr. Thompson was prominently known in club and social circles, holding membership in the St. James, Mount Royal, Canada, Forest and Stream, Royal Montreal Golf, Montreal Jockey, and Auto and Aero Clubs; Montreal Amateur Athletic Association; the Montreal Curling Club; the Rideau Club of Ottawa; the Constitutional of London; Manitoba of Winnipeg; and the York Club of Toronto.
Perhaps no better estimate of the life and character of Mr. Thompson can be given than by quoting from an editorial which appeared in one of the papers at the time of his demise and which read:
“Death has within a year robbed the Canadian milling industry of its two most prominent leaders. During the years which brought Robert Meighen and Frederick William Thompson to the top, the flour milling industry underwent an expansion and consolidation second only to that of the transportation industry and the metal industries. The process was peculiarly favorable to the rise of men of strong personal character and large intellectual capacity. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the leaders of the industry taking a larger part in the public life of the country than those of almost any other business. Without ever seeking office or public honors, for which indeed the cares of his business left him no time, the late Mr. Thompson exercised a very wide and effective influence upon the beliefs and policies of Canada in business matters. When he spoke it was not as a mere expert miller, but as an authority of the widest knowledge; and as he never wasted a public utterance by dealing with any matter on which he was not perfectly informed, he was listened to with a respect which neither his wealth nor his business success alone could have commanded. There are men still living who can remember when the flour milling of Canada was carried on in hundreds of small local mills under separate ownership. The process of centralizing the industry has been pretty well completed now; such companies as that of which Mr. Thompson was the active head are national in their scope and the extent of their properties.
“He has been cut off in the prime of life and it is difficult to conjecture what further progress of organization he might have participated in, had he lived. Whatever it might be, we can be sure that the interests of Canada would have been advantaged, for he was a thorough Canadian by birth and by conviction and ever regarded the milling industry less as a source of wealth than as a factor in Canada’s greatness. In these days the best and most practical form of patriotism is frequently to be found in business.”
William H. Hope, for more than thirty years an active business man on St. Catherine Street, near Mansfield, was born, March 9, 1840, in the north of England, and died September 11, 1903, so that his life span compassed sixty-three years. He came to Montreal as a young man and on July 26, 1878, was married [224] in this city to Miss Mary E. Percy. Their family numbered seven children: Lena, who is Mrs. Thomas Bradley, now a resident of New York city; Eva, the wife of Rev. Hunter Laverie, of Forest, Ontario; William G., of Portland, Oregon; Adam V., who died in infancy; Sadie, who is the wife of George Wanless, of Outremont; Clifford R.; and Elsie.
Mr. Hope was a well known business man, conducting an art store at one location for over thirty years. His business integrity was above question and he was respected by all who knew him. In his political faith he was a conservative, but did not take an active part in politics. He was interested, however, in the promotion of athletic and outdoor sports for the young. A man of domestic taste, he found his greatest happiness at his own fireside, doing everything in his power to promote the welfare of his wife and children. He held membership in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church and his life was actuated by high and honorable principles that made him a thorough gentleman, courteous, kindly and considerate at all times.
Prominent in the business and financial life of the city, James O’Connor was numbered among Montreal’s well known and successful business men. He was born at St. Alphonse, province of Quebec, and when a young man in his teens, came to Montreal at which time his capital was but little more than his energy, pluck and determination. From the time of his arrival here his attention was largely concentrated upon business affairs and he wisely improved his time and opportunities, thus advancing step by step until he reached the plane of affluence. For many years he had charge of the wholesale pork packing house on Williams Street and there laid the foundation for his fortune.
For a number of years before his death, Mr. O’Connor had largely confined his business activities to the stock market, where he was a prominent figure. While a man of sound judgment and keen business sagacity, one of his strongest characteristics was his great courage and persistency. During the great financial depression of 1907, when security values were slumping in a manner that brought financial ruin to many, Mr. O’Connor’s fortune suffered a large shrinkage. He had confidence in the future, however, and the pluck to hold on, with the result that he recouped his losses and added substantially to his fortune, which was estimated at over a half million dollars at the time of his retirement.
He was one of the largest individual holders of Dominion Steel preferred and also an extensive holder of the common stock. He was likewise a heavy stockholder in the Dominion Coal Company.
All his life he was a man of business, which through careful attention brought him substantial as well as honorable success. Mr. O’Connor was a figure that attracted attention and he made lasting friendships in business as well as in private life. He was known as a man of his word, and always ready to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate in life’s battle. Many of his acts of kindness and substantial assistance were known only to the recipients. His acquaintance was large and included the prominent business and public men of his time.
Mr. O’Connor held membership in St. Anthony’s Catholic church and in politics he was a conservative. In his habits and tastes, he was most domestic, finding his greatest pleasure in administering to the welfare and happiness of his family. The most envious could not begrudge him his success, so honorably was it won and so worthily used for the benefit and assistance of others. His nature was one of extreme generosity and his example is worthy of emulation.
His sudden death on April 15, 1909, left a widow, a son and two daughters. James O’Connor is a resident of Montreal; Margaret resides at home; and Laura Esther is now Mrs. G. F. Hemsley. Mrs. O’Connor previous to her marriage which took place in St. Patrick’s church, Montreal, was Miss Catherine Curran, a daughter of John Curran, a prominent and distinguished citizen of this city.
Among the mercantile institutions of Montreal is that of H. Vineberg & Company, clothing manufacturers for the trade, the inception and building up of which business is entirely due to the indefatigable efforts of H. Vineberg. The firm occupies what is known as Vineberg’s building, eight stories in height. Hundreds of young men have learned their trade and received their start in this establishment, and that many of them today occupy creditable positions in life is in a measure due to the lofty principles which are the policy of the firm. Many have profited by Mr. Vineberg’s kindly advice, who took an interest in each employe of his large enterprise and who, moreover, often helped them to begin their career in the right direction. Mr. Vineberg has aided many men who are today prominent in professional life in the city and has ever taken a deep interest in charitable and church organizations, having particularly given his aid to those who came to this country in straitened circumstances in order to enjoy the privileges of British freedom, British institutions and the prosperity held out to all who but want to grasp it in the vast Canadian commonwealth.
Harris Vineberg was born in 1855, on the 25th of December, a Jewish feast day called Chanuka, in Zidugira, Russian Poland. Zidugira means Jewish bush, and his ancestors owned the vast forests in Poland from which this name is derived. It may be mentioned in this connection that the cable address used by the house of H. Vineberg & Company today is “Zidugira,” perpetuating in a manner the memory of that place which gave birth to him and whence he sallied forth into the world to build his fortune. It seems that this reverent attitude toward his birthplace, toward his parents and toward his people has been the guiding star over Mr. Vineberg’s career, the star which has led him to the goal. His parents were Lazarus and Malca Vineberg, the former of whom died in Palestine in 1901 and the latter in 1882.
Their son Harris received a strictly orthodox education from private teachers. After having mastered the curriculum he assisted his father in the lumber business for the last two years which he spent in his native land. However, the young man could not content himself with the limitations which hedged him in on all sides under Russian rule and, coveting the opportunity of a wider sphere [228] of action, he made up his mind to seek that country under which the greatest personal liberty, the greatest freedom of thought, the greatest tolerance of religious views prevailed. With an eye to the practical, he selected that part of the empire which seemed to him to hold out the greatest opportunity.
In September, 1872, Mr. Vineberg came to Montreal on the steamship Sarmatian. A brother had broken the home ties with him and with this brother he worked one year in Glengarry county, where he acquired a fair knowledge of English. He then made for Montreal in order to profit by the opportunities which the fast growing center of population held out and for seven months he worked in a humble capacity, earning but two dollars a week. On Saturdays and Sundays he instructed two boys in the Hebrew language and in this manner earned sufficient to pay for his board. Quickly accommodating himself, however, to the new conditions of life, Mr. Vineberg never lost sight of his purpose and, husbanding his small resources, he strove eagerly to establish himself in business. He opened a small store at No. 662 Craig Street, near St. Peter, and devoted his whole time for one year to that establishment with such good success that at the end of that period he had to seek larger quarters on McGill Street, where he remained until 1876, when removal was made to Lancaster, Ontario. Careful of his profits, he was there enabled to establish a general country store of considerable size which he conducted for four years,—years which brought him added prosperity. Mr. Vineberg has ever held a warm place in his heart for the little village of Lancaster, to which he largely credits his commercial education. There he had already attained such prominence that he was moving in the best of circles and was associated with and sought out by the foremost men of that county. In 1880 Mr. Vineberg returned to Montreal, having definitely decided to engage in the manufacture of clothing and, beginning in a small way in a private house, he formed a partnership with G. Burnett under the firm style of G. Burnett & Company. Although the firm’s policy was such that it should have resulted in success, it was forced to close out in 1891 and liquidated in that year. Such means as Mr. Vineberg had acquired up to that time were swept away by this unfortunate venture, and when he started again in 1892, tenaciously holding to his purpose, he had to begin practically without capital. However, he enjoyed a good reputation and among his personal following were many who had utmost confidence in his integrity and ability. He secured the assistance of Mr. Westgate of the H. B. Knitting Company, and it was this combination which formed the beginning of Progress brand clothing, under which name the output of H. Vineberg & Company is favorably known to the trade in all the Dominion. His thorough understanding of the business, his capacity for detail, his executive ability and understanding of human nature led him to the position which he now occupies at the head of one of the leading establishments of its kind in the city. The firm was incorporated in 1908 and in 1912 was transformed into a joint stock company, of which Mr. Vineberg became the president.
Although Mr. Vineberg’s mercantile interests are large, he has found time and opportunity to prove himself one of those men to whom the progress of the city and the welfare of its people is of foremost importance. Deeply grateful for such success as has come to him—and in his modest way not at all ascribing it to his personality, his energy, his patience, his judgment and industry—Mr. Vineberg [229] welcomes the opportunity of giving to charitable institutions and of aiding those who strive to make a success of life. He has never forgotten how he once started himself—a poor Jewish boy without means and friends—and how he had to struggle to obtain a place in society. It is therefore but natural that he shows the deepest understanding and the greatest sympathy for those who today find themselves in similar conditions, even if these are not so trying as those which the young emigrant from the Sarmatian met. Mr. Vineberg is a director of the Jewish Colonization Institute, engaged in Jewish communal work. He was president of the Young Men’s Benevolent Hebrew Society from 1888 until 1892, during which time Baron de Hirsch sent the first ten thousand dollars with which the Baron de Hirsch Institute was founded. Before being president of this society, Mr. Vineberg was a director and in that capacity wrote to the famous Jewish philanthropist calling his attention to the needs of such an institution, and it was he who was largely instrumental in founding the institute at St. Elizabeth Street. In addition to his duties in connection with the Benevolent Hebrew Society for Young Men and the Baron de Hirsch Institute, Mr. Vineberg was one of those who were most active in promoting its religious school and he was chairman of the committee having charge over that department for many years. He is a member of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue and also of the English and German Synagogue on McGill College Avenue, in which latter he held the position of secretary for four years. He was one of the leading and most energetic spirits in moving the synagogue to McGill College Avenue from St. Constant Street, being at that time the secretary. He also is a director of the Hebrew Free Loan Association and a member of every Jewish charitable institution in Montreal. However, that his charity and his interest in those who are afflicted is not limited by creed is evident from the fact that he is a governor of the Montreal General Hospital.
During his long business career Mr. Vineberg has been the mentor of many of the leading merchants and manufacturers of this city who began their careers in his employ and who learned their trade in his place and there laid the foundations of their fortunes. Hundreds of well-to-do families in Montreal have been able to establish themselves in comfortable circumstances through their connection with the house of Vineberg & Company. There are a number of professional men who occupy an honored place in their spheres of activities and who are indebted to Mr. Vineberg for timely help and advice and there are many who are well known in the city today who reached these shores as emigrants with small means, and friendless, and who found in him one who was willing to assuage such troubles as beset them.
Mr. Vineberg is devoting much of his time to the care of his wife, a sufferer, and it is therefore but natural that he does not give so much of his time to the active operation of his large business interests, the management of the house of H. Vineberg & Company being entrusted largely to the husband of his eldest daughter. Yet he is still active and his advice is highly valued and often sought in commercial circles. He is a member of the Board of Trade and in that connection has always stood for things which would promote progress and prosperity in Montreal. He is a member of the Canadian Manufacturers Association and a director of the Canadian Credit Men’s Association. Although he is interested in all movements that make for efficient government of city, province [230] and Dominion, for the highest type of sanitary system, the best health conditions, the beautification of the city, he has never actively entered the political arena.
On October 23, 1876, Mr. Vineberg married Miss Lily Goldberg, daughter of the late Rev. Hyman Goldberg, who for a number of years was assistant minister of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue. Mr. and Mrs. Vineberg became the parents of three daughters: Libbie, who married Isidor Cohen, a member of H. Vineberg & Company; Eva, who married A. J. Hart, president and general manager of the Hart Manufacturing Company; and Malca, who is the wife of A. Z. Cohen, a member of the firm of L. Cohen & Sons.
Mr. and Mrs. Vineberg have twelve grandchildren, and it may be mentioned as illustration of his deep affection for his family that the pictures of these children adorn the walls of his private office. When deeply engaged in business thoughts, these children’s faces, no doubt, smile to him encouragement and fill him with satisfaction in the knowledge that around him are growing up generations of his own blood who appreciate and love him for what he is to them and will honor him for what he has done to lighten their life’s burdens when they will occupy the stage of life’s activities.
As a member of the firm of Bastien, Bergeron, Cousineau, Lacasse & Jasmin, Philemon Cousineau, K. C., occupies a foremost position among the legal fraternity of Montreal. Moreover, he has gained a reputation as a legislator and is considered today one of the foremost authorities on constitutional law in the province. He has important commercial interests, and his career has had in its various aspects a lasting influence upon the growth and development of the city. He was born at St. Laurent, Quebec, on October 25, 1874, and is a son of Gervais and Angelique (Grou) Cousineau.
Philemon Cousineau was educated at Sainte Therese College and Laval University, from which he graduated in 1896. Being called to the bar, he began the active practice of law in July of that year and has ever since continued with increasing success. He is professor of constitutional and municipal law at Laval University, which institution of learning conferred upon him the degree of LL. D., after he had presented a thesis on Corporations. He has also been for some time king’s counsel and enjoys a profitable and representative practice.
Mr. Cousineau is extensively interested in industrial and financial projects which have had to do with the city’s progress, among them being the Mount Royal Telephone Company, of which he was president, and previous to its absorption by the Canadian Light & Power Company he was a director of the Saraguay Light & Power Company. He is also president of the St. Lawrence Tobacco Company. He was mayor of the town of St. Laurent from 1904 to 1908 and both as an official and citizen has had no little to do with the progress of that flourishing town.
In 1897 Mr. Cousineau was united in marriage to Miss Helmina Gendron, and they have four daughters. In politics Mr. Cousineau is a conservative and in 1908 was elected to the legislature of the province of Quebec from the county [233] of Jacques Cartier and reelected in 1912. He is a trusted counselor of the party and has done far-reaching work on committees as well as on the floor of the house. Public-spirited in the most noble sense of the word, he has ever stood for that which is best for the greatest number. In 1913 he was delegate of the Canadian government to the general meeting of the International Institute Of Agriculture at Rome, Italy.
The house of Hébert has been one of the foremost families of the Dominion since the early dawn of Canadian history. One of the first Canadian farmers, Louis Hébert, arrived in Quebec with his family in 1617. Tradition has it that previously he passed some time in Acadia, where he “was the first to utilize the salt-water marshes of the Bay of Fundy by building dikes to keep out the tides.” He continued to cultivate the soil at Quebec and on February 28, 1626, as a reward to him and an encouragement to others, the Duc de Ventadour, viceroy of New France, issued a patent granting Hébert “in fief noble to him and his assigns forever” a seignorial domain on the River St. Charles, near Quebec, and confirming to him a concession made by the preceding viceroy, the Duc de Montmorency. It was expressly stated in the deed that these grants were made in consideration of Hébert’s “long and painful labors, perils and expenses, incessantly supported in the discovery of the lands of Canada and that he is the head of the first family which has settled and dwelt there since the year 1600 till now * * * having left his relations and friends to go and form this commencement of a colony of Christian people in those lands * * * which are deprived of the knowledge of God.” Charles Lecroix Hébert, a rich trader and the first farmer on the island of Montreal, built a residence in 1655 on Jean Baptiste Street, which is still standing and which is shown in one of the illustrations of this history. Hébert, named Larivière, was born in 1633 and was a companion in arms of Dollard and present at the massacre of Long Sault in May, 1660.
Edouard Napoléon Hébert was born in Montreal on March 10, 1874, and is a son of J. Napoléon Hébert, who was born January 14, 1850. His father, Louis Hébert, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Quebec in 1810 or 1812 and from that city removed to Montreal, while his father was the proprietor of the Boulangerie du Roi (bakery of the king) at Quebec. This establishment was subsequently continued by one of his sons, a brother of the grandfather of our subject.
E. Napoléon Hébert, in the acquirement of his education, attended Montcalm school of this city and subsequently improved his advantages by a commercial course. He entered upon active business life in connection with Hudon & Hébert, engaged in the grocery business, for whom he made customs entries and acted as assistant cashier. He is now treasurer of the “Twelve Companies” and largely engaged in the real-estate business, being a young man of very great ability, pleasant in manners and of sound judgment. In two years the “Twelve Companies” with which he is connected have disposed of properties to the value of eleven million dollars, which gives an indication of the magnitude of their transactions. [234] Mr. Hébert is considered one of the best informed men as to realty values here and his advice and judgment are often sought by large investors and he has in many ways been instrumental in promoting the growth and furthering the welfare of his city. He is also interested in a cigar box factory which gives employment to eighty men.
On July 7, 1891, at Montreal, Mr. Hébert was united in marriage to Miss Cécilia Drolet and they have become the parents of twelve children, four sons and eight daughters. The eldest son, Charles-Edouard, is married and the other three are Armand, Charles and Jean. The daughters are Gabrielle, Herminie, Adrienne, Cécile, Marie-Thérèse, Germaine, Gilberte and Paulette.
In his political affiliations Mr. Hébert is a liberal, stanchly upholding the principles of his party. He is well known in fraternal orders, in most of which he has held important offices, being connected with the Independent Order of Foresters and the Canadian Order of Foresters. He is a member of the L’Alliance Nationale, of the Club Canadien and the Club St. Louis. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church and he is prominent in the church of the Immaculate Conception, in which for twenty-five years he has been organist. A man of great energy and vast information as regards his business, Mr. Hébert occupies a high place among the business men of Montreal and can ever be found in the front ranks of those who have at heart the welfare of their city. Although he has never cared to participate in official life, he gladly supports worthy public enterprises and enjoys the high respect and regard of all who come in contact with him in business or social relations.
Many of the organized efforts for benefiting the general interests of society have felt the stimulus of the cooperation and indorsement of Charles Samuel John Phillips, whose position in the business world is that of head of the firm of Morton, Phillips & Company, stationers and printers. He was born in Quebec on the 13th of October, 1844, and is a son of the late Thomas Osmond Phillips, of Quebec, and his wife, Agnes Ritchie Leslie, a daughter of Dr. S. W. H. Leslie, of the army medical department. He was but a youth of thirteen when he accompanied his parents to Montreal, where he has made his home continuously since 1857, being, therefore, one of the older residents of the city in years of continuous connection therewith.
It was in Montreal that Mr. Phillips was married in 1873 to Miss Jessie Amelia Thomson, a daughter of the late William A. Thomson, and her death occurred in May, 1910.
With the attainment of his majority Charles S. J. Phillips entered business life and gradually advanced to the position of head of the firm of Morton, Phillips & Company, stationers and printers, which business was established in 1869. His activities have been exerted with energy, force and effectiveness along other lines, some of which have been of a semi-public and others of a public character. He was formerly president of the Montreal Citizens League and of the Montreal Dispensary and is now a director of the Citizens Association. He is likewise a [235] member of the Business Men’s League and is a director of the Mount Royal Cemetery Company. He belongs to the Natural History Society and is deeply interested in the Boys Home, of which he is honorary treasurer, and the Boys Farm and Training School at Shawbridge, Quebec. He has been a student of the important political, economic and sociological questions and has investigated conditions which bear directly upon the interests of society at large in its relation to citizenship and the opportunities which are placed before the individual for his normal development and advancement. His religious faith is that of the Baptist church, and his political belief that of the conservative party. He is well known as a member of the Montreal and Canadian Clubs. While the winter months are spent in the city, he has an attractive summer home, Mes Délices, at Notre Dame du Portage on the St. Lawrence.
Alexander George Cameron is one of the younger representatives of the legal profession in Montreal. Since his admission to the bar in 1910 he has made continuous progress. He was born in Winchester, Ontario, May 11, 1884, a son of Alexander and Louise (Reddick) Cameron, the former a native of Inverness, Scotland, while the latter is of Canadian birth.
In the public schools of Winchester Alexander G. Cameron laid the foundation for his education. He was a student in the Morrisburg Collegiate Institute and received his law training in McGill University, from which he was graduated B. C. L. with the class of 1910. He at once entered upon the practice of law. His name is also well known in the business world, being a director of several commercial enterprises.
Mr. Cameron is known in military circles, being a captain in the Fifth Royal Highlanders of Canada. His political allegiance is given to the conservative party, and he is prominent in club circles, his membership being in the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, the Manitou Club, the Kaniwakee Golf Club, the Beaconsfield Golf Club, the University Club, the Montreal Club and the Montreal Art Association. He is a Presbyterian in religious belief.
Gilbert Scott was for many years a resident of Montreal and a witness of its development and progress. He came to rank prominently among the representatives of commercial and financial interests and for an extended period was a member of the Dow Brewery Company of this city. He was born at Chagford, Devonshire, England, April 16, 1820. In early life he was a clerk in a bank in London and came to Montreal in 1845. In the ’60s he entered into partnership with William Dow, a well known Montreal brewer and continued in active connection with the business until his life’s labors were ended on the 9th of June, 1891, when he was seventy-one years of age. The other members of the firm [236] at various times were John Harris, A. C. Hooper, J. Philip Scott, son of Gilbert Scott, Angus Hooper and Major George Hooper. Capable management led to the continuous growth and success of the business until the year 1912, when the Dow Brewery became a part of the National Breweries Company.
Gilbert Scott was connected officially with many large financial and commercial institutions and was well posted upon financial and commercial matters, but his fund of knowledge went further and made him familiar with many other questions and interests of the day. He was a director of the Bank of Montreal; senior partner of the Dow Brewery Company; president of the Intercolonial Mining Company; vice president of the Shedden Company; a director of the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company, and of the Canada Sugar Refining Company.
Mr. Scott was married to Miss Janet Cooper of London, England, who died in 1875. He was survived by one son, James Philip, who was a member of the Dow Brewery Company from 1876 until his death, in 1898, and four daughters.
Mr. Scott was a member of St. Paul’s Lodge of Masons and was always loyal to the teachings and purposes of the craft. He had vivid recollections of the important points in the history of Montreal, from the time when he located here in 1845, until his death. As a man, he possessed many attractive social qualities and was beloved by a large circle of friends.
In the long years of an active professional career Joseph Rielle has made continuous advancement until he stands today not only as a veteran civil engineer and surveyor, but also as one of the most capable representatives of his chosen calling in Montreal. Each year has found him in advance of the position which he occupied the previous year, because of his developing powers and growing ability. He was born at Laprairie on the 6th of October, 1833, and received his initial business training with the firm of Ostell & Perrault, architects and land surveyors, whose service he entered in 1850 when a youth of seventeen years. He continued with that firm for four years and then became assistant to Mr. John Page, chief engineer of public works. He next accepted the position of assistant engineer to the harbor commission and eventually entered upon the general practice of land surveying in Montreal and the surrounding district. He has been connected with extensive surveys for the Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific Railways and the harbor commissioners of Montreal and in addition to his general practice has made a number of important hydraulic surveys. In 1904 he was presented with a testimonial by members of the society of land surveyors to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his entry into civil engineering and land surveying.
While this has been his chief life activity, Mr. Rielle has done important work in other connections. He was formerly vice president of the Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway, and he has done much work of a public and semi-public character, whereby the general interests of the country at large have been greatly promoted. He was secretary and manager of the Montreal Turnpike [239] Trust for about fifteen years. He was a member of the council of Verdun, Montreal, from 1875 until 1900 and was intrusted with many important public works. He is a life governor of the House of Industry and Refuge, also of the Montreal General Hospital, and is president of the Fraser Institute and Free Public Library of Montreal. His activities have been of a nature that have contributed largely to the general development and good, but he has never taken an active part in politics.
Mr. Rielle married Miss Jeannie T. Goldie of Laprairie, P. Q., who was vice president of the Montreal Industrial Rooms and who died in June, 1904. Mr. Rielle has his home at No. 90 Union Avenue and is a member of the St. James Club. He has now reached the advanced age of more than eighty years, but is still active in his profession and in spirit and interest seems yet a man in the prime of life.
No phase of life affecting the political and local status of the province or its educational or moral development fails to elicit the attention and interest of John Stuart Buchan and seldom fails to receive his hearty cooperation and support. He is ever willing to divide his time between his profession and public service, recognizing ever the duties as well as the privileges of citizenship and the obligations which devolve upon man in relation to his fellowmen. He is well known as a practitioner at the bar and his reputation as a capable lawyer has been well earned. He was born at St. Andrews, P. Q., October 28, 1852, the only son of the late William and Katherine (Stuart) Buchan, of St. Andrews. The family is descended from the old earls of Buchan. After attending public schools of his native city John S. Buchan entered McGill University and won his B. C. L. degree in 1884. He had determined to make the practice of law his life work, and following his graduation he became an advocate, since which time he has continued a representative of the Montreal bar. Here he has worked his way up to leadership and in 1899 was created a king’s counsel. For almost a third of a century he has been engaged in practice here, and his ability has long since placed him in a position of distinction among the leaders of the legal profession in Montreal. At one time he was a member of the editorial staff of the Canadian Jurist, and in 1904 he was a royal commissioner for the revision of the provincial statutes. Thus important governmental problems in connection with his profession have elicited his deep interest and called forth his abilities.
In 1885 Mr. Buchan was married to Miss Katherine McMartin, the second daughter of F. McMartin, of St. Andrews. She died in August, 1894, and in 1896 Mr. Buchan wedded Annie, the eldest daughter of the late J. H. Henderson, of Montreal.
Mr. Buchan is an attendant of Christ’s Church Cathedral, while his political faith is that of the liberal party. Political honors and emoluments have had no attraction for him. His activities, however, along other lines relating to the welfare and progress of city and province have been resultant. He acted as solicitor of the Lord’s Day Alliance of the province for a time. He was also [240] chosen a life governor of the Montreal Boys Home in 1911 and many movements having broad humanitarianism as their basis have received his indorsement. He is likewise the vice president of the Natural History Society of Montreal. He is not unknown in literary circles for under the nom-de-plume of Douglas Erskine he has published “A Bit of Atlantis” and “Some Notes on Mount Royal,” and various other papers of a scientific nature. When questions of public welfare are at stake he is never weighed in the balance and found wanting, and his support of any project and measure is not the result of a hasty conclusion. On the contrary he brings to all vital questions the habits of the lawyer, carefully analyzing and weighing the points in a situation and then giving his support thereto as the result of a firm belief in the worth or righteousness of the case.
Archibald Murray Cassils, who as a wholesale leather merchant gained an enviable business standing, while attractive social qualities won him many friends, was but forty-eight years of age at the time of his death, which occurred March 6, 1891. He was born in July, 1843, in Renton, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, a son of John and Margaret (Murray) Cassils. His education was there acquired and he remained in his native land until 1856, when he came to Montreal where a brother was residing. For a number of years he was engaged in merchandising in connection with the wholesale leather business, and made for himself an enviable place in commercial circles, by reason of his enterprise, his progressiveness and his business integrity. Gradually his trade grew owing to his capable control of his interests, and success in a substantial measure rewarded his labors.
In September, 1873, in Montreal, Mr. Cassils was married to Miss Eva A. Shaw, and they became the parents of three children: Marcia A., the wife of George P. Butters; William A., who died in 1906; and Angus Shaw Cassils.
Mr. Cassils was a member of the Masonic order and the American Presbyterian church and his religious belief guided him in all the relations of life, making him a man of high principle and kindly spirit, straightforward in action and thoroughly reliable in all things. While more than two decades have passed since he was called from this life, he is yet kindly remembered by all who knew him owing to his gracious presence and his sterling worth.
George Campbell MacDougall, recognized as one of the ablest members of the brokerage profession, had not passed the fiftieth milestone on life’s journey when death called him. He was born June 6, 1843, in Ringmore, Devonshire, England, a son of Major MacDougall, who belonged to the King’s Own Borders, and in 1857 came to Montreal. His son, George C. MacDougall, was educated in the schools of this city, passing through consecutive grades to the high school and afterward attending McGill University. Throughout his active business career [241] he was identified with financial interests. He became a clerk in the Bank of Montreal, worked his way upward until his experience, combined with his recognized capability led to his assignment to a responsible position with the New York city branch of the Bank of Montreal. He remained in the American metropolis for a few years and while in New York won several prizes for horsemanship at horse shows there. He afterward entered the Lounsbury & Tenshaw Brokerage Company, acquainted himself with the brokerage business and returned to Montreal, where he formed a partnership with his brother, Hartland St. Clair MacDougall, continuing in the brokerage business until his death. The firm gained an extensive clientage that made the business one of large volume.
Mr. MacDougall was married twice. He first wedded Miss C. J. Bridges and they had one son, H. B. MacDougall. In 1887, in Montreal, Mr. MacDougall was married to Miss Mary L. Macdonald, a daughter of Hon. Donald Alexander Macdonald, a well known figure in public life, serving as postmaster general in the Mackenzie administration at Ottawa from 1873 until 1875, and as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1875 until 1880. He married Catherine, daughter of Hon. Alexander Fraser, M. L. C., of Fraserville, Ontario. To George C. and Mary L. (Macdonald) MacDougall was born a daughter, Beatrice.
Mr. MacDougall was well known as a sportsman, was an expert rider and was the owner of some fine horses. He was likewise a prominent member of many clubs, including the St. James, Montreal, Jockey, Forest and Stream and Hunt Clubs. His death occurred March 31, 1892, and although he was then at the comparatively early age of forty-nine years, he had achieved distinction in his line of business and as a sportsman had gained wide friendship among many of the most distinguished citizens of the province.
Joseph Charles Hector Dussault, a graduate of Laval University and thus carefully trained for the profession to which he has devoted his life, has been actively engaged in the practice of law in Montreal since 1899. His course has been marked by continuous progress until he has gained a creditable position among the forceful, capable representatives of the bar. He was born at Sherbrooke, Quebec, on the 19th of November, 1876, a son of N. T. and Malvina (Deseve) Dussault, the former a merchant of Sherbrooke, who was born there more than seventy years ago and is still engaged in business in that city. He is well known in the eastern townships and is recognized as a man of prominence in his community.
Liberal educational opportunities were accorded Joseph C. H. Dussault, who pursued commercial and classical courses in the Seminary of Sherbrooke. Reviewing the broad field of industrial, commercial and professional activity, he determined upon the practice of law as a life work and in preparation therefor entered Laval University at Montreal. On the completion of the regular law course he was graduated and in 1899 received the degree of Master of Laws. The same year he was admitted to practice at the bar of the province of Quebec and entered alone upon the active work of the profession. Advancement at the [242] bar is proverbially slow, yet he had as the basis of success broad and thorough understanding of the principles of jurisprudence and gradually worked his way upward. After three years he formed a partnership with J. A. Mercier and in January, 1912, they were joined by a third partner, P. L. Dupuis under the firm style of Dussault, Mercier & Dupuis. Mr. Dussault has ever been very careful in the preparation of his cases. His mind is naturally analytical, logical and inductive and, therefore, his reasoning is clear, his argument sound and his deductions clear and convincing. He is also identified with financial activities as one of the organizers and directors of the Merchants & Employers Guarantee & Accident Company.
On the 1st of October, 1906, in Montreal, Mr. Dussault was married to Miss Alice Dupuis, a daughter of J. O. Dupuis, one of the founders of Dupuis Freres of Montreal. Her father is also widely known in political as well as commercial circles, his opinions carrying weight in party councils. He served as alderman of Montreal and has been active in molding public thought and opinion. That confidence is reposed in his business ability and integrity is indicated in the fact that he was one of the liquidators of the defunct Ville Marie Bank. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dussault have been born three children, Jeanne, Marcelle and Jacques. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Dussault is a conservative and strong protectionist. His interest in politics is not a superficial one, and he keeps well versed on the questions and issues of the day, yet political honors and emoluments have no attraction for him. He finds recreation through his connection with St. Andrew’s Curling Club, of which he is a charter member. He now has a wide acquaintance in his adopted city, where his developing powers have brought him professional success, while sterling traits of manhood have gained him place among the highly esteemed citizens.
Ernest R. Decary, senior member of Decary, Barlow & Joron, one of the foremost firms of notaries in Montreal, occupies a distinguished professional position, viewed not only from the extent, but as well from the prominence of his clientele. Mr. Decary is a native of Montreal and was born on December 9, 1878. He received an excellent education, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s Jesuit College and beginning his business career alone, subsequently joined with him Mr. Barlow and Mr. Joron, and he has since continued in that relationship. This firm specializes in railway and bank work and they have come to occupy a position second to none in Montreal professional circles.
Mr. Decary personally acts as notary for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canadian Northern and the Dominion and Traders Banks and the Canadian Express Company, as well as for many other institutions and corporations.
Although Mr. Decary has never aspired to political office, he is deeply interested in the growth and expansion of his city and readily gives of his time and means in support of worthy enterprises. In politics he is a liberal. He is a [245] member of the Montreal, Royal Montreal Golf, University, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht, and Lachine Boating and Canoe Clubs, and has views upon business and social conditions. Yet a comparatively young man, he occupies a position of dignity in the life of the city to which his ripe judgment on matters of a commercial or legal nature fully entitles him.
One of the well known legal practitioners of Montreal and a notary public, Benjamin Napoléon Ladouceur has a clientele both representative and important. He is yet a young man, barely thirty years of age, but has demonstrated his ability to capably handle the most intricate legal problems. He was born on the 15th of January, 1883, at Ste. Marie de Monnoir, and is a son of Mathias and Azilda Ste. Marie Ladouceur, both natives of Ste. Marie de Monnoir. The paternal grandfather was Benjamin Ladouceur, called Martin, his birthplace being Côté des Neiges. His wife was Cèleste Vient, a native of Ste. Marie de Monnoir. The grandfather in the maternal line was Jean Baptiste Ste. Marie and his wife was Henriette Bédard, also natives of Ste. Marie de Monnoir.
Benjamin Napoléon Ladouceur was educated at the College of Ste. Marie de Monnoir and took his law degrees at Laval University in July, 1910. He has since engaged in practice in Montreal and also acts as notary public. No long novitiate awaited him for he soon demonstrated his ability along legal lines and now enjoys an important and lucrative practice. In his political views he is a nationalist, a party which has for its aim the amelioration of certain conditions of government which make not for the best of the masses. In some ways it may be said that it is similar to the progressive movement in the United States and this movement has largely for its object a restricting influence upon political malpractices. Mr. Ladouceur also interests himself along other public and semi-public lines although he has never cared for official positions. He is loyal to the city of his adoption and ever ready to give his share of time and money in promoting her interests.
The steps in the orderly progression of William Rutherford whereby he has reached his present advanced position in business circles of Montreal are easily discernible and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. Born in Montreal, April 22, 1864, he is a son of William and Elizabeth (Jackson) Rutherford, both of whom are of Scotch birth, the former coming from Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, and the latter from Biggar, Lanarkshire. They were representatives of the excellent Scotch type that has done so much for Canada and its substantial upbuilding. The father was a member of the first council of Cote St. Antoine, which afterward became Westmount. He was an [246] enthusiastic curler and greatly enjoyed other outdoor sports. His interests, however, were largely concentrated upon the development and management of important business interests. He founded the lumber firm of William Rutherford & Sons in 1852 and was largely instrumental in developing it into one of the most extensive lumber enterprises of Canada.
In the acquirement of his education William Rutherford attended successively the schools of Cote St. Antoine, the high school of Montreal and the private school conducted by Hon. E. H. Springrice. He crossed the threshold of the business world as a junior clerk with Gillespie, Moffat & Company, general merchants, and subsequently became a clerk for the Pillow Hersey Manufacturing Company, owners of rolling mills, etc. Subsequently he entered the firm of William Rutherford & Sons of Montreal and upon the incorporation of the company became its treasurer. The business is today conducted under the style of William Rutherford & Sons Company, Ltd., dealers in and manufacturers of lumber and timber. The business is now one of mammoth proportions and in his official capacity William Rutherford of this review is bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control. Into other fields he has also extended his efforts and his business interests are now of considerable volume and importance, placing him among the prominent representatives of commercial and industrial activity in the province. He is now the president of the Dominion Box Company, Ltd., of the Grier Timber Company and the Dominion Park Realty Company, Ltd.
On the 16th of May, 1894, in Montreal, Mr. Rutherford married Miss Ida Bulmer, a daughter of John Bulmer and a representative of a well known Montreal family. Their children are William J., John B., Jean, Andrew S. and Marjorie. Presbyterians in religious faith, the family hold membership in St. Andrew’s church of Westmount. Mr. Rutherford is a liberal in politics, conversant with the leading questions and issues of the day. He has filled a number of local offices, having been elected alderman of Westmount in 1908, while in 1910 he was chosen mayor of the city. In 1913 he was made school commissioner of the city and in 1912-13 was a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Manufacturers Association. He is also a member of the committee of St. Andrew’s Society, while along more strictly social lines his membership is in the Canada, Engineers, Manitou and North Lake Fish and Game Clubs. His success permits him that leisure which enables him to enjoy fishing, hunting and other outdoor and indoor sports, but he is preeminently a business man and one whose successful methods might be studied by all who wish to gain prosperity within the legitimate lines of business.
Among the mercantile houses of Montreal the British American Import Company occupies a place of prominence and importance. Under this firm style Carl Rosenberg is connected with Canadian trade interests. Mr. Rosenberg was born in Kishenev, Russia, on the 15th of July, 1870, a son of Wolf and Bessie (Dachis) Rosenberg, both now residents of Montreal. The former has now retired from active business life.
Carl Rosenberg was one of those who did not find the opportunities which he sought in his native country and, seeking the benefits of British freedom, selected the Dominion of Canada for his field of operation and came to Montreal twenty-five years ago, or in 1889, when a young man of about nineteen years. After his arrival he went into partnership with a cousin, who had preceded him to the Dominion and who was engaged in the importing and dry-goods jobbing business. The name of the firm was Shiller & Rosenberg and they continued for two years, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Rosenberg became the leading factor in the establishment of the British American Import Company, who opened their place of business on St. Paul Street, Montreal. His ability as a merchant, his ready understanding of local market conditions and his indefatigable energy led to such growth of business that in 1909 the firm was enabled to put up a large building of their own at 516 St. Lawrence boulevard, into which they moved in 1910. The British American Import Company occupies a leading place in its line in Montreal and their reputation is of the highest. Its success is largely due to the executive ability of Mr. Rosenberg, its founder.
In 1888, when but eighteen years of age, Mr. Rosenberg, while yet in Europe, was married to Miss Clara Sperling and to them were born the following children: Hannah, who married Dr. Tannenbaum; Sarah, now Mrs. Aronson; and Madge, Rose, Sadie, David and Moses.
Mr. Rosenberg is a liberal and, adhering to the faith of his fathers, he was during 1910-11 a director of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, but his fast expanding business interests forced him to relinquish this position. He is a justice of the peace; vice president of the Herzl Dispensary; a founder and an ex-president of the Jewish Eagle Publishing Company, holding the latter office for five years; and a member of Ionic Lodge, No. 54, of the Masonic order. He is a shrewd and able business man and his name and that of his firm stand for successful accomplishment in the trade annals of the city.
Rev. Allan Pearson Shatford, known in Montreal and throughout the province of Quebec as a forceful and eloquent preacher, holding a high position in Masonic circles as grand chaplain of the grand lodge of Quebec and known in this city as most earnest, zealous and consecrated in his work as rector of the Church of St. James the Apostle, was born at St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia, and is a son of the late James E. Shatford, a resident of Indian Harbor.
Rev. Allan P. Shatford acquired his education in King’s College in his native province, from which he was graduated B. A. with first class honors in English literature in 1895 and M. A. in 1898. In the former year he was made curate of the Anglican church at Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and served in that capacity until 1900, during which time he was ordained deacon in 1896 and priest in 1897. He was transferred from Bridgewater to North Sydney, Nova Scotia, where he remained as rector until 1906, moving in that year to Montreal, where he became assistant rector of the parish of St. James the Apostle. He was promoted to the position of rector in January, 1912, and still holds this position which is an important [248] and responsible one, for the parish is one of the oldest and largest in Montreal. It was founded in 1864 by Canon Elligood and the first church was built by Mrs. Phillips on land donated by her. Canon Elligood continued as rector from 1864 to 1911, dying in December of that year at the advanced age of eighty-seven. He was succeeded by Rev. Allan P. Shatford, the present incumbent, who is ably carrying forward his predecessor’s work, giving his time, attention and unusual talents to the promotion of the interests of the parish and the spread of the doctrines in which he believes. There are about four hundred and fifty families in the congregation, and the church property is valued at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Its administration calls for farsighted and capable work and Mr. Shatford has proved equal to the trust reposed in him, aiding the trustees in every possible way and proving his possession of unusual administrative ability and organizing power. The church has had some of the most famous ministers in Canada connected with its affairs at different times, Bishop Dumlin, of the diocese of Niagara, having been at one time assistant, as were also Bishop Duvernet, of Caledonia, and Dean Abbott, of Niagara. The affairs of the congregation are in a most flourishing and prosperous condition, and the people of the parish find in Mr. Shatford a minister well suited to their needs, a man sincere and high-minded in his aims, of scholarly attainments and well directed ability. His sermons show great force and power, and his lectures have gained him wide recognition, winning him mention by the Montreal Gazette as “an accomplished extempore speaker and a preacher of great power.”
Mr. Shatford is well known in Masonic circles, exemplifying in his life the beneficent teachings of that order. He was grand chaplain of the grand lodge of Freemasons for Nova Scotia from 1903 to 1906 and since that time has been grand chaplain of the grand lodge of Quebec province. He was a delegate to the Pan-Anglican Congress held in London in 1908; a delegate to the general synod and to the church congress held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1910, speaking there in a forceful and telling way upon parochial problems. “Today,” in his opinion, “it is Canada for the world, and we think of England as the center of an empire which tends to the solidarity of the human race and the universal brotherhood of man.”
Victor Morin, prominent in connection with the legal profession as a practitioner and as professor of administrative law and doctor of laws in Laval University, is now at the head of the firm of Morin & Mackay, notaries of Montreal. His name is also well known in literary circles and his activities and his writings have had a far-reaching and beneficial effect upon public interests. Born at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, on the 15th of August, 1865, he is a son of Jean Baptiste Morin and Aurelie (Cote) Morin. In the acquirement of his education he attended successively Girouard Academy, the St. Hyacinthe College, from which he was graduated B. A. in 1884, and Laval University, which conferred upon him the LL. B. degree in 1888 and that of LL. D. in 1910. He studied law in the office of Papineau, Morin & Mackay and was admitted to the practice of [251] the notarial profession in 1888. For a brief period thereafter he was a resident of Acton Vale, Quebec, but in 1890 returned to Montreal and is now senior member in the firm of Morin & Mackay. He is also custodian of the archives of his late partners, D. E. Papineau, C. F. Papineau, Durand and Morin, whose office was established in 1841. Aside from his business he has occupied many positions of importance and of public trust. While a resident of the town of Acton Vale he was secretary-treasurer of the town from 1888 until 1890. He has been treasurer of the board of notaries of the province of Quebec since 1897 and he has various important business connections. He was president of the Imperial Electric Light Company from 1899 until 1901, became secretary of the Montreal Real-Estate Association in 1904 and is now its president. He is likewise president of the Crédit Métropolitain, of the Caisse Hypothécaire, of the Montreal Debenture Corporation, of the Récollet Land Company, and of the Federal Real-Estate & Trust Company; vice president of the Security Life Insurance Company, and a director of the Provincial Life and of the Provincial Fire Insurance Companies. From 1897 to 1910, he was notary to the corporation of the city of Montreal and resigned this position in order to run for aldermanic honors. His high standing in his chosen profession is indicated by the fact that he has been made professor of administrative law in Laval University and is regarded as one of the prominent law educators of the country. His public-spirited citizenship finds expression in active support of many measures and movements for the public good and his cooperation can always be counted upon when the welfare of city, province or country is at stake. He has taken great interest for many years past in social questions, and is vice president general of the St. Jean Baptiste Society, the national association of French-Canadians. He was a director of Montreal Citizens Association from 1908 until 1910 and his position upon the temperance question is indicated by the fact that he is now the general secretary of the Montreal Anti-Alcoholic League.
Prominent in the Independent Order of Foresters, Mr. Morin was its supreme vice chief ranger from 1898 to 1902, and has been its past supreme chief ranger since 1905; in 1895-6 he edited and published a paper in the interests of that fraternity called Le Forestier. Since 1890 he has delivered many lectures to fraternal societies and no man is better qualified to speak on the beneficent basic principles of the organization.
His authorship has made Mr. Morin equally widely known. He was actively interested in the literary work of the Cercle Ville Marie as its secretary from 1886 until 1888. He is the author of Vingt Ans Après, the second edition of which was brought forth in 1909. He is silver medalist of the Ligue Nationale de la Prévoyance et de la Mutualité, of Paris, France, and honorary vice president of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal. His active interest in affairs of vital importance to the city has been manifest in his capable public service as alderman of Montreal, to which position he was elected in 1910. His political support is given to the liberal party and his religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. He is prominent in club circles, is a member of the St. Denis and Reform Clubs, and is secretary of the Maison des Etudiants. His library, which is extensive and well selected, furnishes him his chief source of recreation and interest.
Mr. Morin was married in 1893 at Biddeford, Maine, to Miss Fannie, daughter of the Hon. D. Cote. In 1896 he wedded Alphonsine, daughter of Victor Cote, of St. Hyacinthe. They reside at No. 703 St. Urbain Street with their eleven children, and spend their summer months in their attractive villa on the slope of Mount St. Bruno. His life has been so varied in its activities and so honorable in its purposes as to leave an indelible impress for good upon the community and through his professional, business and fraternal connections Mr. Morin has come to be recognized as one of the leading residents of Montreal.
Hubert Adolphe Elzéar Grandbois, who since October, 1911, has been connected with the notarial profession in Montreal, was born in St. Casimir, Port Neuf district, in the province of Quebec, on the 15th of January, 1876, a son of Michel Adolphe and Marie Aurée (Charest) Grandbois, the former a dealer in wood. The son pursued his classical education in the Seminary of Nicolet, from which he was graduated in 1895. He afterward entered upon the study of law in Laval University at Quebec, which conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Laws, in June, 1898. On the completion of his studies he was admitted to practice as a notary in the following September and located at St. Casimir, where he remained in active practice from September, 1898, until October, 1911. He then came to Montreal, where he has since remained and has attained high standing among the representatives of the profession owing to broad and accurate knowledge, close application and fidelity to the interests of his clients.
Mr. Grandbois was married in the city of his nativity on the 7th of January, 1899, to Miss Marie Laetitia Belisle, a daughter of Octave Germain and Marguerite (Daly) Belisle. The children of this marriage are Marie Marguerite and Marie Laurette Grandbois. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church, and Mr. Grandbois has membership with the Chevaliers de Colomb.
The late John Edgar, who for many years was connected with the fur industry in Montreal, was born in Woodstock, Ontario, March 12, 1843. During his boyhood the family removed to Hamilton, Ontario, where his school days were passed. He began his business career in the provision trade with Folingsby & Williamson in Hamilton and later came to Montreal as representative of that firm. Soon after his arrival in this city, or in 1866, he entered the firm of Greene & Sons Company, wholesale furriers, in which connection he worked his way upward, eventually becoming a partner in the business. About the year 1895, when Greene & Sons Company retired, Mr. Edgar succeeded to the business which he continued for some years under the firm name of Edgar, Swift [253] & Company. When Mr. Swift retired Mr. Edgar formed a partnership with Mr. Charles Coristine under the firm name of Edgar, Coristine & Company, which relation was maintained for four years, after which Mr. Edgar continued the business alone until 1912, when he retired. He was one of the prominent furriers of the city, developing and building up a business of extensive proportions, and in commercial affairs his judgment was sound, his enterprise keen and his diligence unfaltering.
In Montreal Mr. Edgar was united in marriage to Miss Selina Kidner and unto them were born five children, three sons and two daughters: John Hamilton, who is connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway; Frank Clifton, connected with the Royal Bank of Canada at Montreal; William Dewar, of the custom house of Montreal; Katie Selina; and Lillian Maud. The death of the husband and father occurred September 12, 1913, and was the occasion of deep regret to many with whom he had been closely associated in business and social circles. In politics he was a conservative but without aspiration for public office. He belonged to the Royal Albert Lodge of Masons and was a faithful member of the Church of St. James the Apostle. In those connections are indicated the principles which governed his life and guided him in all of his relations.
Camille Tessier, a young man possessed of laudable ambition and determination, is making continuous progress in the field of his chosen profession—that of the practice of law. He was born at Berthierville, Quebec, July 26, 1887, a son of Dominique and Odile (Des Rosiers) Tessier, the former a merchant at Berthierville. He is descended from French ancestors who landed here with the pioneers of the country. Like the greater part of Canada’s first inhabitants, they were farmers and spent their whole lives in cultivating the lands which they had first courageously conquered from the wilderness and from the forest on the north side of the St. Lawrence river, thus contributing in large measure to the actual prosperity of the country.
Camille Tessier was accorded liberal educational opportunities, which he improved, thus laying a broad foundation for his later success. He pursued a course in the commercial college of Berthierville, was a student in the Seminary of Joliette, attended St. Mary’s College at Montreal, Laval University at Montreal, in which he pursued his classical and professional courses, winning the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. He subsequently attended Eastman’s Business College of Poughkeepsie, New York. As advocate, barrister and solicitor he is making for himself a creditable position in professional ranks. He has been a member of the Montreal bar since the 7th of July, 1910, and the thoroughness and care with which he prepares his cases and the logic of his deductions have gained him rank among those who are winning success in the difficult and arduous profession to which he devotes his energies. He makes a specialty of commercial law and is a member of the Commercial Law League of America. He is working his way to success vigorously but quietly and honestly. Mr. Tessier is a member of the Roman Catholic church. He was married [254] in Montreal, on the 28th of January, 1913, to Edmee Paquette, and they have one child, Jean Marcel, born in Outremont on the 28th of October, 1913. His courage and a laudable ambition of living a life of usefulness to his family and to his country have brought Mr. Tessier the high regard of associates and all who know aught of his career.
The life record of Charles Gideon Hill constitutes an illustration of what the new world has to offer to ambitious young men. Coming to Canada as an orphan boy, he steadily worked his way upward, each forward step bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. He became in time a successful merchant of Montreal and in later years devoted his time to the supervision of his invested interests, which included large property holdings and stock in many financial and commercial enterprises. He was seventy-six years of age at the time of his death, which occurred on the 12th of June, 1893, at the old home at No. 247 Bleury Street, where he had lived for more than half a century. He was born in England, but lost his father and mother when quite young, after which he crossed the Atlantic and for a time resided in New York. He afterward came to Montreal and gradually he worked his way upward in a business way, realizing at the outset of his career, that industry and honesty constitute the foundation upon which success is built. In time he was the proprietor of a small dry-goods establishment on St. Paul Street and conducted it successfully for many years, but about 1870, retired from commercial circles in order to supervise his large estate which also included the estate of William Galt. From time to time he became interested in business enterprises, holding stock in many leading financial and commercial concerns. His judgment was sound, his sagacity keen and in the control of important interests he established his position as one of the leading and capable business men of the city.
On the 19th of August, 1840, Mr. Hill was united in marriage to Miss Margaret J. Galt, a daughter of William Galt, who for many years was one of the leading citizens of Montreal. He engaged in the tanning business near Glasgow, Quebec, and amassed a very considerable fortune. Following his death, Mr. Hill retired from commercial interests to supervise the Galt estate. To Mr. and Mrs. Hill were born eleven children, eight of whom reached adult age. These children were: William Galt, deceased; Charles G., who also has passed away; Margaret Ewing, the widow of G. M. Patterson, residing in Cleveland, Ohio; Robert Ewing, deceased; Adelaide, who married Samuel P. Wigg and resides in Lakefield, Ontario; Lewis E., deceased; Helena Augusta, residing in Montreal; Jean Elizabeth, now Mrs. E. A. Hilton; Peter Alexander; Emma Louise, who married Albert A. Adams and is deceased; and Dr. Adolphus James Hill, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hill devoted the greatest care to rearing their large family and bestowed upon the children their tenderest love. Those who grew to adult’s estate were an honor to the family name and in full measure repaid the care of the parents, whom they ever held in reverent memory. It is due to the kind cooperation of Miss Helena A. Hill,—and to her the publishers are indebted,—that [259] they are able to present herewith the excellent steel etchings portraying her parents.
Mr. Hill attended services and held a pew in the First Baptist church and also in the Church of England, in the Cathedral. His membership was in the latter and his wife, who died in 1882, was a member of the former. Both were greatly esteemed and an extensive circle of friends indicated their worth and the high regard in which they were held.
Waldo W. Skinner, practicing at the Montreal bar as a member of the firm of Smith, Markey, Skinner, Pugsley & Hyde, was born at St. John, New Brunswick, a son of the late Hon. C. M. Skinner, K. C. His youthful days were largely devoted to the acquirement of an education in the schools of his native city and at Upper Canada College, Toronto, and having determined upon the practice of law as his life work, he entered McGill University in preparation for the bar, and was graduated B. C. L. in 1901. In 1913 Mr. Skinner was created a king’s counsel. The year following his graduation he entered upon the active work of his profession and his course has been marked by continuous progress. He is now associated with one of the leading law firms of the city, Smith, Markey, Skinner, Pugsley & Hyde, and is actively interested in much important litigation, in connection with which he is retained as counsel for the defense or prosecution. From the outset of his career he has recognized the fact that careful preparation is one of the indispensable elements of success, so that thorough work precedes his presentation of his cause in the courtroom. His reasoning is clear and cogent and his arguments strong and forceful.
In June, 1907, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Skinner and Miss Loulou Forget, the eldest daughter of the late Hon. L. J. Forget, senator. Mr. Skinner in his social relations is well known, being a member of the Mount Royal, St. James and Montreal Clubs, while his interest in sports is further indicated in his membership in the Montreal Racquet and Royal Montreal Golf Cubs. Attractive social qualities render him popular in those organizations, in which he has gained many friends.
Organization is the watchword of the age. Promotion in every field of endeavor is brought about through the agency of organized effort and cooperation, and thorough study of each situation constitutes the basis of effort in this direction. This spirit and tendency of the age has led to the formation of many companies or societies for the benefit of business interests and it is in this connection that Thomas Robb is known, being manager and secretary of the Shipping Federation of Canada. A native of Scotland, he was born in the city of Glasgow in the year 1863, his father being the late Thomas Robb, who for some years [260] was superintendent of police in Glasgow. Spending his youthful days in that city, the son pursued his education in the public schools and in the Glasgow Academy. Mr. Robb came to Canada first in 1883 and spent one year at farming in the Niagara district. Returning to England he became identified with the shipping interests and in connection therewith was located at different periods in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. He returned to Canada in 1902 and upon the organization of the Shipping Federation of Canada, which is incorporated by act of the Dominion parliament, he was chosen manager and secretary. He still continues in the dual position, his efforts being of marked value to the organization in promoting its object and accomplishing its purpose as he is actively engaged in all matters relating to navigation and shipping. In 1913 Mr. Robb was appointed member of the royal commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the “Law Respecting Pilotage” and its administration in the pilotage district of Montreal and Quebec.
In 1891 Mr. Robb was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth McLaren, a daughter of Andrew McLaren. Their religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Robb belongs to St. Andrew’s Society. He is a justice of the peace for Montreal and district. He is likewise a member of the Engineers Club and of the Canadian Club and has gained the warm friendship of many in both organizations.
Hon. John Joseph Curran, barrister, jurist and orator, whose life record was an honor to the land of his ancestors and to the land of his birth was born in Montreal, February 22, 1842, his parents being Charles and Sarah (Kennedy) Curran, both natives of Ireland, the former born in County Down and the latter in County Wexford. Emigrating to the new world they retained the intense love of native land, so characteristic of the Irish race and instilled the same deep attachment into their son, who with his increasing age and powers gave freely of his time and talents for the benefit of Erin’s green isle.
In the pursuit of his education Judge Curran attended a Jesuit school and St. Mary’s College at Montreal, where he entered upon a classical course. He afterward became a student in St. Joseph’s College at Ottawa and in 1891 the University of Ottawa conferred upon him the LL. D. degree. In the continuance of his education, he entered McGill University as a student in the law department and won his D. C. L. degree in 1862. It was in the spring of 1859 that he began preparation for the bar, reading at times under the direction of such distinguished lawyers as Bernard Devlin, Hon. T. J. J. Loranger and Andrew Robertson, K. C. While pursuing his classical courses he cultivated a taste for literature and oratory and in his student days developed the natural gifts that in course of time made him one of the foremost Canadian orators. It was also in his early manhood that he joined the Irish national movement and thus his life was taking shape along those lines which were to make him a power in moulding the history of province and country.
The year following his graduation from McGill, or in 1863, he was called to the bar of Quebec. No dreary novitiate awaited him. Almost immediately his talents won him recognition and he gained prominence as one of the younger members of the profession, by the important part which he took in the conduct of a number of notable criminal cases, including the Shehan, Havern, Kehoe and Considine murder cases and the Dunbar, Brown, Kearney and T. F. O’Brien frauds.
It is said that he had no superior in the conduct of election cases. He was successful in the Devlin-Ryan, Tansey-Malone and the James McShane-Loprairie contests and all these drew to him the attention and favorable comment of the profession. He was equally capable in the practice of civil law and was the legal representative of some of the largest contractors of the continent including men prominent in business in New York, Ottawa and Montreal. His legal counsel was sought by men of prominence again and again. Probably his last appearance as an advocate was when he represented the Dominion government in an arbitration with the province, the case being heard in the city of Quebec about 1894.
Judge Curran was created a king’s counsel by the Marquis of Lorne and was appointed secretary of the commission for the codification of the statutes of the first De Boucherville government. He was called to judiciary honor when made a puisne judge of the superior court, December 5, 1892. He was appointed solicitor general in the ministry of Sir John Thomas and continued to hold that office after Sir Mackenzie Bowell became premier. A contemporary writer said, “on the occasion of his appointment his lordship was congratulated by the press without distinction of party, both on public and personal grounds in acknowledgment of his ‘indefatigable efforts to promote the interests of his constituents’ and he was presented in 1890, chiefly by citizens in Montreal, with a purse of seven thousand dollars.” Judge Curran remained upon the bench for fourteen years and proved himself the peer of the ablest jurist who has gained the superior court bench. There were those who opposed him in the beginning, but all came to acknowledge his capability, his record being a credit and honor to the bench. His opinions were models of judicial soundness and his record as a jurist was such as any man might be proud to possess.
Politically his lordship was a liberal-conservative and he rendered valuable service to his party. He was elected by a large majority for Montreal Center to the house of commons in 1882, 1887 and again in 1891, and upon his appointment to the solicitor generalship of Canada in 1892 he was reelected by acclamation.
On the organization of a law faculty in connection with the University of Ottawa in 1892 Judge Curran was appointed to one of the legal chairs and elected vice dean. He was also a member of the senate of that university and president of its Alumni Association. As an orator he swayed all by his eloquence. He gained high rank as a lecturer and was frequently called upon to address public gatherings.
In religious faith Judge Curran was a most earnest Catholic and was ever watchful of opportunity to assist those of his faith in public or in private. While his health permitted he never failed to appear annually with his colleagues of the bench and bar in the Tete Dieu procession and his piety and devotion in the closing years of his life were an encouragement to the old and an edifying [264] example for the young. As a Canadian his life work was one of conciliation and he strove to promote harmony between all creeds and colors. He accepted invitations to address gatherings of foreign colonists, and the Jews, Germans and Italians knew him well, while among the people of his nationality he was not only loved but respected. He yielded to none in the breadth of his sympathy and generous desire for the union of all denominations in the best and noblest objects. Following his elevation to the bench he said “that as a public man it had been his constant aim to bring about the union of hearts and minds among all creeds and classes,” and “he was satisfied that if we desired to have a prosperous country with a happy and contented people we could only secure those blessings by all creeds and classes uniting together for one common end, ‘the advancement and welfare of Canada and the empire.’” In August, 1896, Judge Curran was elected a delegate to the Irish Race convention, which met in Dublin in September of that year. He had previously been president of St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal and prior to his elevation to the bench was one of the directors of the True Witness Publishing Company. After his trip to the old country in 1907 the Burns Club honored him with an invitation to a banquet and to respond to a toast to the memory of Robert Burns. On rising to speak he said, that all had become brothers the world over since men of such intense love for Old Scotia had, here in our happy Canadian home, called upon a descendant of old Ireland to do honor to the name and fame of Scotland’s greatest bard. There are few, indeed, who have greater love for the land which shelters their race than had Judge Curran. He was perfectly familiar with Irish history, was a reader of Irish literature and a lover of Irish music, and he was an ardent and unflinching advocate of home rule.
In 1865 Judge Curran married Mary Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of the late Patrick Brennan of Montreal. His third son, Francis Joseph Curran, following his graduation from Manhattan University of New York and McGill University of Montreal, was called to the bar of his native province.
Something of the position which Judge Curran occupied in public regard is indicated in works written of him ere his demise, which occurred on October 1, 1909. Morgan in his volume of Canadian Men and Women said, “by the Irish community of Montreal he was regarded as one who had stood the test of devotion to their common fatherland, but it is to Canada that he has given his best service and by his fellow-Canadians, without distinction of origin or creed, he is held in the highest esteem and honor.” A Montreal citizen wrote of him, “he bears a character without reproach and is as popular in legal and political circles as he is respected.” The Montreal Gazette said editorially, “no constituency in Canada has ever had a representative who gave up more of his time, his talent and his energy to the promotion of its interests than did Mr. Curran during the thirteen years he has enjoyed the confidence of his electors. His genial kindly nature, his large-heartedness, his conspicuous liberality of mind, absolutely free from every trace of bigotry, and his splendid oratorical powers caused him to be in constant requisition whenever men were gathered together in the promotion of worthy objects for the discussion of public affairs or the advancement of the material and social welfare of the country.” The Montreal Herald concluded an admirable eulogy with the following paragraph: [265] “Unselfishness and genuine consideration for others, probably explained his personal popularity and his political success. He used to say that the man in public life erred in dodging office seekers. ‘When I saw one who looked as if he wanted to get at me I always went to him first, and gave him his chance to speak,’ he once explained. He gave freely of his presence where he thought a good cause could be served, or a good example be set. He did his duty, as he saw it, without flinching. He was a good citizen, and he leaves a name to be held in honor.”
Pierre-Chrysologue Lacasse, who follows the profession of notary in Montreal, is widely and favorably known in this city. He enjoys a representative clientele and his practice is extensive as he has gained a wide reputation on account of his extensive knowledge, which is based on a thorough education. The Lacasse family is an old and distinguished one in Canada, the first ancestor to come to this country being Antoine Lacasse, also called Casse or Cassé, who came to this country from Douai (French Flanders) about 1650, or more correctly, between 1639 and 1665. This statement is based upon a reference made in an appendix to the History of Canada by Abbé Ferland. The paternal grandfather, François Lacasse, was born at St. Vincent de Paul (Jesus Island) and the forefathers were born in the same parish. The maternal grandfather, Joseph Brissette, was a native of St. Cuthbert, of the county of Berthier, where his ancestors also were born. The father of our subject, Narcisse Lacasse, was born on February 5, 1821, of the marriage of François Lacasse with Thérèse Bastien and died on December 27, 1892. He was a notary, receiving his commission on June 15, 1849. The mother, Mathilde Brissette, was born on November 1, 1820, a daughter of Joseph Brissette and Marie Lavoie. She died in Montreal on August 29, 1911, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-one years. The father followed his occupation in the parish of Ste. Elizabeth, in the county of Joliette, where his wife was born.
Pierre-Chrysologue Lacasse was born on January 7, 1866, at Ste. Elizabeth, county of Joliette, in the province of Quebec, and in the acquirement of his education attended the model school of Ste. Elizabeth, also receiving private tuition. In furtherance of his knowledge he then attended Joliette College, now known as the Seminary of Joliette, and Laval University at Montreal, graduating with the Bachelor of Arts degree from the latter institution in 1885. From the same institution he received his degree of LL. B. in 1891. However, on June 3, 1890, he had already been commissioned a notary and has followed that profession ever since. On January 29, 1891, he was admitted to the study of law for the profession of advocate. His professional reputation is of the very highest character and he has also extensively engaged in real estate and in dealing in bank and insurance stock. Among important estates which he has handled as testamentary executor were those of John Pratt, Thomas Philippe Barron, L. C. Gravel and others.
The position conceded him by the profession is evident from numerous important official and semi-official positions which he has held. He was elected a member of the board of notaries for the district of Montreal in 1897, 1900, 1903, 1906, 1909 and 1912. He was a member and afterwards president of the [266] committee of discipline and also of the committee of surveillance of said board and a member and afterwards president of the commission for the admission to the study of the notarial profession, which position he now holds. In his political views he is independent, giving his support to measures and candidates as dictated by his judgment. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church. Mr. Lacasse was connected with military life during a few years as lieutenant in Company 4, Eighty-third Battalion of Infantry of Joliette.
A man of wide experience and with a wide outlook upon life, he is interested along lines of endeavor that touch upon the progress of the city and can always be found among those who loyally support any movement undertaken for public betterment. He is highly respected and esteemed in the city where he is widely known and enjoys the confidence and good-will of the foremost citizens of Montreal.
The tendency of the age is toward specialization and the professional man who achieves distinction usually concentrates his efforts not upon the broad field of his profession but upon some particular branch thereof, and thus develops a proficiency which he could not otherwise hope to attain. Such was the record of Dr. Arthur A. Browne, educator and practitioner, who gained eminence as an obstetrician. He practiced for more than forty years in Montreal, entering upon the active work of the profession in early manhood. He was born in Eastern township, in 1848, and was descended from Irish parentage, and of a family whose name figures prominently in military circles. His more specifically literary course was completed by graduation from McGill with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1866. A year or two thereafter was devoted to business but feeling that a professional career would prove more congenial, he entered upon the study of medicine and was graduated M. D., C. M., in 1872. He then spent a year abroad, during which time he investigated the methods of eminent physicians and surgeons of the old world, after which he opened an office in Montreal. The usual experiences of the professional man were his. He had to work his way upward in face of competition with men who had long been in the profession and had well established reputations. The conscientious care which he gave to the cases entrusted to him at length won him recognition and his practice grew until it became one of the largest in the city. As time passed he concentrated his efforts more largely upon obstetrical diseases until he gained a wide and most enviable reputation in that field, his opinions coming to be regarded as authority upon many involved and intricate questions relating thereto. In 1883 he was appointed professor of obstetrics at McGill University, succeeding the late Professor Duncan MacCallum, at the same time taking charge of the University Maternity Hospital. Three years later, however, owing to his growing practice, already extensive, and his distaste for the drudgery of teaching, he resigned his professorship. Yet, he was always intensely interested in McGill and her welfare, and no function held by the medical department was thought to be complete if Dr. Browne was absent. He was not only thoroughly informed concerning his [267] chosen calling but possessed a fine literary mind and his broad reading made him one of the best informed men on general literature among the practitioners of medicine and surgery in Montreal. He was a student of the classics, and all these things had influence to make him a noble-minded man, whose life exemplified the high principles which constituted the basis of his character. He possessed an artistic taste that found expression in his intense admiration of the beautiful in both art and nature. Moreover, keen sympathy was one of his strongly marked traits and featured as one of the elements of his success. He might well be called “the beloved physician,” for his cheery presence as well as his scientific skill brought comfort and assurance to many households. He inspired and encouraged his patients and thus assisted them far on the road to recovery.
In Montreal, in 1878, Dr. Browne was married to Miss Jane Labatt, of London, Ontario, and their children were: H. Dalzell, of Montreal; R. Russell, of Bassano, Alberta; Captain G. Sackville Browne, of B Battery, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, of Kingston; and F. Dora.
Dr. Browne held membership with the Masonic fraternity and in his life exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft. He had passed the sixty-second milestone on life’s journey when his death occurred January 26, 1910. His eminent ability gained him honor, his kindliness and consideration won him gratitude and friendship; and thus it is that his memory is cherished and remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him.
Important corporation and financial interests have felt the stimulus of the enterprise, keen business insight and intellectual force of Thomas McDougall, who is known in literary as well as financial circles. He was born at Three Rivers, P. Q., May 21, 1843, a son of the late John McDougall, a merchant of Three Rivers, who sat in the Canadian parliament from 1851 until 1854 and a brother of the late Hon. Justice McDougall of Aylmer, P. Q. For many years Thomas McDougall was in the service of the Quebec Bank and was agent of that institution in 1870. Later he became manager at Montreal and in 1894 was made assistant general manager, from which position he was advanced to that of general manager in December of the same year. He continued actively in control of the extensive and important financial interests that came under his guidance until 1909, when he resigned but remained a director of the bank. With him close reasoning has become habitual, and he has therefore found ready solution for difficult and involved financial problems. He was chairman of the clearing house at Montreal and was active in the meeting of bankers, convened to revise the banking act in 1890. In 1898-9 he was president of the Canadian Bankers Association, which indicates his place of prominence and influence in the moneyed circles of the country. He is still a member of the advisory board of the Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, is vice president of the Shawinigan Water & Power Company and a director of the Asbestos Corporation of Canada.
In many public connections outside the field of business and finance his name has figured prominently and his labors have been effectively and helpfully felt. [268] In 1908 he was the general treasurer of the Quebec tercentenary committee. He possesses literary taste in high degree. He has written on banks, bankers and banking, being the author of a well known article entitled, T. Pomponius Atticus, a Roman Banker.
Mr. McDougall was married at Three Rivers, P. Q., to Miss Helen Baptist, a daughter of the late George Baptist. His religious connection is with the Presbyterian church and in club circles he is well known as a member of the St. James Club of Montreal and the Quebec Garrison Club of Quebec. His social qualities and marked ability along many lines as well as his important business interests have gained him the prominence which is today his.
Jean Baptiste David Legare, one of the most successful real-estate promoters in the city of Montreal, was born in the parish of Sillery, near Quebec, June 7, 1865. Fortune did not smile on him for many years. His father having died when the son was an infant of but three months, he was reared in the home of his maternal grandfather, F. Cote, of St. Foy. While there he acquired his elementary education and later attended the academies at Sillery and Quebec. Manifesting laudable ambition from early youth, at the age of eighteen years he began business life as a clerk in the general store of Louis Bourget in Quebec. Subsequently he was employed in the wholesale dry-goods houses of P. Garneau and William McLimont & Sons in Quebec. Later he became a representative of large grain and flour mills and also became proprietor of a wine and vinegar manufactory in Quebec. Fate was against him and he failed for seventy-two thousand dollars. This would have utterly discouraged and disheartened many a man of less resolute spirit, but an optimistic nature would not allow Mr. Legare to acknowledge defeat and still held before him the promise of later success. He then engaged in promoting various undertakings in Quebec, but still the results were not such as were desired.
In 1908 Mr. Legare came to Montreal and continued in the promoting business, making a specialty of real estate. This proved to be the turning point in the career of Mr. Legare and he has since gradually but surely advanced to the goal of success. In the past five years he has made over three hundred thousand dollars and when the sum he had acquired was sufficient to cancel all of his indebtedness he made a special journey to Quebec for that purpose. Mr. Legare says that through all of the dark days, when the storm clouds gathered about him that threatened disaster and defeat, it was his wife’s encouragement and her faith in his future that buoyed him up and made possible his ultimate prosperity.
The principal companies which Mr. Legare has successfully promoted during the past five years are: The Greater Montreal Land Investment Company, Limited; and The Chateauguay Garden City Company, Limited. He was also the promoter of the town of Chateauguay. He is the owner of twenty-seven lakes on the seigniory of Mille Isles and the water rights pertaining thereto. A strong man physically and mentally, his optimistic temperament makes him an ideal [271] promoter. The various business enterprises which he has promoted during his career have contributed a great deal toward the development of the natural resources of the Dominion.
Mr. Legare was married in Quebec, in 1891, to Alda Garneau, daughter of Charles Garneau, ex-sergeant of arms of the Quebec assembly. Upon the maternal side she is descended from the De Villers and the De Lachevrotiere families, both being of the noblest families of France. Mr. and Mrs. Legare are parents of a daughter, Yvonne, who was married in 1913 to Dr. Rene Turcot, and they reside in Quebec.
One of the greatest individual forces in the promulgation of Baptist doctrines in Canada, a man who has worked long and earnestly in the promotion and spread of Baptist principles, giving of his unusual talents, his great energy and tireless labor to the cause, is Rev. John Alexander Gordon, for fourteen years pastor of the First Baptist church in Montreal and now the incumbent of the chair of pastoral theology at Brandon Theological College, active in the work of the foreign missionary societies and in the spread of temperance doctrines throughout the Dominion.
Dr. Gordon is of Scottish ancestry and was born in Uigg, Prince Edward Island. He acquired his early education in the public and high schools of his native province and in Acadia University, graduating with the degree of B. A., and acquired his theological training in the Newton Theological Seminary in Newton, Massachusetts. He was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1875 and has since been prominent and active in the work of the Baptist church. He received the honorary degree of M. A. from Acadia College in 1894 and the honorary degree of D. D. from the same institution in 1904. Previous to his ordination he had been engaged in the mercantile and commission business at Montague, Prince Edward Island, and his first ministerial charge was as pastor of the church in that community. He was afterward called to Milton church, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where he remained from 1880 to 1885, after which he went to St. John, New Brunswick, serving as pastor of the Leinster Street Baptist church, and from there went to the First Baptist church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, remaining there until 1893, when he became pastor of the Main Street Baptist church at Charlottetown. In 1899 he was called to Montreal as minister of the First Baptist church of this city, a position which he held until June, 1913, when he accepted the chair of pastoral theology at Brandon Theological College. Dr. Gordon has been found most earnest, zealous and consecrated in his work and has been carried forward by the force of his ability and the extent of his interests into important relations with religious work of many kinds, notably that of the local branch of the Lord’s Day Alliance, of which he is vice president; the Prisoners’ Aid Association, of which he is also vice president; the Grand Ligne Missionary Society, of which he is president; and the Maritime Baptist Union. No individual has done more powerful or effective work than he in the propagation of Baptist doctrines or in the promotion of the church’s interests [272] for he was in 1906 appointed a member of the committee on Church Union and two years later was one of the promoters and a member of the committee which organized the Baptist Union. He is a governor of Acadia University and is especially interested in the work of the Foreign Mission Board of Ontario and Quebec, of the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Moral and Social Reform Council. He has written a “History of the First Baptist Church of Montreal,” published in 1906, and in August, 1908, entered a vigorous protest against the celebration of high mass on the Plains of Abraham as a part of the tercentenary celebration.
Dr. Gordon married at Kingsborough, Prince Edward Island, Margaret Ford, eldest daughter of the late John Ford, and to them were born five sons: John, a resident of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Dr. Alvah H., of Montreal; Peter W., of Calgary; Herbert F., of Winnipeg; and Walter H., city editor of The Gazette of Montreal. Dr. Gordon has been a lifelong temperance worker and reformer and has accomplished a great deal of excellent work along this line, being uncompromising in his attitude toward the liquor evil and battling against it always to the extent of his great ability. In Montreal he is known as a man whose actions conform closely to his principles and whose energy, aggressiveness and untiring activity have been elements in the accomplishment of great and lasting work.
Charles Henry Gould, librarian of McGill University and president of the American Library Association, 1908-09, is son of Joseph G. and Abigail (DeWitt) Gould, the latter a daughter of the late Jacob DeWitt, M. P., of Montreal. Born in Montreal on the 6th of December, 1855, Charles H. Gould pursued his education in the city schools through successive grades until he completed the high school course, after which he entered McGill University and was graduated B. A. with first rank honors in 1877, also winning the Chapman medal in classics. Through the succeeding scholastic year he devoted some time to post-graduate work in physics. With the completion of his education he entered business circles, in which he continued for several years. He afterward took up the study of library economy and also spent some time in travel before entering upon his present connection as librarian of McGill University. For twenty years he has filled his present position with eminent ability, having entered upon his duties in September, 1893. He was made governor’s fellow in 1891. There is no Canadian, perhaps, who has made a more thorough study of the work and opportunities of the librarian than has Charles Henry Gould, and realizing the deficiencies of many who undertake the librarian’s task, he founded the McGill School for Librarians in 1904. His prominence in his chosen field is indicated in his election to the first vice presidency of the American Library Association for 1907 and 1908 and his subsequent election to the presidency for 1908-9. He has continued his labors at McGill although offered the appointment of associate librarian of the public library of Brooklyn, New York, in 1908, and that of librarian of the Toronto public library. A fellow of the American Library Institute, he belongs to the [273] Champlain Society, was president of the Bibliographical Society of America 1912-13 and is a member of other bodies which have for their basis the promotion of scientific and literary knowledge. He is also a member of the University Club, and the Canada Journal names him as a loyal and valuable citizen.
Specializing in the field of civil and commercial law, Donat Brodeur has gained recognition as a man capable of handling intricate and involved legal problems. He is a native of Montreal, born in March, 1863. His preliminary education was acquired in St. Mary’s Jesuit College, with the later professional course in Laval University, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. C. L. with the class of 1887. He was called to the bar at the beginning of the succeeding year, and since that date he has practiced his profession continuously in this city, now covering a period of a quarter of a century. Each year has found him in a point in advance of that which he occupied the previous year both in knowledge and in the nature and importance of his practice. He is a well known writer on legal subjects and a frequent contributor to legal periodicals. He has also lectured on law topics before the Canadian Accountants Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He has ever been a student of his profession, constantly broadening his knowledge by wide reading and research, and the care and precision with which he prepares his cases constitute a strong element in his success.
Attractive social qualities are the basis of his personal popularity, making him a valued member of different social organizations.
Robert Fowler, a merchant, was born in Montreal, November 17, 1851, and died in April, 1903. He was a son of Robert J. Fowler, who was born in England in 1818 and was educated there. He was brought up in the cathedral, having from the age of ten years made his own way, becoming a choir boy in the church. In 1847 he crossed the Atlantic going to Sorel, Canada, with Sir Benjamin Levine and his staff, to teach the daughters music. In 1849 he came to Montreal and was the first instructor of the city to hold musicales. For forty years he was professor of music in the normal school and at different times was organist in nearly all of the churches of the city. He could play any instrument and was recognized as the best instructor in music, by far, of his day. He was also known to some extent as a composer and, in a word, his musical talent was highly developed, while his professional labors and influence were an element in promoting and cultivating musical tastes and standards in the city. His was an artistic nature. He wielded the painter’s brush with skill and he was, moreover, a great naturalist. He took deep interest in the city’s improvement and in all projects for civic betterment. He held membership in Christ Church Cathedral, renting [274] a pew there for thirty-five years. His life thus became a potent force in the artistic and moral progress of the city. He was married in Weymouth, England, to Miss Annie Wadsworth and they became the parents of five children, who reached adult age but only one, Annie, is now living. The others were William, Susan, Robert and John Henry. The death of the father occurred March 14, 1900, and the mother passed away in 1911.
Robert Fowler supplemented a public-school course by study in the normal school of Montreal and started in the business world as an employe in Robertson’s dry-goods store, in which he acquainted himself with every phase of the business and gained practical experience which made him a successful merchant when he started out on his own account.
He carefully saved his earnings until his frugality and economy had brought him sufficient capital to become a partner in the purchase of a stock of goods and the establishment of a store. The firm of Fowler & Leishman was then organized for the conduct of a retail dry-goods business and after a few years Mr. Fowler was able to purchase his partner’s interest becoming sole proprietor. He then devoted his entire time to the business and enjoyed a liberal patronage, deriving a fair and gratifying profit from his investment.
In Montreal in 1892, occurred the marriage of Robert Fowler and Miss Amy Hamilton, a daughter of Robert Hamilton. Their three children were Gordon, Wallace and Doris.
Mr. Fowler belonged to the Episcopal church and to its teachings was loyal and faithful. He was a member of the Philharmonic Club. He manifested the qualities of good citizenship and was devoted to the welfare of his family, who, when he passed away in April, 1903, lost a loving and generous husband and father, while his associates mourned the death of a loyal, faithful friend.
The history of Montreal’s architectural development would be incomplete were there failure to make reference to Alexander Cowper Hutchison, who, though in his seventy-seventh year, is yet active in his profession in which he has long been a recognized leader. His position today is that of consulting architect and his utterances are accepted as words of wisdom by younger representatives of the profession. Mr. Hutchison is one of the old-time residents of Montreal. In fact, his entire life has here been passed with the exception of a period of three years spent in Ottawa, Ontario. He has seen this city develop from less than forty thousand to a metropolitan center of over six hundred thousand inhabitants.
Mr. Hutchison was born April 2, 1838, on the east side of Queen Street between Wellington and William Streets, at Montreal and many years later it fell to his lot in the course of his business, to tear down the old house in which his birth had occurred, this being done to make room for the Ives and Allen warehouse which was erected upon that site. He comes of old Scotch ancestry. His father was William Hutchison who came from Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a builder in Montreal and afterward was connected with the public works [277] department. The mother, whose maiden name was Helen Campbell Hall, was also a native of Ayrshire, Scotland.
Such schools as existed in Montreal during his youthful days provided Alexander Cowper Hutchison with his educational opportunities. When but a boy of twelve years he began to learn the stone-cutter’s trade under the direction of his father and during the winter months for two or three years after he had commenced work he attended the school conducted by the late C. P. Watson. Subsequently he became a student in night school and devoted all of his spare time to study, having come to a full realization of the value of education. He possessed an inherited talent for drawing and to develop his powers in that direction he attended drawing classes that were conducted at the Mechanics’ Institute. He had made rapid progress from the very first as a stone-cutter and displayed exceptional ability and skill in that direction.
When scarcely out of his teens he was placed in charge of the cut stone work on Christ Church Cathedral and some of the finest stone work around the altar in that edifice was cut by him before he had attained his majority. After the completion of that building he was placed in charge of the cut stone work of the eastern block of the parliament buildings at Ottawa during their erection, his efforts in that connection continuing through the year 1862. While engaged in that work he successfully conducted classes in drawing which were largely attended. On the completion of the government buildings he was called to Montreal to conduct classes in connection with the Mechanics’ Institute, giving instructions in architectural and geometric drawing. These classes were afterward transferred to the Board of Arts and Manufacturers and it was while connected therewith that he took up the active practice of his profession which he followed for many years. The beauty and utility which have always been salient features of his designs are evident in many of the principal buildings of Montreal.
Among the many structures designed by Mr. Hutchison independently or in a partnership relation, and which stand as monuments to his skill and ingenuity may be mentioned: Redpath Museum; McGill University; Erskine church; Crescent Street Presbyterian church; Warren Memorial church at Louisville, Kentucky; St. Andrew’s church, at Westmount; Montreal high school and a number of other school buildings; Royal Insurance building; London & Liverpool & Globe Insurance Company’s building; Canadian Express Company’s building; La Presse building; Queen’s Hall block; Henry Birks & Sons’ building; Lord Strathcona’s residence; Macdonald College buildings at Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, as well as a large number of residences in Montreal and elsewhere together with many warehouses, factories etc. One of the most recent expressions of his architectural skill is seen in the Chalmers church at Ottawa. He has not only practiced his profession as one of its active followers, but has also gained renown as an educator in his special field. He has lectured on ecclesiastical architecture before the Presbyterian College of Montreal and he was one of the original members, selected by its founder, the Marquis of Lorne, of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, and remained its vice president until 1907, when he resigned. He has likewise been honored with the presidency of the Quebec Architects’ Association, of which he was one of the founders, and thus has come to him direct recognition of the honor and respect entertained for him by the profession.
In political affairs Mr. Hutchison has taken a prominent part but never as a party leader in the commonly accepted sense of the term. With him men and measures have ever been considered before partisanship, and the public welfare has ever stood before personal aggrandizement. For years he was a member of the council and was the second mayor of Cote St. Antoine, now Westmount. His deep interest in and loyalty to the cause of education was demonstrated in his eighteen years of service as a school trustee. For a number of years he was a member of No. 5 Queen’s Company Volunteer Fire Brigade. He was likewise a member of the First Company Rifles which was originally an independent company and afterwards became the First Company of Prince of Wales’ Regiment. He was also an officer in a rifle company in Ottawa, while subsequently he became an officer of the Montreal Engineers, retiring with the rank of lieutenant. He took part in the Fenian raids of 1866 and 1870 and was accorded the Queen’s medal.
Mr. Hutchison manifested great interest in church work. He was formerly an elder in Erskine church, but afterward became connected with St. Andrew’s church at Westmount, which had previously been known as Melville church but differences of opinion caused a split in the congregation and the portion that left took the name with them. St. Andrew’s church was then organized and remained on the old site, at the corner of Stanton and Cote St. Antoine road. Mr. Hutchison was one of its founders and since the organization of this church has taken a most prominent part in its affairs. He has been an elder for many years, was superintendent of the Sunday school for thirty years and since 1886 has continuously served as session clerk. He is a member of the board of managers of the Montreal Presbyterian College and was a member of the national committee of the Presbyterian Laymen’s Missionary movement in 1909. He has likewise served as president of the Provincial Sunday School Union of Quebec.
No good work done in the name of charity or religion has ever sought his aid in vain, and his broad humanitarianism has been manifest in his helpful support of many movements to benefit the poor and needy or ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate. He is a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, governor of the Western Hospital, and president of the Protestant House of Industry and Refuge. He is an ex-president of the Canadian branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and of the Montreal Caledonian Curling Club, being now honorary president of the latter and an ex-president of the Heather Curling Club of Westmount. He was a warm personal friend of the late Hon. Alexander Mackenzie and he counts among his close associates many of the most distinguished and eminent residents of Montreal and the province. The Ottawa Free Press has termed him “one of Montreal’s best known and most honored citizens.” He has long occupied positions of distinction, not only by reason of what he has accomplished along professional lines, but also owing to the fact that he has made his life of signal service and benefit to his fellowmen in his support of benevolent and religious plans and projects. His life has ever been actuated by the highest principles of honor and no citizen of Montreal is more worthy of high regard.
On the 10th of July, 1862, in Cobourg, Ontario, Mr. Hutchison was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Burnet of that place, and they celebrated their golden wedding in July, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison have two sons and one daughter: William B., of the firm of Hutchison, Wood & Miller, architects, who is married; Charles Alexander, engaged in ornamental iron work, who is married and has two children, Margaret and Lorne; and Helen, the wife of George W. Wood of that firm. She has three sons: Alexander Campbell, George Arthur and Douglas Fletcher.
Mr. Hutchison resides at No. 240 Kensington Avenue and has lived in that immediate vicinity for nearly fifty years. During his boyhood his parents resided on the north side of St. James Street just a short distance west of Bleury Street which was then one of the attractive residential sections of the city and Mr. Hutchison relates some highly interesting incidents of those early days.
In 1865 when he took up his residence in what is now Westmount, that district was supposed to be far out in the country. In fact, the nearest residence, other than homes of farmers, was on Dorchester West near what is now Greene Street. While Mr. Hutchison has passed the seventy-sixth milestone upon life’s journey, he is a well preserved man, active in mind and body. Regular in his habits, he has never tasted intoxicating liquors or used tobacco in any form. His great vitality has enabled him to withstand three very serious operations since reaching the age of seventy years and his complete recovery has attracted the attention of members of the medical profession. He is a splendid type of a high-minded gentleman of the old school, whose natural politeness and courtesy are in evidence at all times.
David W. Campbell, prominently connected with marine transportation interests, is now general agent in Canada for the Elder-Dempster Company in the South African and Mexican service. He was born in Montreal in 1861, a son of the late John and Sarah (Evans) Campbell, of this city. His youthful days were spent in his parents’ home and his education was completed in the Montreal high school. He comes of Scotch ancestry and in his career has manifested many of the sterling traits characteristic of the land of the heather. His initial step in business was made in the service of Thompson, Murray & Company, then managing agents of the Beaver line of steamships in Canada. Fidelity, industry and capability won him promotion from time to time and after twenty years’ continuous connection with the company he was appointed to the position of general manager in 1895. While acting in that capacity he was the first to establish a direct steamship service during the winter months to a Canadian port—that of St. John, New Brunswick. It was through his instrumentality that the vessels of the Beaver line were sold to the Elder-Dempster Company in 1898 and two years later, or in 1900, he became Canadian manager for the latter company. His efficiency in the field of steamship service management led to his selection, in 1903, for the position of general superintendent of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company’s Atlantic fleet of steamers at Montreal, in which position he [280] remained until June, 1905, when he resigned in order to take control for Canada of the interests of the Elder-Dempster Company in connection with the South African and Mexican service. He subsequently became general agent in Canada for the same company, and his efforts have greatly furthered its interests. He readily recognizes the possibilities of a situation, utilizes the opportunities that are presented and accomplishes substantial and gratifying results. He is a director of several shipping companies and is on the board of the Montreal Sailors’ Institute and the Shipping Federation of Canada, all of which are more or less directly connected with the line of business in which he has so long been engaged. Moreover, he has done much to popularize the St. Lawrence route. He is serving on the executive committee of the Canadian Shipping Federation, and his long experience with maritime interests well qualifies him to speak authoritatively upon matters with which the federation deals.
Mr. Campbell has for some years been a member of the Montreal Board of Trade, in 1910 was elected one of its councillors and in 1914 a vice president. He is also Cuban consul at Montreal.
In November, 1900, Mr. Campbell married Miss Emily Maud Baird, a daughter of the late H. N. Baird of Toronto. They hold membership in the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Campbell belongs to the St. James Club. He favors free trade with the Empire and has been a close student of many political situations and questions having to do with the welfare and progress of the Dominion. His opinions upon such questions are never lightly valued, for experience has developed in him sound judgment and keen discrimination.
Louis Dufour dit Latour, member of the real-estate firm of Latour & Guindon, with offices in the Versailles building, Montreal, was born in this city, June 15, 1867, a son of François Xavier Latour dit Dufour of Lavaltrie, P. Q., where he followed farming, and of Elizabeth (Prud’homme) Latour of St. Sulpice, P. Q. His great-grandfather was Michel Dufour dit Latour, a church builder, and his great-grandmother was Charlotte Du Moulin from France.
In the acquirement of his education Louis Dufour dit Latour attended the College of Chambly—the Brethren of Christian School, pursuing a commercial course. His early experience in business lines came to him as office boy with the Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Company, tinware and granite ware manufacturers of Montreal. He was in the employ of the company for twenty-six years, gradually working his way upward as his developing powers and ability prepared him for further activities and responsibilities. He served successively as custom house clerk, cashier, bookkeeper and as manager of the Montreal branch of the business, continuing in that position of responsibility for twelve years. No higher testimonial of his business integrity, enterprise and fidelity could be given than the fact that he remained with one company for over a quarter of a century. He left them in 1909 to open a real-estate office in connection with J. M. Guindon, a hardware merchant of Montreal, under the firm style of Latour & Guindon at No. 1202 Mount Royal East Street, where they remained from 1909 until 1913. [283] They then transferred their business to No. 52 St. James Street, retaining the old office, however, as a branch. In May, 1914, the offices were removed to the new Versailles building on St. James Street.
On the 28th of May, 1888, in Montreal, Mr. Latour was united in marriage to Miss Marie Joseph Leblanc, a daughter of Alphonse Leblanc and Aveline Amirault of L’Epiphanie, P. Q. Her grandfather was a pioneer of L’Epiphanie. Mr. and Mrs. Latour have three children: Lydia, the wife of Eugene Brissette, who is with La Patrie Publishing Company; René, a hardware merchant of Montreal; and Ernest, who holds a responsible position with The Mark Fisher Sons & Company, Limited.
The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church, and the political allegiance of Mr. Latour is given to the conservative party. That he is today one of the successful real-estate brokers of the city is attributable entirely to his own labors and his laudable ambition. Step by step he has worked his way upward, the trend of his orderly progression being easily discernible.
A man of deep learning, broad knowledge and scholarly attainments, of force, experience and capacity, Rev. Nathan Gordon has become known as one of the most able educators in Quebec province, and as one of the successful and consecrated workers among the Jewish people of Montreal. He was born in Odessa, Russia, and took his arts course in the Cincinnati University, from which he was graduated, B. A., in 1906. He is also a graduate of the Hebrew Union Theological College of that city and in 1909 received the degree of M. A. from McGill University.
Mr. Gordon came to Montreal in 1906, having been appointed in September of that year Rabbi of Temple Emmanu-El, and since that time he has accomplished a great deal of earnest and zealous work among the people of his congregation, who recognize him as a sincere, upright and God-fearing man. The church property is valued at one hundred thousand dollars, and the business affairs connected with its administration are ably conducted, Mr. Gordon assisting his associates by his executive skill and sound and practical judgment. Combining religious zeal with the ability necessary to make it effective among his people, he has indeed been a force for good at Temple Emmanu-El and an able propagator as well as a conserver of the doctrines in which he believes.
A scholar, a deep thinker and a broadly educated man, Mr. Gordon has long been an ardent student of Oriental languages and literature and has paid particular attention to the language of his own race, in which he is thoroughly proficient. In 1909 he was appointed lecturer on rabbinical and mediæval Jewish literature and instructor in Semitic languages at McGill University and in this position has done a great deal to promote a more general interest in these subjects and a more widespread knowledge of the customs, language and traditions of the Jews. An ardent champion of his race and an upholder of its creed, a foe to the injustices and wrongs which have continually oppressed it, he has supported the cause of the Hebrew people on every occasion and one of the most eloquent and telling [284] appeals on behalf of the nationalization of the Plains of Abraham came from him. The people of Temple Emmanu-El are fortunate in having at their head a man so fearless in conviction, so able in argument, so uncompromising in support of his professed beliefs, and the city of Montreal is fortunate also, having in Rabbi Gordon an upright, public-spirited and loyal citizen.
Edouard Cholette, a member of the notarial profession of Montreal, is a representative of one of the oldest French families of the city, tracing his ancestry back to Sebastian Cholette, who was born in 1679 and was married in Montreal on the 19th of October, 1705, to Miss Anne Hard. They became the parents of a large family. Edouard Cholette, born in Montreal on the 3d of April, 1880, is a son of L. E. A. and Marie Antoinette (Le Sieur) Cholette, and in the acquirement of his education attended St. Mary’s College, from which he was graduated in June, 1899. He completed a course in Laval University in June, 1903, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree for work done in the classical course and the Master of Laws degree, indicative of his preparation for the profession which he now follows. Since his graduation he has practiced in Montreal as a notary public and has been accorded liberal support.
In religious faith Mr. Cholette is a Roman Catholic. He is well known socially in the city where his entire life has been spent and is a valued member of the Canadian and St. Denis Clubs.
As vice president and managing director of the Riordon Pulp & Paper Company, Ltd., Carl Riordon occupies an important position in the commercial life of the city. He was born June 3, 1876, at St. Catharines, Ontario, and is a son of Charles and Edith (Ellis) Riordon. Carl Riordon was educated at Upper Canada College, Bishop Ridley College and Toronto University, where he took the degree of B. A. in 1896. He entered business fields in the Merritton mill, a property of the Riordon Paper Mills in St. Catharines, becoming connected with the sulphite department. He did work in the various departments of the concern and subsequently took charge of the repairs which were made on the Hawkesbury mill, of which he later became superintendent. In 1902 he returned to the Merritton mill in the capacity of manager and in 1906 was made general manager of the Riordon Paper Mills, which concern absorbed the business of G. H. Perley & Company in 1910, the firm adopting the name of the Riordon Paper Company and establishing headquarters at Montreal. In 1912 the Riordon Pulp & Paper Company took over the business of the former company. It is one of the foremost concerns of its kind in the Dominion. Mr. Riordon is vice president and managing director and is also director of The Mail Printing Company of Toronto and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company.
Mr. Riordon has an interesting military record to his credit, being gazetted second lieutenant in the Nineteenth St. Catharines Infantry Regiment in 1898. He was made captain in the following year and in 1901 became quartermaster with the honorary rank of captain. For some time he led B Company of that regiment. He retired in 1904.
Carl Riordon married on June 23, 1900, Miss Amy Louise Paterson, a daughter of the late Rev. Charles Paterson, of Port Hope, Ontario. To this union have been born five children: Charles Harold, Edith Amy, John Eric Benson, Mary Kathleen and Peter Hamilton.
In his religious faith Mr. Riordon is an Anglican. He is prominent in clubdom, being a member of the Mount Royal, the St. James, the University and the Hunt Clubs of Montreal; the Toronto Club of Toronto; and the British Empire Club of London, England. He also is a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Club of New York city. His political views incline him toward the conservative party and although his commercial interests are so extensive as to prevent active participation in governmental affairs, he shows great interest in matters of public importance. In the world of paper making his name is well known and he is considered one of the foremost authorities along that line. At a comparatively early age he has attained a position of importance and distinction. He is shrewd, able, energetic and technically highly trained and his success therefore is but natural, being typical of the younger Canadian business men of the most modern and progressive tendencies.
Among the successful business men of Montreal is Lawrence Leopold Henderson, general manager of the Montreal Transportation Company. He was born in Kingston, Ontario, March 5, 1866, a son of Peter Robertson and Henrietta Jane (Sweetland) Henderson, the former a merchant of Kingston, born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and the latter of English ancestry. The father died in 1895 and the mother in 1896.
Lawrence L. Henderson received his education in private schools and in the collegiate institute at Kingston. In 1884, at the age of eighteen, he entered the employ of the Montreal Transportation Company as a clerk. Devoting himself assiduously to the work at hand, he was promoted from position to position in the various departments of the institution until he became in 1896 agent at Kingston. In January, 1909, he was made general manager and at that time left Kingston for Montreal, having since occupied this important position. Mr. Henderson is a director of the National Real-Estate and Investment Company of Montreal, the Montreal Transportation Company, the Montreal Dry Docks and Ship Repairing Company, the Rothesay Realty Company, and president of the Dominion Marine Association. He is also a member of the Montreal Board of Trade.
While in Kingston Mr. Henderson was a member of the city council from 1907 to 1908 and of the school board from 1904 to 1906. He also served on the executive of the Dominion Marine Association. He was prominent as a member [286] of the Board of Trade of Kingston and upon leaving that town was presented with a handsome silver salver on behalf of the board and with a silver loving cup by the employes of the company.
He is a member of the Canada Club, the Engineers Club, the St. George Snowshoe Club, the Canadian Club of Montreal, the Country Club of Montreal, the Frontenac Club of Kingston, the Kingston Curling Club, and the Heather Club of Westmount.
On April 30, 1890, Mr. Henderson was married to Miss Jennie Lena Spencer, a daughter of the late L. B. Spencer, of Kingston. Their children are Lawrence Spencer, Mabel Spencer, Ruth Sweetland, Kenneth Robertson, Florence Lillian and Jean Lewis.
Various corporate interests have felt the stimulus of the cooperation and enterprising spirit of Albert Pierre Frigon, who today stands in a prominent place on the stage of financial activity in Montreal, his native city. He was born on the 14th of June, 1872, a son of Benjamin and Philomene (Cassan) Frigon, the former a general contractor for more than thirty years. Both he and his wife are still living. The ancestors of the family were all from France and the genealogy can be traced back to the fifteenth century.
Albert P. Frigon was educated in the Catholic commissioner’s school, Archambault’s, where he was graduated with the class of 1888. Crossing the threshold of business life, he became bookkeeper for P. P. Mailloux, a hardware merchant on St. Paul Street in Montreal, with whom he remained for thirteen years, his capability and fidelity being attested by his long connection with the house. He resigned in 1901 to become business and financial manager for the Seminary of St. Sulpice of Montreal and in the intervening years to the present his activities have constantly broadened in scope and importance. He is now a controlling figure in various corporate interests and has large investments in others. At the present writing he is a member of the firm of St. Cyr, Gonthier & Frigon, bankers and brokers, is vice president of Viauville Lands, Ltd., president of the Star Realty Company, president of the Compagnie Immobilière d’Outre-Mer, president of the Canadian Siegwart Beam Company of Three Rivers, vice president of the New Ontario Oil & Gas Company, Ltd., president of the Société de Construction Lafontaine, president of the executive board of the General Animals Insurance Company, president l’Immobilière du Canada, vice president of the France-Canada Company, president of St. Francis-Valley Railway Company and president of the St. Francis Construction Company. This recital of his connections indicates clearly the breadth of his interests and of his capabilities. In various companies he is bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control and he possesses notable power in unifying and coordinating seemingly diverse elements into a harmonious and resultant whole. His opinion upon complex and involved financial problems is ever accepted with respect and consideration by those well qualified to judge thereof. He is the vice president of the General Trust Company of Canada, [289] president of Comité de Surveillance Caisse Nationale d’Economie and is a member of the board of La Chambre de Commerce of Montreal.
Mr. Frigon’s activities also extend to various public interests which have no bearing upon his individual prosperity but arise from a deep interest in the general welfare. He votes with the liberal party but takes no active part in politics. He is a gouverneur à vie de l’Hôpital Notre Dame and he belongs to Société St. Jean Baptiste. He is also a Knight of Columbus and one of the most sincere, earnest and enthusiastic workers of the order, in which he has held a number of offices. His religious faith is indicated in the fact that he is a past president of a number of Roman Catholic societies. Along more strictly social lines he is connected with the St. Denis and Canadian Clubs. Of the former he is a life member and has also been a life member since 1901 of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He is an honorary member of the Sixty-fifth Regiment. His official municipal service has been that of mayor of the new village of Sault au Récollet, to which office he was called in February, 1910, and as school commissioner of the same village, to which position he was chosen in August, 1913.
On the 18th of April, 1898, in Montreal, Mr. Frigon was married to Miss Malvina Perreault, a daughter of Jérémie and Victoria (Saint Dizier) Perreault, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was for a term of years alderman of the city of Montreal and president of l’Association St. Jean Baptiste of Montreal. For thirty years he conducted business here as a dry-goods merchant. Mr. and Mrs. Frigon are the parents of two children: Jeanne, born in Montreal on the 12th of February, 1899; and Germaine, on the 12th of November, 1900.
Mr. Frigon is a most enthusiastic supporter of his native city, in which his entire life has been passed, taking keen interest in its progress and having firm belief in the great future. He has been an untiring worker for the construction of the Georgian Bay canal, acting as president of the special commission appointed by the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal to take charge of that project. In all of his public as well as his private connections he has been a man of action rather than of theory, formulating his plans carefully and carrying them forward to successful termination.
On the list of Montreal’s lawyers appears the name of Hugh Mackay, who in 1913, was created king’s counsel. His practice covers a period of fourteen years, in which he has made continuous advancement. He was born in Montreal in 1875, a son of the Hon. Robert Mackay. His early educational opportunities were supplemented by a course in McGill, where he was graduated in 1900, with the B. C. L. degree. He has since practiced as an advocate in his native city, and his professional career has been one of growing success, a liberal and distinctively representative clientage being now accorded him.
Mr. Mackay was married in 1903 in Montreal to Miss Isabel, a daughter of J. N. Greenshield, K. C.
Mr. Mackay’s military history covers service as a captain of the Royal Highlanders, and he is widely and favorably known in military, professional and social circles, having many warm friends in this city where his entire life has been passed.
Capable, earnest and conscientious, and well versed in the knowledge of the law, André Odorie Rondeau enjoys a large practice, especially among the French citizenship of Montreal, ably representing valuable French interests in the local courts. A man of sound judgment and logical reasoning, he readily discerns the moving factor in any legal situation and presents his views and conclusions so concisely that he seldom fails to convince court or jury. He is gifted with all the qualities of which a lawyer may be proud and has a deep insight into human nature, understanding the springs of human conduct, which qualities assist him in his work. As the years have passed he has come more and more to the fore in his profession and is now recognized as an authority upon many subjects of the law.
Born at St. Marcel, in the county of Richelieu, on the 8th of June, 1876, André O. Rondeau is the son of Louis Rondeau, a successful agriculturist, who was born in the county of Berthier, and Lucie (Ouellette) Rondeau, a daughter of Godefroy Ouellette, born in St. Ours, in the county of Richelieu. Both parents are highly respected in their locality. The earliest record of the Rondeau family goes back to one Pierre Rondeau, a son of Jean, who married Catherine Verrier on September 30, 1669, at Ste. Famille, and had a large family. Another of these early records mentions Jacques Rondeau, born in 1663, who married Françoise Beaudry at Trois Rivières on November 6, 1691, and had a family of seven children.
André O. Rondeau after acquiring his preliminary education attended a commercial college at St. Aimé and the preparatory seminary of Ste. Marie de Monnoir, from which he obtained his bachelor’s degree. He received his law diploma from Laval University of Montreal, after having studied for two years at St. Hyacinthe under the supervision of Blanchet & Chicoine, well known barristers. Since Mr. Rondeau has joined the legal fraternity of Montreal he has made great strides towards success, having left the ranks of the many and joined those of the successful few. He is skillful in the presentation of his evidence, shows marked ability in cross-examination, persuasiveness before the jury and has a strong grasp of every feature of the case in hand. While his learning never intrudes itself when uncalled for and he makes no display thereof, it comes into requisition when wanted. He is a man who exemplifies in his conduct the lofty ideals of his nation and noble calling and he honors his profession by paying it honor and by his adherence to the solid virtues and enlightened principles underlying the law. It is his ambition to make his native talent subserve the demands of the social and business conditions of the day and he stands today as a splendid representative of a lawyer to whom personal prosperity is secondary in importance [291] to the public welfare and less vital than many other elements which go to make up human existence.
On June 29, 1908, at Montreal, at the church of St. Jacques, Mr. Rondeau was united in marriage to Miss Rose Blanche Trudeau, a daughter of Louis Napoléon Trudeau, a well known dentist. The religious affiliations of Mr. and Mrs. Rondeau are with the Catholic church. In his political views he was during his earlier years a liberal but since 1906 has endorsed the nationalist movement as he is in sympathy with their ideas. Outside of his profession he has had important interests and is the builder of the Boulevard Trudeau and Rondeau, in the Prairie River district, which leads through lots Nos. 16 and 17. He was one of the founders and also one of the first directors of La Cie Zootechnique de Labelle, Limitée, at Macaza, P. Q., which has for its purpose the raising of fur-bearing animals. Mr. Rondeau is highly respected in Montreal as an able lawyer and as a citizen of public worth and is especially popular and influential with the French, of which race he is an able representative in this city.
There was no man to whom the success of Canadian expositions and exhibitions was more largely attributable than to Samuel C. Stevenson, who as a commissioner, represented his province and country in connection with a number of leading affairs of this kind on the continent. He was born in Montreal in 1848 and came of Scotch ancestry, being a son of James Stevenson, a native of Scotland, who after his arrival in Canada was identified with shipping interests, owning a number of boats. His wife was, in her maidenhood, Miss Elizabeth Cottingham.
Their son, Samuel C. Stevenson, pursued a high-school course and in 1872 was granted his Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill. He was assistant secretary to the first large provincial exhibition and was identified with all the expositions of the province from that time until his death. When the first one was held at Mile End, he was given entire charge of the industrial department. In 1876 he was appointed a commissioner of the province of Quebec to the great Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia and in 1877 when a permanent exposition committee was appointed for the province, he was made its secretary for the industrial department and held that position until the organization of the Montreal Exposition Company in 1889. He was chief organizer and manager of all the important expositions that were held in Montreal from 1886 until his demise and he represented the Canadian interests as commissioner for the province of Quebec at the Colonial and Industrial Exhibition in London, in 1886. In 1892 he was appointed a member and secretary of the provincial commission in connection with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was secretary of the council of arts and manufacture of the province of Quebec. His long experience enabled him to know adequately just what was most attractive for exhibition purposes and how to assemble such, and the success of Canada’s exhibits, both provincial and at the international expositions in the United States, was due in large measure to his efforts. He was a corresponding member of the Industrial Education [292] Association of New York and a director of the Great Northern Railway of Canada.
Mr. Stevenson’s military experience began in his youth. When a boy he belonged to the High School Cadets and afterward joined the Victoria Rifles, going to the front with his regiment at the time of the Fenian raid of 1866. Later he received a commission in the Prince of Wales regiment and was a subaltern in the company of that corps which was sent to the relief of the force that engaged the Fenians at Eccles Hill. He remained in the corps until 1881, when he retired with the rank of major. Mr. Stevenson’s interests and activities aside from those already indicated were manifest from his membership in the Art Association and in the Crescent Street church.
At Saugerties, New York, in 1878 Mr. Stevenson was married to Mrs. Gertrude (Caldwell) Bennett, a representative of a southern family, that lived in Virginia until the time of the Civil war and then removed to New York. Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson had three children: James Corliss; Elizabeth Lois, the wife of Herbert Yuile; and Gladys Arnold, the wife of J. Hal Pangman.
Such is the record of Samuel C. Stevenson, who passed away January 2, 1898. As a public-spirited citizen he was widely known. None questioned his fidelity. He responded to every appeal when it was needed for the benefit of the general good; to build up rather than to destroy was his policy and he attacked everything with a contagious enthusiasm.
The nature and variety of his interests and activities at once place Farquhar Robertson among those citizens whose lives constitute a most useful and serviceable force in bringing about modern day conditions, progress and prosperity. While he is well known as a business man, he has at the same time been a close student of the sociological, economic and political questions of the day, and has been actively allied with many movements seeking the betterment of conditions for the benefit of the individual physically, intellectually and morally. He has also been connected with many projects that promote the municipal welfare, and thus his life has come to be one of great usefulness in his adopted city. A native of Ontario, he was born April 14, 1850, at North Branch, Glengarry, a son of Hugh and Flora (McLennan) Robertson and a brother of Lieutenant Colonel D. M. Robertson, Toronto, Ontario. His education was acquired in his native county and since entering upon his business career, he has largely given his attention to the coal trade. In business affairs he carries forward to successful completion what he undertakes, and his well formulated plans are productive of far-reaching and beneficial results.
His activities along other lines have been equally broad and beneficial. He is identified with many movements which seek to meet and improve modern conditions, and to this end he is serving as a director of the Parks and Playgrounds Association, and is vice president of the Montreal City Improvement League. He was one of the promoters of the Montreal Typhoid Emergency Hospital, and is one of the managing committee of the Montreal General Hospital, [295] a member of the committee of management of Royal Edward Institute, and vice president of Victorian Order of Nurses. Mr. Robertson is president of the firm of Farquhar Robertson, Limited, and director of Merchants Bank of Canada, Montreal Transportation Company, Canada Cement Company and the Prudential Trust Company. He was president of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1909, and it was largely due to his efforts during his term of office, that a change in civic administration took place, to a board of commissioners.
Mr. Robertson represented St. Andrew’s ward in the Montreal city council for six years and was the council’s representative on the Protestant board of school commissioners for the same period.
Mr. Robertson married Miss Flora Craig, daughter of the late James Craig, M. P. P., Glengarry. They reside at No. 30 Ontario Avenue, Montreal. They are Presbyterians in religion.
While not an office seeker in politics (in which he is a conservative), in the usually accepted sense of the term, he is deeply interested in all that pertains to the public welfare, and the present government thought fit to appoint him as one of the present harbor commission.
Mr. Robertson is president of the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal. He is well known in club circles, being a member of St. James, Montreal, Montreal Hunt and Outremont Golf Clubs, and life member of The Caledonian Society and Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. His recreation is devoted to curling and farming.
John Allan was a splendid example of what industry and determination will accomplish for a man. Born in Strathmiglo, Scotland, on the 28th of November, 1863, a son of David and Christian (Roy) Allan, he became one of the successful merchants of Montreal, dealing in clothing, hats, caps and men’s furnishings. He was educated in the schools of his native country and when eighteen years of age crossed the Atlantic to Canada, making his way to Montreal, where he entered the employ of Henry Morgan & Company. After some time spent with that house he joined his brother, Robert Allan, who was engaged in the bottling of ginger ale. Subsequently he embarked in business on his own account on Craig Street in a small way, having a limited line of clothing, hats, caps and men’s furnishings. He closely applied himself to the development of the trade and in that connection steadily worked his way upward, his patronage increasing as the years went by until he won a substantial measure of success. He was truly a self-made man, having been both the architect and builder of his own fortunes and his record proved what may be accomplished when determination and energy point out the way.
Mr. Allan was married in Cupar, Scotland, in 1894, to Maria Isabella Hood, a native of that place and a daughter of Robert and Agnes (Moncrief) Hood, and they became parents of five children: John Roy, Agnes Isabelle, Robert Bruce, Douglas Hood and Malcolm Moncrief. Mr. Allan enjoyed curling as a recreation and his more serious interests were represented in membership in the Masonic [296] fraternity and in Knox church. He was a member of the Young Men’s Christian Association for many years and took a deep interest in its affairs. His death occurred January 11, 1912, and thus was ended a life of activity and usefulness. He had made good use of his time and opportunities and had proved that prosperity and an honored name may be gained simultaneously.
Rev. Joseph Léonidas Desjardins, secretary general of Laval University at Montreal since September 14, 1907, was born at Ste. Thérèse, in the county of Terrebonne, on the 27th of November, 1880, a son of Joseph and Odile (Boileau) Desjardins, the former of whom followed agricultural pursuits. The son pursued his early studies in the Seminary of Ste. Thérèse and in the Grand Seminary of Montreal. His determination to prepare for the priesthood, followed by a thorough course of study, led to his ordination by Monsignor P. La Rocque on the 3d of July, 1904. His time and energies have ever since been devoted to educational service save for a period which he devoted to further study. Following his ordination he became a professor in the Seminary of Ste. Thérèse, where he remained during 1904 and 1905. The following year he went abroad for further study in Rome, where he remained from 1905 until 1907, winning the degree of Doctor of Theology. Following his return to the new world he entered again upon active connection with educational interests as secretary general of Laval University at Montreal, being appointed to his present position on the 14th of September, 1907. In his life work mental and moral instruction go hand in hand, and his efforts constitute an important element not only in the upbuilding of character among individual students but also in the extension of Catholic teachings and influence.
Hirsch Cohen, most actively identified with the educational and moral progress of the Jewish people in Montreal, may point with justifiable pride to various schools and synagogues which have been established through his instrumentality. A Russian by birth, his natal day was in April, 1863, his parents being Hircom and Sarah Cohen, both of whom have now passed away, the latter dying in 1896 and the former in 1911 at a ripe old age, being over ninety years old. Liberal educational advantages constituted the foundation for the important and far-reaching life work of Hirsch Cohen who was educated in a Hebrew college in Russia. The year 1890 witnessed his arrival in Montreal, since which time he has been active in promoting work among the people of his own faith. He has established eight synagogues, including one in Lachine and one in the city of Quebec. At that period the people of his faith could not stand the regular tithing system and there were only a few small synagogues to carry on the work among the Hebrew people. Prosperity, however, has come to many and a fair [297] degree of success to others and as they have prospered they have contributed to the work of intellectual and moral progress with a result that there are today a number of large congregations and various smaller ones, each an active force in promoting the moral development of the Hebrew people. Mr. Cohen has been a leader in this work and he is also a director on the school board of the Baron de Hirsch Institute. For the past seven years he has been acting as chaplain for the Jewish prisoners in the province of Quebec. He is chairman of various Hebrew schools in the city and has been practically the founder of them all and in the meantime has established places of study where adult Hebrews can acquaint themselves with various lines of knowledge. He has founded three different synagogues in Montreal since his arrival and another important branch of his work has been the care which he has given to newcomers during the periods of largest immigrations to Canada among the Hebrew people. Moreover, he has taken a most active and helpful part in bringing about the amalgamation of the charitable institutions of the Jewish people into a coordinate whole. He has seemed to neglect no line of effort that contributes to the welfare of people of his faith. It was through his instrumentality that all Jewish slaughter houses were brought under the required supervision. He was one of those who took part in the organization of the Free Loan Association, and he was one who aided in establishing the Jewish Daily Eagle, to the columns of which he makes frequent and welcome contributions. He is one of the officers in the Zionist movement and one of the officers in the Association of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, in which he is also a member of the executive committee.
Mr. Cohen’s first wife was Miss Sarah First, whom he married in 1888, and their children were Mrs. Annie Presnau, Mary, Julius, Ethel, Goldie and Lazarus. In 1913 he married Leah Nochumofsky. It would be difficult to determine how important has been the life work of Hirsch Cohen, for there is no standard whereby to judge influence, especially when it is exerted along lines of intellectual and moral progress. His worth, however, is widely recognized, not only by those of his own faith, but also by the Gentiles who respect him as a man and honor him for his loyalty to his belief and for his great work in behalf of his cause.
A prominent representative of the Jewish element in the citizenship of Montreal is Harry Bloomfield, a partner in the well known wholesale jewelry firm of Bloomfield Brothers. He is largely regarded as a representative business man, enterprising, progressive, alert and energetic. He was born in Montreal in 1879, a son of Baruch Bloomfield, a scholar and educator who for many years resided in Montreal and enjoyed the respect of all who knew him. It was in the schools of this city that Harry Bloomfield pursued his education and after entering business circles he traveled for the American Clock Company of New York for five and a half years, in which he gained much valuable experience concerning business methods and procedure. On the expiration of that period he entered the employ of the Canadian jewelry house of Pinfort & Company, whom he represented [298] upon the road as a traveling salesman for another period of five and a half years. All during this time he was ambitious to engage in business on his own account, and in 1904 he saw the realization of his hopes, for in that year he was the organizer of the firm of Bloomfield Brothers, wholesale jewelers. Through the intervening period the business has steadily grown and developed under the careful guidance and management of its proprietors who are energetic, progressive young men, realizing and utilizing their opportunities. They carry a large and carefully selected line of jewelry, and their trade is growing year by year, having already reached extensive and profitable proportions.
On the 7th of June, 1905, Mr. Bloomfield was united in marriage to Miss Sadie Davies, a daughter of Morton Davies of New York, and their children are Bernard, Louis, Dorothy and Florence. Mr. Bloomfield has been somewhat active in connection with civic affairs. He was made justice of the peace for the city and district of Montreal, October 12, 1904, and he was twice a candidate in St. Lawrence ward in conservative interests as M. P. P.
He is identified with a number of social and fraternal organizations, for beside being president of the Independent Voters League he is a director of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, a director of the Hebrew Sheltering Home, a director of the Montefiore Club and president of the D’Israeli Conservative Club. At the time of the ritual murder charge against Mendel Beiliss six judges were appointed by the Jewish citizens to forward a protest to the governor general and Mr. Bloomfield was appointed as one of the judges. He is a high type of young Jewish manhood in Montreal and is rapidly winning for himself an enviable position in business circles.
Dr. John Bradford McConnell, an able educator in the field of medical science and actively engaged in hospital and private practice, was born at Chatham, Quebec, August 28, 1851, a son of the late Andrew and Martha Jane (Bradford) McConnell, of Lachute, Quebec. In the acquirement of his education he became a student at Dr. Wanless Academy at Carillon, Quebec, and ultimately graduated from McGill University with the degrees of M. D., C. M. in 1873. Still not content with the opportunities that had already been his for preparation for the medical profession, he went abroad and did post-graduate work in Berlin under Professor Koch. From the outset his professional career has been marked by advancement and constantly expanding powers have enabled him to successfully control and check disease when others of less thorough training or of minor devotion to the profession would have failed. His high standing is indicated in the fact that Bishop’s College of Lennoxville selected him for the honor of receiving the D. C. L. degree in 1905. He has long been eminent in the field of medical education and was vice president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, while for many years he was a professor on the medical faculty of Bishop’s College. He has successively occupied the chairs of professor of botany, professor of materia medica, professor of pathology, professor of medicine and of clinical medicine, and was vice dean for a number of years and was acting dean in 1905, when the [301] medical faculty was amalgamated with McGill University, so that his name is inseparably associated with Bishop’s College and the high rank it has attained. Dr. McConnell has also been a member of the staff of the Western Hospital since its establishment and is medical examiner for the Aetna and the Mutual Life Insurance Companies. He was for several years editor of the Canada Medical Record. He has written extensively on medical subjects and his opinions elicit attention, admiration and consideration whenever publicly expressed.
Aside from the strict path of the profession Dr. McConnell has been active and is now a senator of the Wesleyan Theological College of Montreal. He also has an interesting military chapter in his life record, having from 1875 until 1884 served as assistant surgeon of the First Prince of Wales Regiment. In 1875 he married Miss Theodora Lovell, daughter of the late Robert Miller, of Montreal. Dr. McConnell is yet in the prime of life. He has not reached the zenith of his powers, which are constantly unfolding and developing. He keeps in the vanguard of those to whom science is revealing its secrets as the result of careful investigation and wide research, and the broader knowledge which each year brings is familiar to him.
Dr. John George Adami, scientist, educationist and author whose eminent position in his profession was indicated in his election to the presidency of the Association of American Physicians in 1911, was born in Manchester, England, January 12, 1862, a son of the late John George Adami of Manchester and Ashton-upon-Mersey, Cheshire. The mother of Dr. Adami, who in her maidenhood was Sarah Ann Ellis Leech, was a daughter of Thomas Leech of Urmston, Lancashire, and a sister of the late Sir Bosdin Leech, one of the founders of the Manchester Ship Canal, while another brother was Professor Leech, a leading member of the staff of Owen’s College and the Manchester Medical School.
Dr. Adami began his more advanced schooling when he entered Owen’s College, Manchester, and in 1880 entered Christ’s College, Cambridge, becoming a scholar of the same and in 1882 gaining a first class in the first part of the Natural Science Tripos followed in 1884 by a first class in the second part of the same tripos. Following upon this he spent eight months in physiological research at Breslau, Germany, under the distinguished physiologist Heidenhain. In 1885, Dr. Adami was awarded the Darwin prize of his college, for original research. The Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him in 1887, and with the completion of the course of medicine at Manchester in this year, he was appointed house physician at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, following upon which he was called to Cambridge to become demonstrator of pathology under Professor Roy.
In 1890, he was appointed to the John Lucas Walker studentship of pathology in the University of Cambridge, and went to Paris for bacteriological research in the Institute Pasteur, under Professor Metchnikoff. He won his M. D. degree in 1891, and in the same year was elected a fellow of Jesus College.
The following year he was called to Montreal, as professor of pathology in McGill University, and his continued success in research work, in practice and in the educational field, led to various degrees and honors being conferred upon him. In 1898, McGill conferred upon him the degrees of M. A. and M. B. Ad Eund.
The University of New Brunswick honored him with the LL. D. degree in 1900, the University of Toronto conferring the same degree in 1911, while in 1912 he received the Sc. D. of Trinity College, Dublin. He had previously, in 1905, been elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He is also a fellow of the Royal Societies of Edinburgh and Canada. In February, 1914, the Fothergillian medal of the Medical Society of London was awarded to Dr. Adami for his “work on Pathology in its application to practical medicine and surgery.” The Fothergillian gold medal was first awarded in 1787 and now is given every third year.
It would be tautological in this connection to enter into any series of statements showing him to be a man of scholarly attainments, for this has been shadowed forth between the lines of this review in the work that he has performed as an investigator and in the honors which have been conferred upon him.
He is perhaps even better known in the field of authorship than in educational circles. The work by which he is most widely known is his “Principles of Pathology” in two volumes (the second in connection with Professor A. G. Nicholls of McGill).
Dr. Adami has written various papers on pathological subjects which have appeared in a number of the leading medical journals in England and America and have also been translated into French. His smaller text-book upon pathology written along with Dr. John McCrae, is being translated into Chinese.
That his activities have not been solely in the path of his profession are indicated by not a few addresses he has delivered on biographical and literary subjects. He stands prominently with those men of broad humanitarian principles and high scientific attainment who are doing everything in their power to prevent the spread of disease and educate the people to a knowledge of preventive methods and sanitary conditions.
He presided at one of the meetings of the International Tuberculosis Congress held in Washington in 1908, and was one of the promoters of the Royal Edward Tuberculosis Institute in 1909. He was a member of the Royal Commission, of the province of Quebec, re spread of tuberculosis in 1909, and in that same year became president of the Canada Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, being reelected for three years in succession. In 1911 he was honored with election to the presidency of the Association of American Physicians. He has been president of the local Medico-Chirurgical Society and is a joint secretary of the Victorian Order of Nurses. In 1899 he was president of the Montreal branch of the British Medical Association and was president of the pathological section of that organization at the meeting in Toronto in 1905. He was a vice president of the section of pathology at the International Congress of Medicine, London, 1913.
He has been offered many prominent positions in the educational field both in England and the United States, but has preferred to remain in Montreal, recognizing that he has a broad field of labor in this city.
His teaching ranks him as one of the foremost educators of the land, and in the class room he enthuses his pupils with much of the high idealism which has always characterized his professional connections.
Aside from all of these activities and interests, bearing upon the practice and science of medicine, Dr. Adami was chosen president of the City Improvement League in 1909, and was elected vice president of the University Club in the same year. He holds membership in the St. James Club, and in the Savile Club of London.
Dr. Adami was married in 1894, to Mary Stuart, a daughter of James A. Cantlie of Montreal, and a niece of Lord Mount Stephen. Their residence, No. 34 Macgregor Avenue, is one of Montreal’s attractive homes, while the family are well known in the best social circles of the city. The Herald has said of Dr. Adami: “Endowed with youth, energy and enthusiasm, his investigations have been important and of great benefit to mankind.” His name in connection with his professional ability and research work is known not only throughout the American continent but in many educational centers of Europe, as his authorship has made him known to the profession.
Since admitted to the bar in 1897 Rodolphe Monty has continuously and successfully practiced in Montreal, advancing step by step to the position which he now occupies as one of the able representatives of the legal profession in this city. He is a member of the firm of Monty & Duranleau and their clientage is of an extensive and important character. Montreal claims Mr. Monty as a native son. He was born November 30, 1874, and in the acquirement of his education attended Ste. Marie de Monnoir College, McGill University and Laval University, his classical course winning for him the Bachelor of Arts degree, while his professional course gained for him the degree of LL. L. In January, 1897, he was called to the bar and at once entered upon the active practice of a profession for which he had fully prepared. No dreary novitiate awaited him. He came almost immediately into prominence and in 1909 was created a king’s counsel. He is now senior partner of the firm of Monty & Duranleau, one of the strongest at the Montreal bar, and the thoroughness and care with which he prepares his cases excites the admiration and surprise of his contemporaries, who find him prepared not only for attack but for defense as well. For eight years he has been a member of the council of the bar of Montreal and for five years has been examiner. He has served as delegate to the general council of the bar of the province of Quebec for three years and as treasurer of the bar of Montreal for two years.
While pursuing his study in the university Mr. Monty was president of the law students of Laval in 1895-6 and at the same time was one of the most active members of the model parliament established among the students. His eloquence and skill as a debater secured for him the leadership of the opposition in those early days. He also filled the offices of minister of railways and canals and speaker of the house. He is now governor general of the model parliament. He [304] could undoubtedly win parliamentary honors today if he cared to do so, but, while possibly not without that laudable ambition which is so useful as an incentive in public life, he regards the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly worthy of his best efforts and concentrates his energies upon his professional duties. His devotion to his clients’ interests is proverbial and on many occasions he has proven himself capable of solving some of the most involved and intricate problems of the law. In politics he is a conservative, while socially he is connected with the St. Denis Club, the Club Canadien and the Délormier Club.
Sir George A. Drummond, whose strong intellectual force gave him mastery over the grave problems which confronted him as a member of parliament and enabled him to wisely direct his individual interests until success placed him among the most prosperous residents of Montreal, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1829. He enjoyed the educational opportunities offered by the high school of his native city and then entered the university in the Scottish capital. His laudable ambition and keen insight into conditions prompted him to seek the advantages offered in the new world when but twenty-five years of age, and therefore in 1854 he embraced the opportunity to come to Canada and assume the practical and technical management of a sugar refinery which was established in Montreal by John Redpath. In this connection the Gazette, at the time of his death, wrote: “The superior education he received in the institutions of his native Scotland was a powerful help to him when he was called upon to grapple with the problems which demanded solution in an undeveloped country like the Canada of that day. When he became interested in the Redpath sugar refinery in the year 1854 he was perhaps the best educated business man in the city, and whether as a member of the Board of Trade, a commanding figure in the realm of banking and commerce, or in social life, he maintained that scholarly supremacy and distinction which was willingly accorded him by his fellow citizens more than half a century ago.”
The Redpath sugar refinery proved a profitable enterprise from the beginning until tariff changes forced the plant to close down in 1874. Before resuming operations in that line in 1879, in which year he founded the Canada Sugar Refining Company, of which he became president, Sir George spent five years abroad in study, travel and recreation. In connection with the Canada Sugar Refining Company he developed one of the most important productive industries of the country and into other fields extended his efforts with equal discernment and success. He became a director in the Bank of Montreal in 1882 and in 1887 was elected vice president and subsequently president, so continuing until his death. He became president of the company owning and developing the coal and iron mines at Londonderry, Nova Scotia, and was prominently connected with many other commercial interests and projects. He was prominent as a stockholder and officer in the Mexican Light, Heat & Power Company and was a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the Ogilvie Milling Company and vice president of the Royal Trust Company. He [307] was also largely interested in the Cumberland Coal & Railway Company, and his connection extended to various other corporations which have been important factors in the development and upbuilding of Canada’s manufacturing interests.
From the time that he became a resident of Canada Sir George Drummond also became a student of the conditions of the country as affected by political interests. Perhaps no better account of his prominent connection with political affairs can be given than by quoting from one of the local papers, which wrote: [308] “Though coming from a country wedded to free trade ideas, he discovered that new industries could not thrive here in competition with the advanced and enterprising industrial activity on the other side of the line. Hence his early advocacy of protection, designated during the campaign of 1878 as the National Policy. Sir George Drummond had formed strong friendships with Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Charles Tupper and the more aggressive leaders of the conservative party as represented in the Canadian parliament. He was induced, much against his will, to accept the party candidature in Montreal West against one of the most popular men of the day, Hon. John Young. The contest will be remembered by some of the older citizens as one of extreme bitterness, although Mr. Drummond’s utterances on the platform were marked by ability, force and breadth of view, and those who heard him during that campaign of 1872 were not by any means surprised when he developed later into an authority on banking and finance and a leader in the discussion of matters pertaining to trade and commerce. That contest preceded by two years the fall of the Macdonald government and the acceptance of office by pronounced free traders. As delegation after delegation went to Ottawa, and were told by the finance minister that ministers were as flies on a wheel in the matter of bringing prosperity to the land, Sir George Drummond and his friends, recruited from both of the old political parties, started to organize the downfall of free trade in Canada. It was, however, when the victory had been won at the polls, when Sir Charles Tupper’s powerful efforts at the by-elections in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia had brought forth their fruit that the hardest work had to be done, and here the ability of Sir George came powerfully into play. Sir Leonard Tilly was finance minister, Sir Mackenzie Bowell was in charge of the customs and Sir John Macdonald was powerful in the country and in parliament. He had received a mandate to bring the National Policy into force; but this was easier to say than to do. The fiscal and customs policy of the country had to be changed. It was at this time that the counsel and business experience of Sir George Drummond were brought into requisition and with a great degree of success. Time convinced men of good-will and fair mind that the broad device of ‘Canada for the Canadians’ and ‘that which is beneficial to the manufacturer will be equally beneficial to the consumer and to the country at large,’ were right. Mr. Drummond was not a conservative during his active participation in party conflicts because of individual gain. He adhered to principle rather than to party name. In 1888, Sir John Macdonald being premier, Mr. Drummond was called to the senate, and up to the time of his death was the ablest representative of the mercantile classes in the upper house of the Canadian parliament. As chairman of the banking and commerce committee of the senate his word was as law. His opinions relating to matters of financial import were received without question by minister and member alike, and when Senator Drummond had spoken upon a question of this kind there was a general consensus of opinion that little remained to be said. It was by his mastery of his subject and by his prominence in all matters affecting the moneyed interests of the Dominion that he won the respect of his fellow legislators at the capital. There are many men who are members of the Montreal Board of Trade who look back to the days when Sir George Drummond was the president of that organization and remember the manner in which he filled that office, the highest in the gift of the merchants of the commercial metropolis of the Dominion. They remember the high character of his addresses and his wise contributions to the deliberations of the council. It was accepted as a matter of course that he should lead off either as the mover or the seconder in any great question that was to be presented to the government or to the other colonies or for the consideration of the whole empire. It was as director, vice president and president of the Bank of Montreal that the citizens of the financial center of the Dominion will remember Sir George Drummond long. His ability was freely acknowledged on both continents. He was at headquarters early and late, and his attention to the interests of the bank was as marked when the financial atmosphere was serene as when there were lowering clouds on the horizon. His attitude at the annual bank meetings was the personification of tact and courtesy, and his able addresses on such occasions, uttered as they were with a practiced finger resting upon the financial and commercial pulse of the continent, were read by Wall Street and London as eagerly as by the public men and bankers of his own country.”
Sir George Drummond was married twice. In 1857 he wedded Helen, daughter of John Redpath, and following her demise he was married in 1884 to Mrs. Grace Julia Hamilton, the widow of George Hamilton and a daughter of A. Davidson Parker, a Montreal pioneer. Two sons of the first marriage, Huntly R. and Arthur L., are living. The former succeeded his father as president of the Canada Sugar Refining Company, Ltd., and is ex-president of the Montreal Board of Trade; while the latter is actively identified with the Canada Sugar Refining Company, Ltd. One son, Guy, of the second marriage, is living and is a resident of Montreal.
The death of Sir George Drummond occurred February 2, 1910, removing from the stage of Canadian activity one of its most prominent and honored figures. He was a member of the St. James Club, the Rideau Club of Ottawa, the Reform Club of London, England, and the Manhattan Club of New York.
Sir George and Lady Drummond were in entire sympathy in their benevolent work. He was the founder of the Home for Incurables in Montreal, which was opened in 1894 under the charge of the Sisters of St. Margaret, and Lady Drummond bestowed much care and thought on the preparation of the interior of the institution. She has been connected with many societies and movements in Montreal that have to do with the betterment of the people, the city or its conditions. She is president of the Montreal Charity Organization and is actively connected with the Victorian Order of Nurses and with various other bodies. She was also a member of the Quebec Tercentennial celebration in 1908. She was the first president of the local branch of the National Council of Women. She was elected president of the Women’s Canadian Club [309] of Montreal for 1907-8, and Lady Aberdeen places her “at the head of the Canadian sisterhood for activity in ‘promoting all that is true and just and beautiful among women, and for a consuming hatred for unrighteousness in every form.’” She presented a silver cup for competition by the members of the Royal Montreal Ladies’ Golf Club in 1905. Her name is not unknown in literary circles and among her writings is an essay entitled “Purity of Speech and Accent.” She was the first woman to speak at a public banquet in Montreal, being thus honored in 1898. In 1902 Sir George and Lady Drummond were presented at court.
On the occasion of the visit of our present King and Queen to Canada as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York Lady Drummond drew up and presented an address to Her Royal Highness on behalf of the National Council of Women of Canada, while Sir George Drummond at the same time presented to His Royal Highness the citizens’ commemorative medal. Lady Aberdeen has characterized Lady Drummond as “a woman of distinguished presence, with great personal charm, gifts of rare eloquence and the power of clothing her thoughts in most expressive language.” She is a member of the Anglican church, to which Sir George also belonged.
Sir George was much interested in agriculture and the breeding of fine stock. Huntlywood, his magnificent country place at Beaconsfield, was one of the finest country estates on the continent. He took great pride in its well kept condition, his private golf links affording an opportunity for indulgence in a recreation that he was fond of. He kept only the finest live stock that he could procure. His first Southdown sheep were bred from stock he secured from King Edward. In live-stock breeding Sir George aimed to maintain the same high standard of excellence that characterized everything he did. His stock nearly always won first prize at the big stock shows in Canada and the United States, where he met in competition the most noted breeders of his day. Sir George also maintained a beautiful country house, Gads Hill, at Cacouna, now the summer home of Lady Drummond. He took a most deep and helpful interest in all those things which promote the aesthetic and moral nature of the individual and which act as broadening and uplifting influences in the lives of all. He was the owner of one of the finest galleries of paintings on the American continent and was for some time president of the Art Association of Montreal. It is said of him that he “derived greater pleasure in pinning a badge to the breast of a member of the Victorian Order of Nurses and wishing a hearty God-speed to that devoted agent of good than in talking in millions around the directors’ table of the Bank of Montreal.” He was a knight commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George and his character and his ability made his presence an honor in any gathering.
High encomiums were passed upon him by various members of the senate when he was called from this life on the 2d of February, 1910. One of the local papers said: “Flags flying at half-mast from many of the chief public and commercial buildings of the city yesterday testified at once to the extent of the interests with which Sir George A. Drummond was in his life connected, and to the respect in which he was held for his character, his ability and his public services.” The council of the Board of Trade, of which he had been president, said he was [310] “long regarded as Montreal’s most eminent citizen and one of the oldest and most distinguished members of this board.” Senator Lougheed said that he “doubted if any other name had been more closely linked with the industrial life of Canada during the early part of the present generation than that of Sir George Drummond. Not only has he been associated with the material development of Canada, but he was equally a supporter of the arts and sciences and the great sociological questions of this progressive age. In 1903 he was the recipient of very distinguished honors at the hands of his sovereign on account of the eminent public services which he had rendered Canada. His name should long be revered in Montreal, where it was identified with the great commercial, educational and philanthropic institutions.” Senator Dandurand said of Sir George: “He was esteemed in Montreal as a liberal-minded man who did his utmost to maintain good understanding between the races in that city, always showing an earnest desire to promote harmony. He was a benefactor of all institutions that needed private help and will be missed by the community at large, as he was whole-souled, kind-hearted and one who played a most important role in all the affairs of the city.”
L. Joseph Theophile Decary, an architect of pronounced ability and prominently known as a water color artist, was born at St. Jerome, Quebec, September 21, 1882, a son of Jean Baptiste and Marie Theolinde (Lauzon) Decary, natives of Lachine and St. Jerome respectively. When the north was open for settlement in 1876 the father went to St. Jerome to establish business as a jeweler and has there since resided. He is of the eighth generation in direct descent from Jean Decarys, who came to Canada with Maisonneuve in 1642. The name has since been variously spelled Decary, Decaire and Descarries.
L. Joseph Theophile Decary, whose name introduces this record, pursued a commercial course in St. Jerome, leaving the school there in 1900. He afterward spent a year in a pharmaceutical establishment and a year as a telegraph operator at St. Jerome Junction on the Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern of Quebec Railroads. When nineteen years of age he left home, without funds, to go to Boston, hoping there to find the opportunity which would enable him to develop his latent talents in drawing. From an early age he had displayed considerable ability in that direction and believed that his line of life should be determined thereby. After reaching Boston he secured a situation in an architect’s office which brought him a salary of two dollars per week. He learned quickly and won the confidence and assistance of Guy Lowell, architect, who sent him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston in October, 1903. There he followed a special course in architecture until 1905, and he now holds a degree from the association of architects of the Province of Quebec Architects’ Association. Following his return to Canada he opened an office in Montreal, where he has since practiced his profession, his ability gaining him a large clientage. He made the architectural design and plans for the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales of Montreal for Messrs. Gauthier and Daoust. His talent has been further developed in the field of fine arts as [313] shown in his exhibitions in water colors at the season exhibit of the Art Association of Montreal in 1910. He is a member of the National Gallery of Ottawa.
On the 23d of April, 1906, at Point St. Charles, Montreal, Mr. Decary was united in marriage to Hattie G. Blanchard, a daughter of Captain J. B. Blanchard and widow of John Weatherburn. In his political views Mr. Decary is a liberal and is without political ambition or aspiration. He finds pleasant association with men of similar professional talents in the Technology Club of Lower Canada and interest and recreation through his membership in the St. John Yacht Club, of which he was vice commodore in the year 1913.
Dr. Alexander Drummond Stewart, a successful physician and since 1903 connected with the department of the interior of the port of Montreal, is a native of Toronto, Ontario, and acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of that city. He studied medicine in McGill University, graduating with the degree of M. D. in 1888. Since that time he has been continuously in practice.
Dr. Stewart opened his first office in Richmond, Quebec province, and he continued there until 1898, building up a large and representative clientage and in addition to its conduct serving in an able way as medical officer for the Grand Trunk Railway at that point. From Richmond he came to Montreal and in this city is now a successful practitioner. Besides conducting his extensive private practice he is medical officer of the department of the interior of the port of Montreal, an office to which he was elected in 1903.
Dr. Stewart married Miss Emma Christie of Lachute, Argenteuil county, Quebec, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Bessie. Dr. Stewart is a member of St. Paul’s Presbyterian church. He belongs to the Outremont Golf Club and the University Club. Along professional lines he is connected with the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society, and he keeps in touch with the most advanced medical thought, remaining always a close and earnest student.
John Mitchell, deceased, who was for thirty years a produce merchant of Montreal, was born at Dufftown, Scotland, in 1830, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 23d of November, 1904. His is a history of intense and well directed activity along the line in which he engaged. Educated in Scotland, he came to Quebec when sixteen years of age, having a brother, Robert, in this province. He made his entrance into business life as an employe of a Mr. Symes, a merchant; but after a short time he left the city of Quebec for Montreal at the solicitation of his uncle, Alexander Simpson, who was manager of the Bank of Montreal. Mr. Mitchell embarked in business in connection with others as a wholesale dealer in molasses, sugar and grain in the West Indies, but [314] the business failed and for a short time thereafter Mr. Mitchell was a resident of Chicago, Illinois. Later he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but soon returned to Montreal and here engaged in the produce business in which he continued for thirty years, or until his death. He lived a quiet life, being modest and unassuming in manner, and his uprightness and his honorable qualities won him the admiration and respect of all.
Mr. Mitchell was married to Margaret Turner of Keith, Scotland, and they became the parents of two children: John Alexander, living near Edmonton, Canada; and Alice Margaret, who is a member of the editorial staff of the Montreal Weekly Star. In 1871 Mr. Mitchell was again married in the cathedral of Montreal to Miss Elizabeth Scott, a daughter of Dr. Alexander Scott, who came from Keith, Scotland, and practiced in Montreal, but died when his daughter, Mrs. Mitchell, was but five years of age. In later years Mrs. Scott lived with her daughter until her death. The children of Mr. Mitchell’s second marriage were four in number, of whom two are living: Walter Scott, a resident of Sorrento, Notch Hill, British Columbia; and Charles Stewart, who is with the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company of Montreal.
The family attend the First Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Mitchell was a devout member. He was also one of the founders of the St. James Club and one of the original members of the Thistle Curling Club. While quiet and unassuming in manner, the circle of his friends was almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances, a fact indicative of an honorable and well spent life.
In the history of Judaism on the American continent the name of few deserve equal prominence with that of Baruch Bloomfield, scholar, educator and philanthropist, actuated at all times by the highest spirit of humanitarianism and moral force. He was born in Russia. He had liberal educational advantages for his time and throughout his life was a close and discriminating student. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world, he settled first in New York, where he engaged in teaching for about ten years. He was one of the greatest Hebrew and Talmudic scholars of his time. About 1870 he removed from New York to Montreal, which city remained his place of residence throughout the rest of his life. His family is one of the oldest Jewish families in Montreal, having been represented here for close to a century. For a quarter of a century prior to his demise he was a representative in Montreal of the German Jews in Jerusalem and was a prominent member of the McGill College Avenue synagogue to which he rendered great services at various times. A part of his life work was the collection of funds which he forwarded to the Holy Land, and to the cause he was himself a most generous contributor.
Mr. Bloomfield was united in marriage to Miss Dora Albert and they became the parents of five sons, four of whom still survive, Abraham, David, Harry and Samuel, together with the mother. In 1901 the family were called upon to mourn the loss of a daughter and sister, Jessie, whose death was an irreparable [315] blow to the household. It was while still grieving over the loss of this daughter that Mr. Bloomfield went to New Orleans, called there by the sudden illness of his son, Moses, who was traveling through the south for a Canadian firm. He was a young man of twenty-five years and was looked upon in the community as a model young man of sterling character, of the highest honor and integrity, and of ideal purity in life. The father hastened to his bedside and every possible thing was done to restore him to health, but a few days after the father’s arrival Moses Bloomfield passed away. This death following so closely upon the death of the daughter was more than Mr. Bloomfield could bear. He died almost literally of a broken heart, passing away in New Orleans on the 31st of December, 1901, aged fifty-six years. The sudden demise of father and son has been greatly deplored by the entire Jewish community and especially by the Shaar (Hashomayim) congregation to which they belonged. A beautiful memorial service was held at the McGill College Avenue synagogue. The remains of father and son were interred in a cemetery in New Orleans, but at the memorial service in Montreal hundreds of their friends gathered to pay the last tribute of respect and to thus honor their memory. In his address Rabbi Bernard M. Kaplan said: “We have assembled in this House of God from all parts of the city to mourn a great and grievous loss which we have sustained by the untimely demise of two most virtuous, most pious and most respected members of the community, a father and son who under the most pathetic circumstances found their graves in a strange land. The son, while yet in the freshness and bloom of life, expired in the embrace of a loving father who had traversed almost a continent to gaze once more upon the innocent and serene countenance of his child.” Rabbi Kaplan said that some would mourn more deeply the loss of the young man—his associates and friends who were closely connected with him—while to others the death of the father, which had come as a more telling blow, yet by all the death of each would be felt, for each was a man largely ideal in his home relations and in his relations to his friends and to his congregation. Mr. Bloomfield was a most devoted and loving father as well as a most kind, considerate and affectionate husband. “He not only loved his wife, but true to the teachings of the Talmud, of which he was a great student, he honored and respected her. His family life was an inspiration to every lover of ideal home life. His modest home was a veritable sanctuary whose atmosphere was permeated by serene peace, true purity, and sincere piety. And, again, every one who appreciates gentleness of manner and gentleness of disposition, purity of life and purity of thought, faith in God and faith in humanity, devotion to religion and devotion to every other duty, sincerity of speech and sincerity of action, must lament the loss which the community sustains by the death of Baruch Bloomfield, for he embodied all these qualities and many more. He loved peace and pursued it. He loved Hebrew learning and devoted his life to it. He loved Judaism and made great sacrifices for it. He loved charity and gave it. I approached him myself several times on matters of charity. Not only did he contribute a great deal more that I thought his means allowed him, but what is more, he gave his share with all his heart and soul—so much so that he reminded me of the proverbial romantic Hebrew charity which meant not only the giving of money but also the giving, so to speak, of the very heart with it.
“For a period of twenty-five years Baruch Bloomfield, from time to time collected and forwarded considerable funds to the Holy Land. It was the supreme passion of his life to step some day on the Holy Land. His wish like that of Moses has not, however, been realized. He died on this side of the Jordan. But, friends, there was no need for Baruch Bloomfield to go to Palestine in order to be on holy land. I say in all sincerity, that the ground where so pure and so pious a man as Baruch Bloomfield stood, studied or prayed, was holy. It was sanctified by the holiness of an ideal Jewish life. Yea, the very ground wherein his body, the shrine of so beautiful a soul is deposited is positively holy. Baruch Bloomfield was an ish kaddish, a holy man in the traditional sense of the term. A truly holy man sanctifies his surroundings.”
Sir Thomas George Roddick, M. D., LL. D., F. R. C. S., was born at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, July 31, 1846, a son of the late John Irving Roddick and Emma Jane Martin. His father was a native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and was for many years principal of the government school at Harbour Grace. After pursuing his preliminary education with his father, and, later, in the Truro Model and Normal Schools of Nova Scotia, Sir Thomas entered McGill University in 1864 in preparation for the practice of medicine, which he intended to make his life’s work. He graduated M. D., C. M., in 1868, and was the Holmes Gold Medallist and final prizeman of his year. Immediately following his graduation he was appointed assistant house surgeon and afterwards house surgeon of the Montreal General Hospital, which position he held for six years. Later, he received an appointment as attending surgeon to that institution and in 1874 entered upon private practice. From 1872 to 1874 he was lecturer on hygiene in McGill University and was demonstrator of anatomy during 1874 and 1875. In the latter year he was made professor of clinical surgery, which position he held for fifteen years, when he became professor of surgery, occupying that chair until 1907. He was dean of the medical faculty of McGill from 1901 till 1908.
In 1896 Sir Thomas was elected president of the British Medical Association, being the first colonial physician ever honored by election to that office, which he held from 1896 to 1898. He presided at the Montreal meeting and was subsequently elected vice president for life of that, the largest and most important medical body in the world.
He is president of the Montreal branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses; president of the Alexandra Hospital for Contagious Diseases; vice president of the Royal Edward Institute; consulting surgeon to the Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital. He was a member of the royal tuberculosis commission recently appointed by the Quebec government; is a past president of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and of the Canadian Medical Association, of which latter body he was recently appointed honorary president. When the Newfoundland Society of Montreal was organized a few years ago he was appointed honorary president. In 1898 Edinburgh University [319] recognized his services to medicine by conferring upon him the honorary degree of LL. D.; in 1903 Queen’s University honored him in a like manner; in 1899 he was elected an honorary F. R. C. S., London. After resigning the deanship of the medical faculty of McGill in 1908, he was appointed a governor of McGill University. He was one of the first surgeons on this continent to employ Lister’s methods in the treatment of wounds.
Sir Thomas’ connection with the militia of Canada dates as far back as 1868, when he joined the Grand Trunk Artillery as assistant surgeon, and was under orders for the second Fenian raid in 1870. He subsequently commanded the University Company of the Prince of Wales Rifles and was appointed surgeon to that regiment in 1885. During the Northwest rebellion in the same year he organized the hospital and ambulance service for the expeditionary force and was in charge of the medical service in the field, holding the rank of deputy surgeon general of militia, was mentioned in despatches and recommended for the C. M. G. For his services on this occasion, and for the Fenian raid, he holds the service medals, and also the long-service medal. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1900 and is now on the retired list of officers.
Sir Thomas is a conservative in politics and represented St. Antoine division over two parliaments, sitting in the house of commons from 1896 until 1904. His chief reason for entering politics was to exploit a scheme which he had long advocated, viz., that of Dominion medical registration, for which a federal act was necessary. The “Roddick Bill” so-called, passed parliament in 1902, was amended and became operative in 1911. Thus was established a one-portal system for entrance to the practice of medicine throughout the Dominion of Canada. A Dominion medical council was at once organized, of which Sir Thomas was elected first president.
Sir Thomas was married in 1880 to Miss Marion McKinnon, a daughter of the late William McKinnon of Pointe Claire, P. Q. Her death occurred in 1890, and he afterwards wedded in September, 1906, Miss Amy Redpath, daughter of the late J. J. Redpath of Montreal. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church.
He is a member of the Hunt Club, the University Club and the Mount Royal Club. His residence is at 705 Sherbrooke Street, West.
Patriotism, courage and generosity have always characterized him, and, notwithstanding the demands ever made upon him in his professional life, he has always found time to take an active part in all movements having to do with the social and moral welfare of his adopted city.
Among the representative bankers of Montreal is Ferdinand Gustave Leduc, manager of the Banque d’Hochelaga, and as such enjoys high prestige among his colleagues. He is considered an authority upon financial matters, and that this judgment is not misplaced is evident from the success with which he manages this eight-million-dollar institution. Although he has attained a high place among the captains of finance he is modest and unassuming in his demeanor, [320] ever ready to receive a caller or listen to the most humble of his employes in order to keep in touch with the smallest details of his business and all situations and conditions that might affect the financial world. Mr. Leduc is a native of the province of Quebec, his birth having occurred at Beauharnois on the 31st of March, 1871. He is a son of Michel Ferdinand and Mathilde (Vachon) Leduc and was educated in his native city in 1884, became a student at St. Joseph’s College of Burlington, Vermont. The earliest records of the Leduc family in Canada refer to one Jean Le Duc, born in 1624, a son of Jean and Cécile (La Chaperon) Le Duc. On May 11, 1652, Jean Le Duc, first mentioned, married Marie Soulinié at Montreal and died about fifty years later, on April 19, 1702. This record is taken from the “Dictionnaire Généalogique,” compiled by Abbé Tanguay.
Ferdinand G. Leduc early displayed an interest in the banking business and in 1886, after leaving the academy in Vermont, entered upon a position with La Banque Jacques Cartier, with which institution he remained until 1899, becoming well acquainted with all the details as regards investments and credits and the multitudinous duties and responsibilities connected with the management and direction of a large financial establishment. Since 1899 Mr. Leduc has been manager of the Banque d’Hochelaga, his extraordinary ability finding recognition in this important position. The bank has a capital and reserve of about eight million dollars and is one of the strongest financial institutions in the Dominion.
On the 14th of January, 1894, Mr. Leduc married Miss Corinne Bisson, a daughter of E. H. Bisson, a prominent man along various lines and well known as a member of the provincial parliament. Mr. and Mrs. Leduc have three children: Louis Philippe, aged seventeen; Gabrielle, aged twelve; and Jeanne Aimée, aged ten. The family affiliates with the Catholic church.
Mr. Leduc takes a deep interest in the metropolitan development of Montreal and is ever ready to extend or place at the disposal of the general public his time or means in order to promote worthy public enterprises. Although he has not cared to actively participate in public life, he has done much to promote the growth of the city in his private capacity. Personally he is approachable, kindly and dignified—a gentleman of pleasing manners and fine appearance, combining with grace of manner an American demeanor of democracy which readily makes for him friends who are devoted to him on account of the substantial qualities of his character.
Dr. Frederick Ernest Thompson, who since 1890 has been in continuous practice of his profession in Montreal, his signal ability commanding for him a distinguished place in medical circles and a wide and representative patronage, was born in the city of Quebec, Quebec province, and acquired his early education in the grammar and high schools there. He followed this by a course in Morrin College and after completing this entered McGill University from which [321] he was graduated M. D. in 1890. He still remains a close and earnest student of his profession, keeping in touch with its most advanced and modern thought.
Dr. Thompson began practice in Montreal in the fall of 1890, and his ability attained instant recognition. Since that time constant study and research and steadily widening experience have broadened and developed his powers, and he is today one of the most successful and prominent physicians and surgeons in the city where he makes his home. In the latter line of work he has become especially proficient as his position in the department of obstetrics and operative surgery on the staff of the Women’s Hospital plainly shows. He is a member of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical and the Canadian Medical and British Medical Associations, and a fellow in the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society, and his ability is widely recognized in professional circles.
Professor Charles Ebenezer Moyse, a member of the faculty of McGill University since 1878 and since 1903 dean of the faculty of arts and vice principal of McGill, needs no introduction to the readers of this volume, for his fame and ability as an educationist and writer, both of verse and of prose, have made his name a familiar one from coast to coast. He was born at Torquay, England, March 9, 1852, a son of the late Charles Westaway and Mary Anne (Jenkins) Moyse, the former of Torquay and the latter a daughter of John Jenkins, of Exeter. He was educated first of all at the Independent College, Taunton, and subsequently at University College, London. He obtained the Bachelor of Arts degree of the University of London in 1874. He was university exhibitioner in English and also headed the honor list in animal physiology. His career as an educationist has been a successful one from the outset. He was appointed headmaster of St. Mary’s College, Peckham, and while filling that position was elected in 1878 to the Molson professorship of English literature at McGill University, Montreal. In 1903 McGill conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL. D. In the same year he was appointed dean of the faculty of arts and vice principal. His position in the university at once indicates his high standing in the profession. He was editor in chief of the McGill University Magazine, now the University Magazine, for five years, and has for many years been president of the McGill College Cricket Club, a fact which indicates that his interest is not merely along literary lines.
Professor Moyse has ever been a close and discriminating student and has found his greatest pleasure as well as his chief activity in roaming through the fields of the world’s literature and finding companionship with the men of master minds. The result of his labors has, in part, been given to the world in a number of published volumes and articles. In 1879 he brought out a volume entitled “The Dramatic Art of Shakespeare,” and in 1883 “Poetry as a Fine Art.” In 1889, under the pseudonym “Belgrave Titmarsh,” he published a volume entitled “Shakespeare’s Skull,” and he published in 1910, a volume entitled “Ella Lee; Glimpses of Child Life,” consisting of poems reminiscent of his childhood days in Devonshire. In 1911 appeared “The Lure of Earth,” a volume of [322] poems of a more serious character. He has also written various poems and literary articles which have appeared in the leading magazines of the day.
In June, 1883, Professor Moyse wedded Janet McDougall, the eldest daughter of John Stirling of Montreal. Mrs. Moyse has been deeply interested in a movement for providing playgrounds for children in Montreal, her efforts in that direction being untiring, and she is now a director of the Parks and Playgrounds Association. Professor Moyse has been a close student of all the interesting problems and significant questions of the day and absorption in books has never made him neglectful of the duties and obligations of citizenship. His social nature finds expression in his membership in the Thistle Curling Club and University Club. He has been characterized as “a highly cultured man who has had a brilliant career as an educationist.”
Respected by all who know him, no man occupies a more creditable position in banking circles than does George Hague of Montreal, who for many years was prominently identified with the management of important financial affairs. He has been equally well known by reason of his active support of benevolent and philanthropic objects and by his interest in phases of public-spirited citizenship. He was born at Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, January 13, 1825, a son of Mr. John Hague, and comes from an old family of bankers, as some or other of his relatives have for generations back been connected with the leading bank in the town. Mr. Hague has passed the eighty-ninth milestone on life’s journey and his career has been one of usefulness and honor.
His early education was acquired at Morgate Academy, in his native town, where his proficiency in mental arithmetic placed him at the head of the school when yet a mere boy. His school days over, he entered into active connection with financial interests as an employe of the Sheffield Banking Company. He remained in Great Britain until 1854, when he came to Canada, having accepted the position of financial manager of a firm of railway contractors. Two years later he became accountant at the head office in the newly organized Bank of Toronto. The steps in his orderly progression are easily discernible. He advanced from one position to another which brought upon him larger responsibilities and duties, each, however, finding him adequate to the demands made upon him. He was appointed manager of the Bank of Toronto at Cobourg, Ontario, and in 1863 succeeded the late Mr. Angus Cameron as cashier of the bank, in which capacity he remained until 1876. It was during this period that Mr. Hague’s influence was felt in some of the most important legislation affecting banking interests in Canada. The government had brought in two measures in succession, for the regulation of the currency. To the first, some of the western bankers were inclined to agree, but Mr. Hague conceived its operation would be prejudicial to the interests of a bank like the Bank of Toronto, and the finance minister was prevailed on to make it optional instead of compulsory. Only one bank consented to embrace its provisions, and, for some years, matters went along undisturbed. The second measure was far more dangerous, and [325] was wholly compulsory. It was founded on the American currency plan, which was then at the zenith of its popularity, and had not yet developed any of the unfavorable features which afterwards transpired. This Canadian government measure, many bankers, particularly from Ontario and Nova Scotia, concluded would be utterly unsuitable to the circumstances of Canada, and they determined to give it strenuous opposition. Mr. Hague was appointed secretary of an informal association for the purpose, and the contest was maintained through two or three sessions of parliament. There were powerful influences at the back of the government in favor of the measure and the contest was a very determined one. At length when Sir Francis Hincks had been appointed finance minister, a satisfactory compromise was proposed, accepted, and its provisions incorporated in the Dominion note act, and the Canadian bank act, which both shortly followed.
Previous to this every bank was worked under a separate charter, but now these various charters were amalgamated under one compendious act, the preparation of which occupied the leading bankers and lawyers in the house of commons for several months. In these discussions Mr. Hague naturally took a leading part, along with Mr. E. H. King of the Bank of Montreal. Hon. Mr. Lewin, of the Bank of New Brunswick, Hon. Edward Blake of Toronto, Mr. Peter Jack who represented the banks of Nova Scotia and, of course, the finance minister. This act, together with the Dominion note act, has been at the foundation of Canadian banking ever since. During the progress of these discussions Mr. Hague was offered the general managership of the Bank of Commerce, as well as one of the higher positions in the Bank of Montreal. Both however were declined.
After the exacting labors entailed by this contest, Mr. Hague concluded that the time had arrived when he might fairly carry out a project that he had cherished for many years, viz., to devote the remainder of his life to religious and philanthropic work. In preparation for this he resigned his position in the Bank of Toronto and made other arrangements for a change in his mode of life. Upon severing his connection with the Bank of Toronto, the directors of that institution presented Mr. Hague with a service of plate and a handsome sum of money, in consideration of his efficient services to the bank as well as for his most valuable services to the banking interests of Canada generally.
Subsequent events proved that Mr. Hague’s preparations for retirement from the banking business were premature.
A cloud had been gathering over the commercial and financial position of Canada for some time back, and it was never darker or deeper than in the opening months of 1877. The records of failures and insolvencies grew to alarming proportions, fully four times the usual average, and the losses of the banks told on them severely. The general manager of the Merchants Bank of Canada having resigned, the directors of that institution offered the position to Mr. Hague and pressed upon him to accept it.
It was like taking command of a ship in the midst of a storm, but he felt it his duty to undertake the task, but did so with a full understanding that he should be at liberty to devote a reasonable amount of time to religious and philanthropic work. It was several years before the financial cloud passed by, and of the strenuous labors of bankers at that time it is needless to speak. Suffice [326] to say that Mr. Hague held on to his post with careful attention to the matters he had stipulated for, and only retired after twenty-five years more of service, at a ripe old age, and having in the meantime assisted in the decennial reviews of the banking act that transpired from time to time according to its provisions. At the time of his resignation as general manager in 1902, the directors of the Merchants Bank presented Mr. Hague with a valuable piece of solid silver, gold plated, and made a handsome provision for the remainder of his life.
Whilst general manager of this bank, Mr. Hague was several times requested by the American Bankers’ Association to address its annual meeting, and took an active part in preventing the adoption of silver as the basis of the finances of the United States. He also drew up a paper in which a strenuous protest was made against the adoption of silver as part of the basis of the currency of the Bank of England. This had been urged by a school of financiers known as bi-metallists, but Canada has always stood solidly on a gold basis, and so has England remained.
When the Bankers’ Association of Canada was founded, Mr. Hague took an active part in company with Mr. Wolferstan Thomas, Mr. Duncan Coulson, and other bankers in drawing up its constitution, and was chosen its first president. Since his retirement from banking circles he has been honorary president, an office to which he was reelected at the last annual meeting of that association.
In the intervening years, since his retirement to the present time, Mr. Hague has given his attention to literary and philanthropic work and has become widely known by reason of his contributions to the press and his cooperation in many organized charitable and benevolent projects, especially the Young Men’s Christian Association.
He has written many articles which have appeared in the financial papers and also reviews on banking and philanthropic subjects. He also published a valuable treatise, entitled Banking and Commerce. His published works include, Some Practical Studies in the History and Biography of the Old Testament.
Another phase of his activity has brought Mr. Hague not only into close connection with many charitable and benevolent movements, but also with projects of vital importance to the city and its material, intellectual and moral development. He is today a governor of McGill University, vice president of the Montreal Diocesan College; a governor of the Montreal General Hospital, and a director of the House of Industry and other kindred organizations. He is vice president of the Canadian Bible Society and was at one time president of the Young Men’s Christian Association, to which he has been a generous contributor.
Some years ago, after an era of extravagant expenditure of the city council during which the debt of the city was doubled in five years, an association was formed for maintaining a watchful oversight over the finances of the city. This was called the Good Government Association, and many of Montreal’s most prominent citizens became members of it. Of this association Mr. Hague was chosen president, and under its auspices an efficient check was placed upon extravagant spending by the Montreal Corporation, through an act of the legislature, brought in by Mr. George Washington Stephens. Mr. Hague often went to Quebec on the business of this association which has now, however, been dissolved and superseded.
At a certain period of our parliamentary history, when the late Sir John Abbott was premier, a great outcry was made as to abuses in connection with the civil service. A Royal commission was appointed for examination of which Edmond Barbeau and J. M. Courtney, deputy finance minister, were members. Of this commission Mr. Hague was appointed chairman. The examination was very thorough and extended over several months. Every department of the service was overhauled and at its close a series of recommendations were made, all of which tended to correct abuses and promote efficiency, and, which if adopted, would have resulted in a large annual saving to the country. Some of these were adopted, but others unfortunately were not, and another commission became necessary later on.
Mr. Hague still has financial interests in several corporations, being a director of the Guarantee Company of North America, and others of a similar character.
Mr. Hague has never been an active politician, but his connection is with the liberal-conservative element, his support being given to the Chamberlain policy. No movement tending to promote civic virtue or civic pride has failed to receive his indorsement and support. His interest in public affairs is that of a broad-minded, public-spirited citizen, looking beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future. His religious faith is that of the Anglican church, in which he has been a most active worker for many years.
Mr. Hague has been married twice. In 1852 he wedded Sarah Cousins, a daughter of Mr. Joseph Cousins, a manufacturer of Sheffield, England. Her death occurred in 1900 and in March, 1902, he wedded Mary Frances Mitcheson, a daughter of the late McGregor Mitcheson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is now past the eighty-ninth milestone on life’s journey, but in spirit and interest seems yet in his prime. The Canadian American has truly styled him, “A high-minded Christian gentleman, public-spirited and always at the front in every philanthropic movement ..., never knew a fairer man or one more actively unselfish.” All this indicates that his life was never self-centered but has reached out along lines of constantly broadening usefulness and activity for the benefit of the people, seeking rather the welfare and benefit of the many than the advancement of self. His life has indeed been one of signal usefulness.
Insurance interests found a prominent representative in William Robertson in Montreal, who was largely a pioneer in the work of adapting English companies to the business methods pursued on this side of the Atlantic. A Canadian by birth, his native town was Lachute, province of Quebec, and his natal year 1847. His father, Dr. William Robertson, a graduate of the Edinburgh Medical College, settled in Lachute when a young man, there establishing himself in practice, but later removed to St. Andrews East, where he continued actively in the profession until his death, greatly endearing himself to the community by the willingness to which he responded to the call of the sick, even though [328] it meant a self-sacrificing ride of from sixty to seventy-five miles. His patients had the utmost confidence in him and his professional efforts were a blessing to the inhabitants of that, then scarcely settled district. He married Miss Mary A. Tierney, of Ireland, and they had two sons and three daughters, the surviving son being Dr. Patrick Robertson of England. An uncle of our subject was Colin Robertson, who won fame in the northwest.
William Robertson pursued his education in the schools of St. Andrews East and from his youth up was an underwriter, having begun business when quite young by entering the insurance office of Simpson & Bethune of Montreal. Such was the reputation which he won for superior business qualifications, for executive power and administrative ability, that in 1873, when but twenty-six years of age he was elected as representative for Canada of the London & Lancashire Life Assurance Company. The duties of this office he filled most acceptably for about seventeen years, or until his life’s labors were ended in death. He projected many changes and improvements in the methods of the English offices, transacting business on this side of the Atlantic. He made thoroughly Canadian in spirit and activity, the London & Lancashire Company in the Dominion, bringing about its popularity and success. He carefully organized and systematized the business here, with the result that the London & Lancashire Company became one of the strongest insurance companies of the country.
In 1871 Mr. Robertson was married to Miss Helen I. Barnston, a daughter of George Barnston, who throughout his active life was engaged in the Hudson’s Bay service in British Columbia and in the northwest country. He came to Canada in 1821 and retired, after many years service with the Hudson’s Bay Company, spending the remainder of his days in a well earned rest in Montreal. His wife was Miss Helen Mathews of England. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson became the parents of two children, who are living: Dr. William Graeme Robertson of England, who is attached to the White Star service; and Helen M. C., at home.
Mr. Robertson was active as a faithful member of St. James Episcopal church, in which he served as warden and he also belonged to the St. James Club. His keen sagacity enabled him to recognize the different spirits of the business circles in the old world and in the new, to adapt himself to changed conditions and to work along lines of new world progress. Thus he became a recognized leader in insurance circles occupying a prominent position until 1889 when he went to Denver, Colorado, for his health, there passing away on the 26th of February, of that year.
Charles P. Hébert, the first president of the wholesale grocery firm of Hudon, Hébert & Company, Ltd., of Montreal, was born in the pretty little village of St. Charles on the Richelieu river, and when a young man made his way to the city which was ever afterward his home. Here he began business in a small way and by energy and industry soon built up his establishment. In 1883 he became a member of the firm of Hudon, Hébert & Company. The business was originally established under the style of E. & V. Hudon and subsequently was conducted [331] under the name of V. Hudon and later became J. Hudon & Company. In 1906 it was incorporated as Hudon, Hébert & Company, Charles P. Hébert becoming the first president of that corporation. They are wholesale grocers and wine merchants, the premier establishment of its kind in the Dominion, importing directly from manufacturers in Europe, China, Japan, Asia Minor and the United States. They employ one hundred and seventy people in their Montreal establishment and have twenty-five salesmen constantly visiting all Canada, selling their goods from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the amount of five million dollars annually.
Mr. Hébert always took a deep interest in Montreal’s charitable institutions. He was president of the board of management of the Notre Dame Hospital and was also connected with other benevolent organizations and projects. He served as a member of the council of the Montreal Board of Trade and filled honorable positions in that body, including those of vice president and member of the board of arbitration. He was one of the directors of the City and District Savings Bank and also a director of the Masson estate.
Mr. Hébert died at his home at No. 117 Champ de Mars, Montreal, July 17, 1906, and was survived by a widow and six children.
After the death of Mr. Hébert Mr. Joseph Hudon was elected president of the corporation and on his death in 1908 Mr. Albert Hébert, son of Charles P. Hébert, succeeded to the presidency, and following his demise in 1911 Mr. Zéphirin Hébert, also a son of Charles P. Hébert, became president of the company.
In Presbyterian circles in North America the name of the Rev. Alexander Charleson Manson is well known and since the 19th of April, 1912, he has been pastor of the Taylor Presbyterian church of Montreal, one of the largest organizations of the city. A native of Thurso, Scotland, he pursued his education in the schools of Edinburgh and of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Studying theology, he won his Doctor of Divinity degree at the University of Chicago and he first served as superintendent of missions of North Dakota. Later he accepted a pastorate in Duluth, Minnesota, and afterward became pastor of the Eleventh Presbyterian church in Chicago, Illinois. From that city he went to Detroit, Michigan, in response to a call from the Second Avenue Presbyterian church and left that city to come to Montreal on the 19th of April, 1912, where he entered upon his duties as minister of the Taylor Presbyterian church, which was organized July 23, 1876, with Rev. J. J. Casey as its first pastor. He continued in that position until March 16, 1882, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Bennett, who remained in charge from the 1st of December, 1885, until December 31, 1897. His successor was the Rev. W. D. Reid, who continued in charge until 1912, when Rev. Manson became pastor. The present edifice of the Taylor Presbyterian church was erected in 1893, at a cost of about sixty thousand dollars. There is a membership of nine hundred and thirteen, with a Sunday school of four hundred [332] and fifty members, and the Junior Christian Endeavor Society is the largest in the city. There is a strong Sunday Afternoon Club, a First Company of Montreal Boys Brigade and a Ladies Athletic Club as auxiliary organizations to the church. In fact, the church work has been thoroughly systematized in every department, and splendid results are being accomplished. The church is in touch with the broader idea that the best Christian service can be accomplished with better physical and mental as well as moral development. Much attention is paid to the social life, and yet nothing for a moment overshadows the foundation work of the organization, which is the salvation of souls. Rev. Manson is a fluent, earnest speaker, who studies life and its problems and with notable clearness shows the relation of modern day conditions to the lessons that have come down to us through the ages from the moral teachers of the past.
Rev. Manson was married June 24, 1889, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Ferguson, of Hamilton, Ontario, and their children are: Berith Du Val, of New York city; and Vera Charleson, Allena Conklin, and Leslie Worden, all at home. At this point it would be almost tautological to enter into any series of statements as showing Rev. Manson to be a man of broad intelligence and genuine public spirit, for these have been shadowed forth between the lines of this review. Strong in his individuality, he never lacks the courage of his convictions but there are as dominating elements in this individuality a lively human sympathy and an abiding charity, which, as taken in connection with the sterling integrity and honor of his character, have naturally gained for him the respect and confidence of men.
One of the most able Catholic educators in Quebec province, a man sincere, straightforward and reliable in the discharge of the duties and obligations of life, most earnest and consecrated in his work as a priest of the Society of Jesus, is Rev. Thomas Joseph MacMahon, rector of Loyola College in Montreal. He has been connected with this institution since 1912 and, constantly following high ideals and guiding his actions by sound and practical judgment, has been an important factor in its later development and growth.
Father MacMahon was born at Hamilton, Ontario, December 12, 1874, and received his primary education at the Catholic separate schools in that city, later attending Hamilton high school and St. Mary’s College, Montreal. Entering the Society of Jesus in 1895, he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, where he received a long Jesuit training in philosophy and theology, after which he returned to Montreal, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1910. Father MacMahon then went to England for further training preparatory to taking the position of prefect of studies at Loyola College, a post which he assumed in May, 1912. He proved a capable educator and an excellent disciplinarian and in 1913 was advanced to the position of rector of the college. This is a large and growing institution conducted by the Jesuit Fathers for English-speaking Catholic boys and has an enviable reputation throughout eastern Canada for the thoroughness of its training and the comprehensive courses of study offered. The high standard of [333] efficiency, traditional in the school, has been maintained under Father MacMahon’s able management and the institution has made a creditable growth during the period of his incumbency. He has made himself thoroughly conversant with the affairs of the college and is rapidly pushing forward the work on the construction of the new buildings at Notre Dame de Grace, Sherbrooke Street, Montreal West, where the institution will be moved within the next two years.
Besides being an able educator and a farsighted and reliable business man, Father MacMahon is known also as a preacher of rare ability and power and has filled most of the pulpits in Montreal and the vicinity in a creditable manner. He has made his talents, powers and abilities forces in the spread of the Catholic religion in this province and has accomplished a great deal of beneficial and lasting work among the students of Loyola College and the people of the city. He has their love in large measure, while his upright and honorable character and his life of service has gained him the respect and esteem of people of all denominations.
An age of intense commercial activity calls forth the powers of men who can grapple with new conditions and utilize the opportunities that come with successive changes. Adequate to the demands of the hour, Robert Ward Shepherd occupied a central place on the stage of business activity at Montreal for more than a half century. The high ideals which he cherished found embodiment in practical effort for their adoption. He was no dreamer, for his theories were such as could be put into successful execution and his business record balanced up with the principles of truth and honor. As the president of the Ottawa River Navigation Company, he was known to thousands of people in Ottawa valley and he also figured in financial circles as vice president of the Molson Bank.
Of English birth, Mr. Shepherd came to Montreal immediately after his arrival in Canada and soon entered into active connection with the Ottawa River Navigation Company, then under the presidency of Sir George Simpson. For some years he was captain of one of the boats of the line but was called into the office to fill a position demanding executive force and keen discrimination. He was made manager and from that post rose to the position of president, in which connection he continued until his demise. Under his guidance the business of the Ottawa River Navigation Company continuously developed along substantial lines, and progressiveness was as manifest in the care of its patrons and the equipment of its vessels as in any other line or field of business. Those who met Mr. Shepherd found him genial, courteous and obliging, and at the same time he possessed the keen sagacity and clear reasoning so indispensable to the successful conduct of any enterprise. Becoming interested in Molson’s Bank, he was elected vice president and director, filling the former position for more than twenty years. In all business affairs he was clear-headed, farsighted, and the record which he left behind him for integrity and sterling worth is one which might be envied by all.
Mr. Shepherd was married to Miss Mary C. de Les Derniers of the province of Quebec, and they became the parents of nine children: Robert W., who died in 1912; Miss F. A. R.; Dr. Francis J.; Sherringham A.; A. Maude M., who is the widow of Haldane Haswell; Esther E., who married Dr. W. A. Molson and is now deceased; Beatrice H., who married Arthur Henshaw; Mary R., the widow of George R. Robertson; and de Les Derniers. The mother passed away in 1902, having for seven years survived Mr. Shepherd, whose death occurred August 29, 1895, when he was seventy-six years of age.
Mr. Shepherd was a member and one of the founders of St. George’s church and in his Christian faith was found the root of his activities in behalf of his fellowmen and of the principles which governed his life. He belonged to the St. James Club and was greatly interested in art, acting as vice president of the Art Gallery of the city. He was one of the committee of management of the Montreal General Hospital; was a member of the committee of management of the Mackay Institution, and a generous supporter of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane. He gave freely of his means to various charitable institutions which seek to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate. Duty and honor were his watchwords and justice one of his strong characteristics.
Judson Albert DeCew, chemical engineer, whose identification with leading chemical societies in this country and the United States attests his higher professional standing, was born in Waterford, Ontario, on the 14th of December, 1874. He is descended from Captain John DeCew, a United Empire Loyalist, who served in the War of 1812 and in whose house, at DeCew Falls near St. Catharines, Ontario, Lieutenant Fitzgibbon and his soldiers were quartered, when Laura Secord gave the warning which enabled them to capture the United States forces under Colonel Boerstler. Mr. DeCew’s parents are Thomas Howard and Valdora (Beemer) DeCew, both of whom are living at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He was married on August 20, 1913, to Mabel Marshall, daughter of John Marshall, educationist, of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She is a graduate in arts of Queen’s University with the class of 1910.
After finishing his early education at Woodstock College, he attended the School of Practical Science of Toronto, graduating in 1896. After spending four years in practical work he held a fellowship in the University of Toronto in 1901 and took the degree of Bachelor of Applied Science with the class of 1902. In the same year he took a position as chemical engineer with the Canada Paper Company, which he held until 1905. In 1906 Mr. DeCew came to Montreal and established himself as a consulting chemical engineer. In 1913 he organized the Process Engineers Company, of which he is the president. He is the leading member of the chemical engineering profession in Canada and one of its most eminent representatives on the American continent. He is the inventor of a number of important chemical processes, and his name has become widely known as the author of articles relating to the manufacture of paper, which have appeared from time to time in technical journals. Mr. DeCew has [337] delivered lectures on the manufacture of paper and has been appointed on advisory committees for technical researches. He has been a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers since 1908 and an associate member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers since 1906. He is also a member of the American Society of Testing Materials, the American Chemical Society, the Society of Chemical Industry, and the American Wood Preservers Association. Mr. DeCew is a member of the Chemists Club, New York, and the Outremont Golf Club and the University Club of Montreal.
A position of leadership is accorded Fischel Ship in Jewish circles in Montreal because of his active and prominent identification with commercial, educational and benevolent projects. He was for many years a very successful business man, and as he has prospered he has given generously in support of measures tending to the intellectual progress of his people, and generous aid to those in need of assistance. He was born January 6, 1853, in Paranshoff, Poland, a son of Abraham Jacob and Pearl (Leah) Ship. The father engaged in the tailoring business in Poland, and it was in that country that Fischel Ship pursued his education. He was a young man of nineteen years when he crossed the Atlantic, making his way to Montreal in 1872. He had received business training under his father and had become thoroughly acquainted with the tailoring trade. Following his arrival in this city he established a merchant tailoring business and as the years went on won a liberal patronage, bringing him a gratifying competence. At the time that he entered trade circles of Montreal there were only five merchants in his line of business in the city. Throughout the succeeding period up to the time of his retirement he always managed to keep in the front rank among the merchant tailors of Montreal, receiving a liberal patronage from the best class of citizens, because of excellent style and workmanship, which were features of his shop, and his thoroughly reliable business methods. He always carried on business on St. Lawrence Main Street, but about eleven years ago retired from active connection with commercial interests to enjoy a well earned and well merited rest.
Mr. Ship, however, continues his activities along other lines resulting directly in the benefit of his fellowmen. He is chairman of the building committee, governor, trustee, and member of the relief and cemetery committees of the Baron De Hirsch Institute. He is a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital. For a quarter of a century he has been a trustee of the McGill College Avenue synagogue, was vice president of the synagogue for four years and has always been chairman of the building committee. He is most loyal to his religious belief and at all times has been generous and helpful toward the unfortunate.
On the 10th of February, 1869, Mr. Ship was united in marriage to Miss Flora Blumenthal, a daughter of Phillip Blumenthal, who was the first owner of the coaches in Ozerkoff, Poland. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ship have been born three children: Leah, now the wife of C. Sisenwain; Ray, now Mrs. S. P. Myers; Abe Phillip, who is engaged in the practice of medicine in Montreal and who married [338] Leah Sessenwain, of this city. In politics Mr. Ship has always been a liberal, nor has he sought office as a reward for party fealty. However, for the past sixteen years he has been justice of the peace for the island of Montreal and has discharged his duties with promptness, fidelity and impartiality. He is a veteran of the Odd Fellows Association and also a member of the Royal Arcanum. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and has gradually worked his way upward until he has won place among the substantial and highly respected citizens of Montreal.
Dr. René Hébert, successfully engaged in the practice of medicine in Montreal, in which city he was born October 2, 1869, is a son of Charles P. Hébert, one of the founders of the wholesale grocery house of Hudon, Hébert & Company. He was educated at Plateau Academy, Montreal College and Laval University, being graduated from the last named with the degree of M. D. in 1892. During the succeeding year he was an interne at Notre Dame Hospital and then went abroad for further study, spending two years in study and research work in Paris, specializing in diseases of the heart and lungs.
In 1895 Dr. Hébert began active practice in Montreal, opening an office on St. Denis Street. He is superintendent of St. Paul’s Hospital, physician to Notre Dame Hospital, and a professor in the medical and dental departments of Laval University. His professional connections are important, and it is recognized that he is a thorough and discriminating student and most conscientious in the performance of his professional duties.
Dr. Hébert married Miss Alice Auger. Their religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. Aside from his professional interests, Dr. Hébert is a director of the wholesale grocery firm of Hudon, Hébert & Company. In strictly professional lines he is connected with La Société de Médicine and Officier d’Académie. At all times he holds to high standards, and wide reading is constantly augmenting his skill and efficiency, manifested in the successful manner with which he copes with the intricate problems that are continually confronting the physician.
Of old and distinguished pioneer stock of French extraction Clément Antoine Guertin upholds the traditions of family prominence as one of the most able legal representatives of the Montreal and provincial bar. Although he has been in practice for not many years he enjoys a reputation second to none, as he has proven his ability in connection with important interests. Not only is Mr. Guertin well versed in the letter of the law and the principles that affect its [339] administration, not only is he a deep thinker and logical reasoner, but he has an insight into the conduct of human beings which permits him to clearly define cause and effect in human actions, and he therefore readily penetrates to the root of such problems as demand legal help for solution. He has long been recognized as one of the able general practitioners in the city, and his services are in large demand, resulting in a gratifying measure of financial returns.
Clément Antoine Guertin was born at St. Antoine, in the county of Verchères, province of Quebec, on the 22d of November, 1870, a son of Léon Guertin, an agriculturist of St. Antoine, who was born in 1817 and passed away in 1876, and Marie Louise Euchariste (Geoffrion) Guertin, a native of Varennes. The first of the family in Canada was the famous and well known Guertin, called Louis Le Sabotier, who was born in 1635, a son of Louis and Georgette (LeDuc) Guertin, from Daumeray, near Angers, France. He married first at Montreal on January 26, 1659, Elizabeth Le Camus, and second, Catherine Roy. Among his children were Louis, Pierre, Paul and others. Paul Guertin, alias Chertin, alias Diertin, was a son of Louis, born in Montreal on the 2d of May, 1680. At Contrecoeur, on the 19th of March, 1702, he married Madeleine Plouffe and among their children were Pierre, Paul and François. The latter married Catherine Dudevoir at St. Antoine in 1745 and among their children were Pierre, Joseph, François and others. Joseph, born March 6, 1755, married Marie Louise Circé, called St. Michel, at St. Antoine in 1777 and among their children was Pierre, born October 9, 1781. He married Marguerite Duhamel, who bore her husband the following children: Pierre, Noël, Léon, Marguerite, Flavien, Alexis, Calixte, Zoé and Louis. Léon Guertin, third son of Pierre, was born March 12, 1817. His first union was with Théotis Brodeur, who bore him the following children: Octavie, Pauline, Léopold, Stanislas and Mélanie. His second wife was Marie Louise Euchariste Geoffrion and the children of this marriage were Joseph, Louis, Marie Louise and Clément Antoine. Léon Guertin, the father of our subject, is the sixth in direct descent from Louis Guertin, Le Sabotier. Pierre Guertin, the grandfather of our subject, and his sons, Pierre, Noël and Léon, took part in the battle of St. Denis, November 22, 1837. Louis Guertin, a brother of our subject, is father of the Holy Cross Congregation, a director of Memramcook University of New Brunswick, and took in Rome in philosophy and theology the degree of Doctor cum maxima laude, also taking scientific work at Harvard. A brother of the mother of our subject, Father L. Geoffrion, of the Holy Cross Congregation, was for fifteen years director of St. Laurent College, near Montreal.
Clément Antoine Guertin received a thorough and varied education. He attended the St. Antoine village school, the St. Denis Commercial College and also took courses in commercial English, French and classical studies at St. Laurent. He received the degree of B. L. in 1893 from the law faculty of Laval University, in 1896 became LL. B. and in January, 1897, was made an advocate. He has ever since followed his profession successfully in Montreal and as his experience has expanded has become one of the few successful lawyers whose reputation marks them for distinction.
On the 24th of April, 1901, at Montreal, Mr. Guertin was married to Miss Marie Anne Josephine Lamontagne, a daughter of G. A. Lamontagne, a merchant tailor of Montreal and Malvina (Beauchamp) Lamontagne. They had one daughter, [340] Simonne, born April 16, 1902, who died July 2d of the same year. The mother passed away on June 26, 1912.
From September, 1910, to May, 1912, Mr. Guertin was a member of the Montreal council of the bar and from May, 1911, to May, 1912, a member of the provincial council. His club relations are with the St. Denis, Délorimier and the Union du Commerce of Montreal. His faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. He has secured one of the most exclusive and representative practices in Montreal, his success being the best evidence of his capability. His pleas are always characterized by terse logic and lucid presentation, and he always has a decisive conviction as to the rights of the question he represents. It is his ambition to make his native talents subserve the demands of the social and business conditions of the day, and he stands today as a splendid representative of a lawyer to whom personal prosperity is but secondary in importance and who considers many ideal elements more vital in the making up of human existence. His industry and energy have found a reward which is based on a distinguished name and accomplishments rather than incidental prosperity.
William Sutherland Maxwell, an architect of Montreal, whose high professional standing is indicated by the large number of fine structures which stand as monuments to his skill and ability, brought to bear at the outset of his professional career the broad knowledge gained from comprehensive and thorough training. Montreal numbers him among her native sons, his birth having here occurred on the 14th of November, 1874, his parents being E. J. and Johanna (MacBean) Maxwell. In the acquirement of his education William Sutherland Maxwell, after attending the Montreal high school, went to Boston, Massachusetts, for professional training and afterward entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts of Paris, France. His training was thus received from men eminent in the profession in America and in Europe, and in 1898 he was admitted to the Quebec Architects Association. Beginning the practice of his profession he formed a partnership with his brother, Edward Maxwell, and in his chosen life work he has made steady advancement, his unfolding powers and increasing ability gaining for him distinction and success. In 1909 he was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and in 1908 was chosen a councillor of the Association of Architects of the province of Quebec. He is president of the Province of Quebec Association of Architects for 1914. While practicing his profession in association with his brother there stand as monuments to their skill and ability many fine structures not only in the east but also in the west. Among the works executed by them are the Hotel Alexandra at Winnipeg, for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Canadian Pacific Railway station at Winnipeg, the residence of C. R. Hosmer, the Alexandra Hospital for Infectious Diseases, the Nurses Home for the Royal Victorian Hospital, the monument to Lord Strathcona and South African soldiers of which George W. Hill was the sculptor, the monument to the Hon. John Young, of which Philip Hébert was the sculptor, the bank buildings for the Bank of Montreal, Molso [343] n’s Bank, the Royal Bank and the buildings of the Montreal General Hospital. They were also the architects of the Government House in Regina, Saskatchewan, the Calgary Hotel for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, at Calgary, and the Montreal Art Association’s new building in Montreal. No more definite indication of Mr. Maxwell’s high professional standing can be given than the list of these buildings which have become tangible factors in the improvement of various cities.
In May, 1902, occurred the marriage of Mr. Maxwell and Miss Mary Ellis Bolles, of New York, who is well known in connection with charitable and philanthropic work, being now a councillor of the Children’s Aid Society. He is a member of the St. James Club, the Arts Club, the Pen and Pencil Club and the Kanawaki Golf Club. The family residence is at No. 716 Pine Avenue, Montreal. Mr. Maxwell has concentrated his energies upon his profession, and he has every reason to be proud of the fact that he has been elected to membership in the Ecole des Beaux Arts Society of Paris. He was president of the Arts Club of Montreal for 1913 and is so serving for 1914.
With intense activity well directed, with untiring energy, business ability, resourcefulness and controlled ambition, Henri Roy has reached a position of importance in the affairs of La Société des Artisans Canadiens-Français, of which he has been secretary and treasurer since 1892.
His influence has affected the policies and the direction of developments of this great fraternal insurance company of Montreal, and the years of his connection with it have proven mutually useful and beneficial.
Mr. Roy was born September 11, 1864, in St. Alexandre, near St. Jean, Quebec, and acquired his education in the public schools and in St. Cesaire Commercial College, fitting himself in the latter institution for the business career which he had determined upon.
When he left his native city he went to Quebec where for some years he was connected with a wholesale firm. In 1888 he came to Montreal and until 1899 was associated with the wholesale house of Hodgson, Sumner & Company.
Upon coming to Montreal in 1888, Mr. Roy began his connection with La Société des Canadiens-Français as an accountant, employing his evenings in this capacity. Advancement came rapidly, for Mr. Roy proved himself a farsighted, resourceful and discriminating business man who could be relied upon to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertook. In 1892 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the society, positions which he has filled with ability and distinction since that time. The work has made continued demands upon his tact, his versatility, his administrative ability, and these demands have been met fully and completely, Mr. Roy being today one of the most prominent and widely known officials of the company he represents.
In 1888 when he became associated with the society it had accumulated funds of ten thousand seven hundred thirty-one dollars and ten cents, and a membership of one thousand three hundred thirty-two, limited to the island of Montreal; [344] today (1914) its accumulated funds are two million three hundred thirty-seven thousand three hundred eighty-two dollars and seventy-two cents, its membership numbers thirty-nine thousand ninety-four and its field of action covers all American territory where there are French-Canadians.
May 6, 1896, Mr. Roy married Miss Celina Canty of Bathurst, New Brunswick, and to them have come a family of eleven children, seven of whom are living, Berthe, Pierre, Olive, Jeanne, Celina, Louis and Victoria.
Mr. Roy is well and favorably known in Montreal, where for more than a quarter of a century he has made his home. His success and the standards by which it has been obtained have gained for him the respect of his business associates, and his sterling qualities of character the esteem and good-will of many friends.
Ludger Gravel is well known in business circles of Montreal as a dealer in carriage maker’s and blacksmith’s supplies, as president of Société des Artisans Canadiens-Français and also as a successful manufacturer’s agent, connected in this way with some of the most important industrial concerns in Canada, the United States and Europe. The industry and the spirit of enterprise, progress and initiative which have brought him success have also been factors in his conduct of his extensive interests and place him today among the men of marked ability and substantial worth in this community.
Mr. Gravel was born in 1864, at St. Raphael, Ile Bizard, Canada, and acquired his education in Montreal, beginning his business career immediately after laying aside his books. He was for eight months with Thomas Wilson & Company of this city and at the end of that time became connected with P. P. Mailloux at 223 St. Paul Street, with whom he remained over twenty years, rising during that time to a position of weight and responsibility and proving himself a farsighted, capable and progressive business man. Having shown his worth and his capability, Mr. Gravel eventually engaged in business for himself, establishing the extensive business which he now conducts. Under his able management this has become a large and important enterprise and it is still growing, for Mr. Gravel is constantly extending the field of his activity and forming new commercial relations. In addition to his retail business he is also acting as exclusive agent in Montreal for a number of manufacturing firms in Canada, the United States and Europe, and his important connections along this line are conclusive proof of his prominence and high standing in business circles. Among the firms which he represents may be mentioned the following: Ontario Asphalt Block Company, Ltd., Walkerville, Ontario; The Standard Paint & Varnish Works, Ltd., Windsor, Ontario; The Frank Miller Company, New York, New York; Windsor Turned Goods Company, Ltd., Windsor, Ontario; The Conboy Carriage Company, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario; The Neverslip Manufacturing Company, New Brunswick, New Jersey; Sem. Lacaille, Nominingue, Quebec; Meilink’s Home Deposit Vaults, Toledo, [345] Ohio; Propriétaire de l’Huile Balmoral; James Boyd & Brothers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Jacob Maas & Company, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mr. Gravel became connected with Société des Artisans Canadiens-Français in 1903 when he was elected a director, and his ability and executive skill soon commanded for him a place of power in this organization. He was made second vice president in 1904 and first vice president in 1906 and in 1910 was elected president, a position which he has held since that time. The demands which it has made upon his energy, his enterprise and his executive ability have been completely met, and the fortunes of the society under his hands have been constantly prosperous. He has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce since its organization and at present is one of its directors. His membership in mutual, charitable, antiquarian, social, political and sporting clubs is extensive and in a number of them he holds official position. However his business never suffers from these connections and his time and attention are so distributed that he proves a valuable member in all of the organizations.
On May 26, 1891, in Montreal Mr. Gravel was married to Laura Roy, the daughter of Alfred Roy. Of the fourteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gravel, six are now living as follows, Olympe, L. Pierre, Germaine, Emelia, Lucette and Simone.
With the extension of his interests Mr. Gravel’s powers have continually developed, his insight has deepened, his view broadened and with the passing years he has become a man of power and prominence, finding in the field of business the best scope for his interests and activities. He is a devout member of the Roman Catholic church and his upright life which has been guided by its principles, has brought him prominence, substantial fortune and the respect and esteem of many friends.
Severin Letourneau, who has advanced beyond the ranks of the many and stands among the able and successful few in the practice of law and in liberal leadership, is a native of St. Constant, born on the 23d of May, 1871. His preliminary education acquired in the Jacques Cartier Normal school, was supplemented by a course in Laval University, in which he completed his law studies and was graduated with the class of 1895. In July following he was called to the bar and at once entered upon active practice of his profession in which he has made continuous progress. Advancement at the bar is proverbially slow and yet, no dreary novitiate awaited Mr. Letourneau, who, during the eighteen years of his practice has won a high reputation by reason of his broad legal knowledge and the skill and ability in which he handles his cases, mastering the points in evidence with the precision of a military commander who marshals his troops on the field of battle. In 1906 he was appointed king’s counsel. He is today practicing as a member of the firm of Pelletier, Letourneau & Beaulieu, advocates, with a clientage that is extensive and important.
Mr. Letourneau is prominently known as one of the leaders of the liberal party and as the liberal organizer for the district of Montreal has justified his [346] appointment by the series of brilliant successes that have been scored for the liberal party in and around the city. He has rendered to his party service as a tactician and he is now sitting for Hochelaga in the provincial legislature, stanchly supporting Sir Lomer Gouin in his policy of progressive legislation. Mr. Letourneau is also a member of the Montreal Reform Club. He is a man of unfaltering determination, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, whether in the field of law or politics. He stands stanchly for the right as he sees it, and his position is never an equivocal one.
Charles Haviland Routh, insurance broker, occupying a position among the foremost representatives of insurance interests in the Dominion, has in this direction, followed in the footsteps of his father, the late John H. Routh, who was for a quarter century agent at Montreal for the Western Assurance Company. Haviland L. Routh, grandfather of Charles H. Routh, was also prominent in insurance circles, being Canadian manager for the Royal Insurance Company. Charles H. Routh was born and educated in this city and throughout the period of his identification with business interests has been connected with the insurance profession. He is lacking in none of the qualities requisite for advancement and success in his chosen calling, which has brought him a wide business acquaintance. He is, however, perhaps, more widely known as a yachtsman, having for some years been commodore of the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, of which he became a charter member in 1891. Several times has he successfully defended the Seawauhaka Cup and there are those who feel they know Mr. Routh at his best when he is acting in that capacity, because of his resourcefulness and the joy he feels in the sport. The Toronto Telegram wrote of him; “He has been pitted against the best skippers and the best boats that the United States can produce, but has remained the same level-headed sailorman in all his contests.” Aside from his connections with the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, he belongs to the Montreal Club and the Montreal Curling Club. He is enthusiastic in his sports and equally so in anything that he undertakes, his energy and interest carrying him forward to the point of success whether it be along the line of business or of pleasure.
In no profession does advancement depend more surely upon individual merit than in the practice of law. Comprehensive knowledge of legal principles must constitute the foundation for success which can only be won at the cost of earnest, persistent effort and study. Recognizing this fact, Joseph Leon St. Jacques has closely applied himself to the mastery of the principles of jurisprudence and to the preparation of his cases, with a result that he now has an extensive and representative clientele. He practices in Montreal and has spent his entire life in the province of Quebec, his birth having occurred at St. Hermas, [349] in the county of Two Mountains, July 13, 1877, his parents being Joseph and Cazilde (Lafond) St. Jacques, the former a farmer of St. Hermas. The grandfather, F. X. St. Jacques, was born at St. Augustin, in the county of Two Mountains and resided for many years in Ottawa, but is now deceased. The great-grandfather was Captain Eustache Cheval dit St. Jacques of St. Augustin, who in 1837 remained loyal to the crown and in 1838 was presented a sword in token of the recognition of his loyalty by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. The ancestors of the family have the name of Cheval as well as St. Jacques.
In the acquirement of his education Joseph Leon St. Jacques attended the Jacques Cartier Normal school from which he was graduated with the class of 1897, obtaining the academic diploma. He later entered Laval University in which he completed his course in 1901, winning the degrees of LL. L. and LL. M. The same year he was admitted to the bar and entered upon practice. In the meantime, however, after leaving the normal school, he had devoted some time to teaching. He began practice at Lachute, where he had a few criminal cases, including the trial of Robert Day, a murder case. After six years of practice in the country district he came to Montreal and entered into partnership with Mr. Gustave Lamothe, K. C. The firm of Lamothe, St. Jacques & Lamothe has an extensive clientele, especially among religious interests and municipal corporations. He is also a director of some financial enterprises.
On the 19th of May, 1906, at St. Hermas, Mr. St. Jacques was married to Miss Albertine Lafond, a daughter of Mathias Lafond, a merchant and prominent citizen of his municipality. There are four children in the St. Jacques family; Jacques, Jules, Gustave and Alberte. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church. In politics Mr. St. Jacques is a conservative and has taken an active part in the political campaigns of Argenteuil and Two Mountains, being a recognized leader in conservative ranks. He has ever preferred, however, to concentrate his energies and efforts upon his law practice, which is now extensive and important, placing him with the leading representatives of the Montreal bar.
George Hastings, who was born at Petite Cote, Quebec, in 1817, died in July, 1865. His father was Thomas Hastings, who came from Lexington, Massachusetts, to Petite Cote, where he bought land and settled some time before the birth of Mr. Hastings. In this connection it is interesting to mention that Petite Cote is now divided into Fairmount and Rosemount and is a part of the city of Montreal. The land is now mostly divided into building lots that command good prices.
Thomas Hastings, father of George Hastings, had married Cynthia Baker, of Burlington, Vermont, and they lived for many years in their home at Petite Cote, where their five children, three sons and two daughters, were born and brought up. The sons’ names were: George; Thomas, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work; and Horatio, the youngest, who died unmarried in 1899. The daughters were Mrs. Clark Fitts and Mrs. Ryan.
George Hastings, of this record, married in 1847 Margaret Ogilvie, a sister of A. W., John and W. W. Ogilvie, whose careers are mentioned at greater length in another part of this history. Mr. and Mrs. George Hastings spent their entire married life in their home on a farm at Petite Cote. There their ten children received the training of their early lives. Of these children six were sons and four were daughters. Thomas, the eldest, married Jane Kydd, formerly the widow of William Nesbitt. They reside at Rosemount boulevard and have no children. William, the next son, with George, the third son, after considerable business experience established The Lake of the Woods Milling Company. The former married, in 1884, Georgina Ure, of Montreal. He died in 1903, leaving his widow and two sons, who live in this city. George managed the western branch of the business, from which he resigned in October, 1913. He married in 1886, Margaret Anderson, of Ayr, Ontario. They live in Winnipeg and have a family of two sons and two daughters. Robert, the fourth son, is with The Lake of the Woods Milling Company and lives also in the west, making his present home in Qu’ Appelle. He is unmarried. Alexander, the fifth son, was also connected with The Lake of the Woods Milling Company. He died in St. John, New Brunswick, where he had charge for several years of the local branch of the company. He married, in 1898, Maud Anderson, of Montreal, and his widow is living. Their only child died when one month of age. John Clark, the youngest son, died unmarried in 1883. Helen Watson and Cynthia Baker, the two elder daughters, died in 1912, the latter in January and the former in May of that year. The third daughter, Frances, married Francis Jordan, of Goderich, Ontario, in 1885. Mr. Jordan died in 1907, but his widow, son and daughter are living. Maria, the fourth and youngest daughter of the family, is living and unmarried. The family have always been connected with the American Presbyterian church. The Hastings are well known among the old residents of Montreal, for it is almost a century since Thomas Hastings settled upon the farm which now is a portion of the metropolis.
In educational circles the name of Professor James Alfred Dale is well known. His ability has gained him prominence and his position as a leader among the educationists of the country is indicated in the fact that he was honored with election to the position of treasurer of the Dominion Educational Association. Since November, 1907, he has held the Macdonald professorship of education in McGill University. A native of Birmingham, England, he was born in 1874, the eldest son of J. A. Dale. He attended King Edward VI School at Camp Hill, and afterward entered the Mason University College, now the University of Birmingham, and subsequently became classical exhibitioner in Merton College at Oxford, which conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree.
James Alfred Dale has remained continuously in the educational field, being lecturer on literature and education in connection with the Oxford Extension Delegacy from 1902 until 1908, and also to the universities of Liverpool and Manchester. [351] In 1902-3 he was tutor in the Borough Road Training College, and in November, 1907, was called to the Macdonald professorship of education in McGill University. The steps in his orderly progression are thus easily discernible and he stands today among the eminent educationists of the Dominion, his ability being acknowledged by colleagues and contemporaries. He has the power of imparting clearly, concisely and readily to others the knowledge that he has acquired, and on the lecture platform he is a most interesting and entertaining as well as instructive speaker. He was a delegate to the convention of the Dominion Educational Association of Victoria, British Columbia, in 1909. He has served as treasurer of the association and was secretary of the convention held at Ottawa in July, 1913. In May, 1911, he was appointed a member of the council of public instruction for the province of Quebec, and he has come to be a member of most of the committees on Protestant education in the province. Soon after coming out, he was elected president of the Protestant Teachers Association of the province of Quebec and on relinquishing office in 1912 was elected first vice president. His studious habits have made him a man of scholarly attainments, and he is continually seeking out new methods that will render his service as an educationist more effective. His ideas have received the indorsement of prominent contemporaries in this field of labor and have been adopted to the benefit of various institutions of learning. He agrees with Kant that “the object of education is to train each individual to reach the highest perfection possible for him” and that spirit has been manifest throughout his professional career. He has endeavored in his teaching to develop capacity and to impart knowledge which shall prove of practical benefit and value throughout life. He was instrumental in founding the University Settlement of Montreal in 1910 and has been its president since that time. This was the first settlement in the city, and its success is to be measured not by itself but by the influence it has exerted in the general movement toward social reform. He has taken a prominent part in movements for adult education and was one of the first members of the committee of the Workers’ Educational Association, which has succeeded in grouping together over twenty-five hundred trade unions, cooperative societies, etc., and educational bodies in England. At the present time every university in the country is undertaking working-class education under the auspices of the association. At the formation of the City Improvement League he was appointed its first honorary secretary but was compelled by pressure of work to relinquish the active duties of office. He edited the proceedings of the convention of the League in 1910. As literary correspondent of the Canadian Club he is editing its proceedings for the third year.
In 1904 Professor Dale was married to Miss Margaret Butler, a daughter of J. Holden Butler, of Birmingham, and they reside at No. 771 University Street, in Montreal. Not only as an instructor in the classroom and as an enthusiastic advocate of extending educational facilities to all is Professor Dale well known. His contributions to the literature of the profession have made his name a familiar one not only in this country but throughout the American continent and in Great Britain. He is the author of many articles which have appeared in various publications and which have treated of literary as well as educational subjects, and he has published in Germany a volume entitled History of English Literature. His name was suggested in various quarters when British Columbia was looking for a president for its new university. A modern philosopher has [352] said: “Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success,” and judged by this standard the life of Professor Dale is a most successful one.
George Hugh Alexander Montgomery is one of the most successful members of the Montreal bar, of which he is an ex-councillor. He has successfully pleaded cases in all the courts of Canada and before the privy council and has for some years occupied an enviable place at the bar of this city. He was born at Philipsburg, P. Q., February 5, 1874, a son of the Rev. Hugh and E. M. (Slack) Montgomery. The family being one appreciative of the benefits and value of education, liberal opportunities in that direction were afforded him, and after attending Bishop’s College School at Lennoxville, P. Q., he entered the University of Bishop’s College, where he pursued a classical course and won the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1893. Four years later he was graduated with the B. C. L. degree from McGill University, having thus thoroughly qualified for the active practice of law, which he had determined to make his life work. He became an advocate in 1898 and since that time has successfully followed his profession in Montreal, his clientage being one of growing importance and volume. Since May, 1905, he has been solicitor for the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, and has had many other important professional connections. In 1909 he was created king’s counsel. His work in the courts has shown him to be largely a master of the principles of jurisprudence and also possessed of the power to present his cause clearly, cogently and logically. His ability as an advocate is acknowledged by contemporaries and colleagues.
Mr. Montgomery is the owner of Lakeside Stock Farm at Philipsburg, Quebec, the home of some of the finest Ayrshire cattle and Clydesdale horses in the Dominion. Modern in its improvements, with fine natural advantages, this farm contains two hundred and fifty acres of the finest arable soil; for which most of the eastern township farms are noted, as well as ample additional acreage to meet the requirements of a successful stock farm.
Mr. Montgomery has for more than twenty years been extensively interested in farming operations, and from time to time has added to his holdings, in the eastern townships, which now comprise more than seven hundred acres. It was more than ten years ago that he started in to breed the best in pure-bred Ayrshire cattle, and while finding all the recreation and entertainment sought by a gentleman farmer, the project has been conducted on a business as well as a scientific basis with gratifying results. Stock from Lakeside Stock Farm have successfully contested in the show ring with the best herds in Canada. Equally as high class are the Clydesdale horses owned and bred at this farm.
In 1913 Mr. Montgomery completed his beautiful country residence on Missisquoi Bay near Philipsburg. Modern in its appointments, the structure is of field stone up to the ground floor, above which it is of Elizabethan style, and from its site overlooking Lake Champlain, comprises one of the most attractive homes in that section.
In June, 1909, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Montgomery and Miss Gwendoline Baptist, a daughter of the late John Baptist, of Three Rivers, P. Q. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery have one son. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery are Anglicans, while socially they are well known in the best circles of the city. Mr. Montgomery has membership relations with the Mount Royal, University, St. James, Montreal and Montreal Jockey Clubs, as well as the Quebec Garrison Club. His profession is constantly making greater demands upon his time and energies, yet he finds opportunities for other obligations and duties and for the pleasures of life, thus maintaining a well balanced character.
An excellent example of the aggressive type of a business man, and one well known in real-estate circles of Montreal, is Joseph P. Beaudry, manager of the Beaudry Realty Company, No. 402, McGill building.
Mr. Beaudry comes from one of the oldest families in the Dominion, dating back to 1629, and the numerous branches of it probably could be traced back to show relationship, where, in many cases at this time, no family connection is supposed to exist.
Joseph P. Beaudry was born in Ottawa, Ontario, a son of Joseph and Alphonsine (Valiquette) Beaudry. The father, a wood manufacturer, was born at Three Rivers, while the mother was a native of Quebec.
Reared in his native town, Mr. Beaudry after attending school there, completed his educational training by taking a commercial course. Taking up the printing business, he began at the bottom and was gradually advanced from one capacity to another of greater importance, successfully filling the positions of foreman, superintendent, manager and traveling representative for some of the largest printing houses in Montreal. While he had become well known in this line of business and enjoyed a high standing among those connected with it, Mr. Beaudry concluded that the real-estate business afforded better opportunities, and in 1909 he decided to enter it. The wisdom of his judgment in this move has been fully shown in the success that has come to him. He has formed a number of successful real-estate companies and has come to be known as a shrewd judge of realty values.
The Beaudry Realty Company, of which he is manager, is generally known to carry the largest list of city lots and property among the French real-estate firms in the city. This firm’s extensive clientele is not confined to Montreal, but branches out into a great many towns throughout the province of Quebec.
Mr. Beaudry is a director of seven different real-estate companies, all limited concerns and formed by him. He is a member of the Canadian Club, also the Automobile Club, belongs as well to the Sixty-fifth Regiment and holds membership in the Commercial Travellers Association. In political matters his interest is that of a business man, and he votes with the conservative party, while in his religious connection he is a Roman Catholic.
On May 25, 1897, he was married to Alexina Senecal, a daughter of Adolphe and Cordelia (Colletts) Senecal. Mr. Beaudry’s children are Alexina, Gabrielle, Guillaume, Jean-Rene and Raoul.
He has earned for himself a reputation as a careful man of business, and in his dealing is known for his prompt and honorable methods which have brought him success.
Rev. John E. Donnelly, who since 1891 has been rector of St. Anthony’s parish, Montreal, one of the largest Irish Catholic congregations in the city, was born in this city, February 22, 1861, a son of the late Charles and Margaret (McAfee) Donnelly. He acquired his education in the local grammar schools and later entered Ste. Thérèse College, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. A. in the class of 1880. He afterward attended the Grand Seminary, where he received his theological training, graduating with the class of 1883. He was ordained in the following year and after spending three years as private secretary to Archbishop Fabre became connected with St. Anthony’s church as curate. He was made parish priest in 1891 and he has since had spiritual jurisdiction over the twelve thousand families which go to make up this large Irish Catholic parish in Montreal. St. Anthony’s church was founded in April, 1884, and the first rector was Joseph U. Leclerc. The present church building was erected in 1889 and the parish house in 1901. The church property is ably administered, Father Donnelly proving himself a capable, farsighted and energetic business man as well as a zealous, sincere and untiring servant of God.
Father Donnelly is an honorary member of the Shamrock Lacrosse Club and a great patron of athletics, and is familiarly and lovingly known as “Father John” among the people to whom his singleness of purpose, his high-mindedness and his constant geniality have so greatly endeared him. The Montreal Herald calls him “A skilled musician, a good preacher and a man justly considered a leader among the Irish Catholic clergy in the city.”
The story of the life of William Stiven Paterson is the story of honest industry and thrift. It is the record of a strong individuality, sure of itself, stable in purpose, quick in perception, swift in decision, energetic and persistent in action. A native of Dundee, Scotland, born April 16, 1841, Mr. Paterson was but one year old when brought to this country by his father, James Paterson, who lived in Upper Canada and there engaged on the river Humber, in the manufacture of blankets. He afterward removed to near Meaford, Ontario, where he engaged in farming, and there he died.
The public-school system of Canada afforded William S. Paterson his educational opportunities. After leaving home he spent one year in the oil fields [357] of Pennsylvania, and then came to Montreal and eventually with the late J. T. Wilson formed the firm of Wilson, Paterson & Company of which he remained an active member until his death. The business developed as the years passed, owing to the progressive methods instituted in its conduct, and prosperity attended the labors of the partners.
In Montreal, in 1875, occurred the marriage of William S. Paterson, and Miss Electa C. Childs, daughter of Charles Childs, who came from Massachusetts in 1851 and engaged in the retail shoe business in Montreal. He became the pioneer in the manufacture of shoe lasts in this city and built up an extensive trade, in which he continued until his death in January, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Paterson had a family of five children: Kate Elizabeth, who became the wife of R. B. Ross, Jr., secretary of the Mount Royal Milling Company, by whom she has three children; Dr. Robert C. Paterson, who is married and has two children; Charles S., a missionary in Calcutta, India; Arthur L., of The Wilson-Paterson Company, and who has two children; and E. Russell, secretary of the Boy Scouts.
Mr. Paterson was interested in outdoor sports, especially in fishing, and was a member of the Little Cascapedia Fishing Club and as a devotee of golf, a member of Westmount Golf Club. He belonged to the American Presbyterian church, in which he served as a trustee and elder, and his life was actuated by high and honorable principles. His record measured up to exalted standards of manhood and citizenship and when death called him on the 2d of June, 1907, he left behind him not only an excellent competence but an honored name. He never allowed personal interests or ambition to dwarf his public spirit or his activities, and he was prominent as a man whose constantly expanding powers took him from humble surroundings to fields of large enterprise and continually broadening opportunities.
Rev. George Daly, who since 1912 has been rector of St. Anne’s parish in Montreal, discharging his manifold duties in this connection in a way which reflects credit upon his religious zeal and his administrative ability alike, is a native son of the city, born September 5, 1872, his parents being William and Josephine (Morin) Daly. The father was born on the isle of Malta, where the grandfather, a native of County Cavan, Ireland, was an officer in the British army. William Daly came to Canada with the Forty-seventh Regiment Band in 1861 and was afterward in the employ of the Grand Trunk Railway Company for one year, resigning in order to accept the position of manager of the Point St. Charles branch of the City & District Savings Bank, a position which he held continuously for thirty-seven years, retiring from active life in 1909. He died May 19, 1913, and is survived by his wife. They were for many years members of St. Gabriel’s Catholic church. The following children were born to their union: William, who is a member of the firm of Daly & Morin, manufacturers in Montreal; George, of this review; Louisa, the wife of D. J. Byrne, of Leonard Brothers, wholesale fish dealers of this city; Elizabeth, a nun at [358] Hotel Dieu, Montreal; Aileen, who resides with her mother; and Mary, Joseph, Alphonsus and Walter, all of whom have passed away.
Rev. George Daly acquired his education in the parochial schools of Montreal, which he attended until he was twelve years of age. He then entered Montreal College and in 1888 became a student at St. Trond, Belgium, where he remained five years. At the end of that time he went to Beau Plateau, in Belgium, studying seven years there, returning to Quebec at the end of that time and becoming a director in the Preparatory College at Ste. Anne de Beaupré, a position which he retained for twelve years. In 1900, previous to his return to Canada, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in Belgium and on the 2d of August, 1912, was made parish priest at St. Anne’s in Montreal. Here he has done excellent work during the two years of his incumbency, for he is a man of abiding faith, energy and religious zeal and, moreover, possesses unusual administrative and executive ability. He is a man of scholarly attainments, most earnest and consecrated in his work and is ever watchful over the interests of his people, whose love he holds in large measure, while he enjoys the respect of people of all denominations.
One of the most able and deservedly successful barristers in Montreal at the present time is Edmond Brossard, practicing at the bar in partnership with Hon. P. E. Le Blanc, K. C., and connected through his important clientage with a great deal of notable litigation. He is numbered among Montreal’s native sons, his birth having occurred in this city on the 19th of December, 1873. His parents were Telesphore B. and Evelina (Turgeon) Brossard, the former for many years Dominion appraiser of His Majesty’s customs in this city. The family is of old French origin and of long Canadian establishment, having been founded in the Dominion by the ancestor who came to Canada with Maisonneuve in 1642.
In the acquirement of an education Edmond Brossard attended St. Mary’s Jesuit College and was afterward a student in Laval University, where even at that time he showed promise of the distinction to which he has since attained. He was graduated B. A. in 1894, taking the governor general’s medal, and he received the degree of LL.L. with first rank honors in 1897. In the following year he was called to the bar as advocate and since that time has practiced his profession in Montreal. He was made a councillor in 1900 and a member of the general council in the same year, and his standing is high in legal circles of the city. He has formed a partnership with Hon. P. E. Le Blanc, K. C., and is in control of a large and important clientage, his success and prominence having increased yearly as his ability has become more widely known. Mr. Brossard has successfully conducted a number of hotly contested legal cases for he possesses clear and incisive qualities of mind, a power of close reasoning and clear deduction as well as the personality and force necessary to make knowledge effective in any line. His ability has carried him into important relations with the legal life of the city, his standing in professional circles being evidenced by [361] the fact that in 1900 he was made secretary of the Montreal bar and in 1908 was elected president of the Junior Bar Association.
In October, 1900, Mr. Brossard was united in marriage to Mlle. Alice de Lorimer and they are well known in social circles of the city. Mr. Brossard is a man of considerable literary attainments, possessed of a clear, lucid and forceful style in writing and the ability to present his ideas in a concise and able way. He is an occasional contributor to the press and to law reviews, and his name is a synonym for efficiency and comprehensive knowledge in everything relating to the legal profession. He is one of Montreal’s prominent, able and successful barristers and in a profession where advancement depends almost entirely upon individual merit and ability he has risen steadily, holding today a place of prominence and possessing in his native talents and developed powers the guarantee of still greater attainment in the future.
Aime Geoffrion, treasurer of the council of the bar and one of those at the head of the French section of the Montreal bar, as well as holding one of the civil law professorships at McGill, occupies a distinguished professional position. He was born in Montreal, November 13, 1872. Fortunate is the man who has back of him an ancestry honorable and distinguished, and happy is he if his lines of life are cast in harmony therewith. In person, in talents and in character Aime Geoffrion is a worthy scion of his race. His father was the late Hon. C. A. Geoffrion one of the leading members of the bar, minister without portfolio in the Laurier government, and his mother was Eulalie G. Dorion, the eldest daughter of the late Chief Justice Sir A. A. Dorion. In the acquirement of his education Aime Geoffrion attended successively St. John’s school, St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College and McGill University. Having determined to enter upon the practice of law, he prepared for the profession at McGill and was graduated B. C. L. in 1893, being also a gold medalist. He began practice as an advocate in 1894 and within nine years had won such success that he was created a king’s counsel. He occupies an enviable position in his profession, and in addition to his appearance before Canadian courts he has pleaded on several occasions before the judicial committee of the privy council. He was one of the counsel retained by the province of Quebec in the arbitration between the Dominion and Ontario and Quebec for a settlement of outstanding accounts existing at the time of the confederation. He was also made the junior Dominion counsel in the matter of the Alaskan boundary arbitration in 1903-4. When he expresses himself upon questions of vital importance to city or province his opinions are listened to with attention and interest, for it is recognized that he is a farsighted and public-spirited man who has the municipal, provincial and Dominion welfare close at heart. He is not only recognized as the distinguished lawyer but also as a most able educator along professional lines, having since 1905 been professor of civil law in McGill University, in which position he succeeded Mr. Justice Fortin.
In November, 1896, Mr. Geoffrion was married to Miss Marguerite Thibaudeau, the eldest daughter of the late J. R. Thibaudeau, senator of Montreal. Mr. Geoffrion gives his political allegiance to the liberal party and is stanch and warm in support of the principles in which he believes. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church. He is a member of several of Montreal’s leading clubs, including St. James Club, and the Montreal Reform Club, and also of the Rideau Club of Ottawa. Sir Wilfrid Laurier spoke of him as “one who well sustained the hereditary glories of his house.” The Montreal Star has referred to him as “a man of a remarkably clear and vigorous mind who has been highly successful before all the courts.” He is widely recognized as a man of earnest purpose, seeking ever to benefit by those activities and interests which look beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future, and which seek provincial welfare rather than the aggrandizement of self.
Lawrence Macfarlane, member of the well known firm of Lafleur, Macdougall, Macfarlane & Pope, barristers and solicitors, was born in Montreal on the 12th of November, 1876, a son of the late James Ferrier and Cecilia Clare Macfarlane. He was a student in the Montreal high school and then entered McGill for his arts course, graduating with the degree of B. A. in 1897. He pursued his studies in the law department of McGill and obtained the degree of B. C. L. in April, 1900. He was called to the bar in the same year and was admitted a partner in the law firm headed by the late R. D. McGibbon, K. C., with whom he had previously studied for three years. As representing English interests Mr. Macfarlane is a director of the British Columbia Breweries, Limited; the North Saskatchewan Land Company, Limited; the Alabama Traction Light and Power Company, Limited; Terminal Cities of Canada, Limited; Mexican Northern Power Company, Limited; and the Cities Service Company.
Mr. Macfarlane’s political allegiance is given to the conservative party. He belongs to St. Paul’s Lodge, Masons, English Register, and he also has membership in the more important clubs of his native city, including the St. James, Canada, Royal Montreal Golf, University and Racquet Clubs.
For many years the name of Joseph Charles Wray figured in connection with the undertaking business in Montreal, but in July, 1907, he retired from active management of a business which had been established by his grandfather in 1840. Mr. Wray was born in Montreal on the 25th of March, 1857, and is descended from Irish ancestry, his parents being William and Marion (McGregor) Wray, the latter of Scotch lineage. The father came to Montreal at an early age with his father. The latter, Joseph Wray, established an undertaking business in 1840 and was joined by his son, William Wray in its conduct and management. [363] The business was originally conducted under the name of Joseph Wray, but upon the death of the grandfather, William Wray succeeded to the ownership and management of the business, which he afterward conducted under his own name. However, his health failed him about six months later, and he was obliged to retire from active business. He was then succeeded by his son Joseph Charles Wray.
The last named had been a pupil in the public schools of Montreal and after putting aside his text-books became connected with the confectionery business in the employ of James Griffin. At length he entered the undertaking business that had been established by his grandfather, and when his father was forced to retire from the management Joseph Charles Wray assumed control and conducted the business under his own name for thirty years, his patronage growing with the development of the city. In July, 1907, however, the firm style was changed to Joseph C. Wray & Brother, and Mr. Wray of this review retired from active management, being succeeded by his youngest brother, Frederick A. Wray, who has always been connected with the business. The Wrays were the first to establish ambulance work in Canada in connection with the hospitals, and they now own the ambulances used in connection with the hospitals of the city. They began this in July, 1883, and the value of the work done by them can be scarcely overestimated, the ambulance service largely annihilating time and distance in cases of emergency, bringing the patient to medical and surgical aid with as little discomfort as possible.
On the 7th of September, 1900, in Trinity church, Mr. Wray was united in marriage to Ellen Louise Gibbon, a native of Wales. They are members of the Church of England, and Mr. Wray is identified with Mizpah Lodge, I. O. O. F., and Elgin Lodge, No. 7, A. F. & A. M. He votes independently, exercising his right of franchise as his judgment dictates. He has long since won place among the prosperous men of the city, his position being attributable entirely to his close application and honorable business methods.
Of distinguished French-Canadian ancestry, Oscar Desautels worthily wears the family name and worthily carries forward the family traditions. He is a successful notary of Montreal, in which city he has many interests. His Canadian ancestry goes back to Pierre Desautels, who was born of the marriage of Thomas and Marie (Buisson) Desautels, of Malicerne, in the bishopric of Mans, France. Pierre Desautels married Marie Remy and to them was born Joseph Desautels at Montreal on the 29th of October, 1666. He married Marie Charlotte Chatillon, and they became the parents of a son, Michel, who was born at Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montreal, October 1, 1701. Michel Desautels married Louise Catherine Bergeron, and their son Michel was born at Sorel in 1727. He married Marie Charlotte Rondeau, and they became the parents of a son, Michel, who was born at St. Ours on the 11th of August, 1759. To this Michel Desautels was born a son, Michel, at Beloeil in 1796. He married Josephte Morin, and their son Elzear was born at St. Jean Baptiste, November 25, 1827. [364] He was the father of our subject. His wife was Malvina Guertin, and their son Oscar was born at St. Jean Baptiste, April 26, 1872.
Oscar Desautels pursued a classical course at the Petit Seminaire of Ste. Marie de Monnoir at Marieville and was graduated in June, 1893, with the Bachelor of Arts degree. From 1893 to 1898 he studied law at St. Hyacinthe, in the office of Taché & Desautels, notaries. He was admitted to practice on September 10, 1898. On November 1st of that year he established himself as a notary at Montreal and in the evening kept an office in the town of St. Louis. His entrance into the legal profession and his first years thereafter were arduous but his ability, energy and honesty led him to success. During the first ten years—as is so often the case in professional careers—his clientele grew slowly. He was notary of the corporation of the town of St. Louis and also of the school commission of the various parishes of the town of St. Louis and is counsel for various other important institutions. He enjoys today a numerous and representative clientage which recruits itself largely from the old town of St. Louis, which is now the ward Laurier of the metropolis. Mr. Desautels is interested in various enterprises, largely along real estate lines, among which is La Compagnie Nationale d’Immeubles, of which he has always been one of the directors. He has interested himself actively in mutual societies and has held official positions in nearly all those societies established in the town of St. Louis.
At Beloeil, on the 8th of June, 1903, Mr. Desautels was united in marriage to Miss Corine Bernard, a daughter of Elophe and Mathilde (Lafontaine) Bernard. To them have been born four children, Bernard, Robert, Thérèse and Bruno. Mr. Desautels gives his political allegiance to the liberal party and is treasurer of the Liberal Club of the town of St. Louis. He is an effective worker for his party, in which he enjoys great prestige. An excellent notary and public-spirited citizen, he is highly esteemed and respected by all who know him. As a notary he enjoys the highest reputation as to ability and integrity, and more and more important interests have come under his direction as the years have passed.
Zéphirin Hébert, president of the wholesale grocery firm of Hudon, Hébert & Company, Ltd., the leading concern of its kind in Canada, was born in Montreal, February 6, 1866, the son of Charles P. Hébert, who was the first president of the above mentioned firm. In 1883 Zéphirin Hébert became connected with the business of which he is now the head. In 1893 he was admitted as a partner. In 1906, on the incorporation of the company, he became assistant manager and a director. In 1908 he was elected to the office of vice president and in 1911 succeeded his brother, the late Albert Hébert, as president. For about twenty-five years he has been a member of the Montreal Board of Trade and since the 1st of February, 1913, he has served on the council of that body, and in December, 1913, was elected a member of the transportation bureau of that organization.
Mr. Hébert is president of the Dominion Wholesale Grocers Guild, chairman of the prize committee for the province of Quebec, president of the Montreal Wholesale Grocers Guild, president of the Montreal Wholesale Liquor Association, treasurer and governor of Notre Dame Hospital, governor of the Montreal General Hospital and governor of Laval University. He is also a member of the Canada Club, the Montreal Jockey Club and L’Association St. Jean Baptiste.
Mr. Hébert married Miss Blanche Robidoux and their four children are, Marielle, Gertrude, Charles P. and Jacques R.
A man of scholarly attainments, great force of personality and broadness of mind, Rev. William O’Meara has made these qualities the basis of many years of successful work as rector of St. Gabriel’s church in Montreal and in the promotion of the work along many lines in which the Catholic church is interested. He was born in Sherrington, Quebec province, May 6, 1857, and is one of twelve children born to the late Captain William and Judith (McManus) O’Meara, the former a native of Waterford, Ireland, who came to Canada in 1832.
Rev. William O’Meara acquired his early education in the grammar schools of Sherrington, and later entered the College of Ste. Thérèse, where he took a classical course, graduating with the degree of B. A. in 1880. He then entered Grand Seminary in Montreal, where he pursued his theological studies for three years and a half, being ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood December 22, 1883. He was first made curate at St. Ann’s church in this city and was then transferred to St. Cecelia’s parish in Valleyfield, where he remained as assistant from 1884 to 1889. In the latter year he came to St. Gabriel’s church, Montreal, and in January, 1890, was made rector, a position which he still holds. This parish was organized in 1873 as a mission from St. Henry’s parish and was made an independent congregation two years later. The first church was a wooden structure, presided over by Rev. John J. Salmon, and here services were held until 1891, Rev. Thomas McCarthy succeeding the first parish priest. The new church was started in 1891 by Father O’Meara and was completed in 1894, at a cost of one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. It is a beautiful structure, built of limestone, in the Roman and Byzantine styles of architecture, having a capacity of one thousand people and the dimensions being one hundred and sixty by seventy feet. There is a main altar of white wood, a chancel rail of oak and stations of the cross which are fine specimens of work in terra cotta. Father O’Meara built in 1895 a parish house costing eleven thousand five hundred dollars, and the entire church property is valued at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The affairs of the congregation, which numbers eight hundred families, are administered in a capable and farsighted way, Father O’Meara having proven himself a reliable business man as well as an earnest and consecrated worker in the cause of religion. He is particularly interested in the schools of his parish and has now erected two excellent institutions of learning, which are conducted in connection with his church. These [368] are a school for boys, built at a cost of thirty-seven thousand dollars, and an academy for girls, representing a value of fifty-five thousand dollars.
Father O’Meara was formerly a governor of the Catholic high school of Montreal and was on July 1, 1905, appointed a Catholic school commissioner. He was elected chairman of the commission in 1910 and since that time has been accounted one of the prominent educators of the city as well as one of the greatest individual forces in the promotion of Catholic education. He has given a great deal of time and attention to this work and in 1907 was sent as a delegate to the Dublin International Exposition in order to study the national school systems of Ireland, France, England and Belgium. He is interested in the work of St. Gabriel’s Total Abstinence and Benefit Society, of which he is president, and he has recently been appointed honorary canon of the archdiocese of Montreal. He has, indeed, accomplished a great deal of important and constructive work among the people of his parish, and he holds their love in large measure, while he enjoys the confidence and respect of people of all denominations. He has demonstrated that the business affairs of St. Gabriel’s parish are in the hands of a farsighted, capable and energetic man, while his religious zeal is evidenced in his constant and untiring labor in the promulgation of the doctrines in which he believes. He is widely and favorably known in Montreal and has earned mention by the Montreal Gazette as “a broad-minded, well informed, energetic and popular priest.”
In commercial circles of Montreal, Louis Beaudoin is widely known as president of Beaudoin Limited, accountants and auditors. Louis Beaudoin of this review occupies the executive position in this firm, and Gérant L. M. Philéas Beaudoin is secretary-treasurer. They maintain offices at 33 Notre Dame Street West and have been eminently successful in their line, enjoying an extensive and important clientage. Louis Beaudoin was born August 29, 1869, in Repentigny, L’Assomption county, Quebec, and is a son of Pierre and Melina (Lachapelle dit Jeannotte) Beaudoin, the former a well known agriculturist of Repentigny. The paternal grandparents of our subject were Pierre and Adelaide (Rochon) Beaudoin, the former also a farmer of Repentigny. The great-grandfather, Jean Baptiste Beaudoin, also followed that occupation at the same place. The maternal grandfather, Pierre Lachapelle, was an agriculturist of Mascouche. The Beaudoin family is historically known in two variations, that of Baudoin and Bodin. The earliest record of a member of this family goes back to Alexis Beaudoin, born in 1694, who on November 27, 1720, married at Ste. Croix, Angeline Houde and had seven children. Of these his son Louis married Louise Barrat, at Montreal, on May 6, 1748, this being the first mention of the family in Montreal archives.
Louis Beaudoin acquired his education in the College de L’Assomption and began his career in the grocery business, also being connected with butchering and merchandising. He subsequently became president of Beaudoin Limited and has since given his entire attention to the extension of the interests of [369] that firm. Recently a line of Assyrian products has been added. Natural ability and keen observation of existing conditions make him eminent in his profession, and he is today recognized as one of the foremost men in his line in Montreal.
On February 4, 1889, Mr. Beaudoin was united in marriage to Evelina Legault dit Deslaurier, a daughter of Jean Baptiste Legault dit Deslaurier. The father for many years has been connected with commercial interests. Mr. and Mrs. Beaudoin have the following children: Philéas, Coramance, Armand, Honoré, Adrien, Aurélien, Albert, Adolphe, Laurent, Amedée, Eveline and Clément Marcel. In his political views Mr. Beaudoin is a liberal, stanchly upholding the principles of his party. Although he has never cared to participate in public life he has done much toward promoting worthy public enterprises. He is a valued citizen of Montreal, prominent in commercial circles and effective in his private capacity in furthering the interests of the city, where he has been so long and so successfully engaged in business.
“Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success.” Judged by this standard, Thomas J. Dawson was a most successful man. His life measured up to the standard which all men acknowledge good. His record was as an open book which all might read and there were many who bore testimony to his kindness of heart and his generous spirit manifest in active effort for the alleviation of hard conditions of life for the unfortunate and for practical improvement along the line of civic and moral reform. Mr. Dawson was born at Knockmanoul, Ireland, April 29, 1843, and spent his early life in Dublin and Belfast. His parents, Rev. Abram and Anne (Graham) Dawson, were both natives of the Emerald isle. The father was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and coming from Ireland to the new world engaged in preaching in Ontario near Kingston. Thomas J. Dawson came to Canada in 1864 and spent several years at Sydenham and Guelph, Ontario. In 1870 he arrived in Montreal, from which date until his death he was actively engaged in commercial pursuits. For fifteen years prior to his demise he was connected with the custom service and during the latter part of that period was the appraiser in the postoffice department.
Mr. Dawson was a splendid type of the Irish gentleman, possessing native wit and humor and scattering cheer wherever he went. His geniality and cordiality ever made him popular in social circles and his friends were almost as numerous as his acquaintances. His spirit of benevolence was one of his strongly developed characteristics and, again and again, found expression in tangible effort for the benefit of others. He was deeply interested in the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, was a life governor of the Montreal Homeopathic Hospital, was for years secretary of the Old Brewery Mission and was an active member of the Westmount Methodist church, which numbered him among its earnest, helpful workers. Any movement tending to bring about civic or moral reform received his indorsement and cooperation. In 1866, upon its organization, he became a member of the Young Men’s Christian Association, retaining his membership [370] until his death, and to the support of which he contributed liberally. He gave, too, of his time and efforts for its upbuilding and always took a most active interest in young men, realizing how necessary are uplifting influences in the plastic age. Life was to him purposeful and fraught with opportunity for good, which he did not neglect, and when he passed away October 21, 1910, he left behind him a memory that is a benediction to all who knew him.
In 1876 Mr. Dawson was married to Miss Louisa Holland, daughter of George A. Holland, who came from Ireland as a young man and was the active head of the G. A. Holland & Son Company, dealers in wall paper, established by him in 1843. He built up that business to large proportions and remained in close identification therewith until his demise. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Marian Hutchins, was a native of Canada. He was one of the volunteer firemen of Montreal at an early day and he passed away in this city in July, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Dawson had three children: Ralph H. of Montreal; Arthur B. of Calgary; and Mabel L., the wife of R. Macaulay Cushing, and they have two children, Dorothy M. and Arthur M.
“A man of ideas; a man with a future; a coming man,” is the way the Toronto Globe describes Louis Alfred Adhemar Rivet, of Montreal, and all who have come in contact with him during the course of his brilliant and successful career as a barrister and legislator fully concur in this opinion, adding also that he is one of the most able members of his profession in Quebec province, a distinguished statesman and one of the greatest of the younger generation of French Canadians. He was born in Joliette, Quebec, on the 15th of September, 1873, and is a son of Charles and Herminie (Michaud) Rivet, of French Canadian origin.
In the acquirement of an education Mr. Rivet attended Joliette College and Laval University, from which institution he was graduated B. A. in 1892 and LL. B. in 1895, in the same year being called to the bar as advocate. He was made king’s counsel in 1906 and for a number of years has been practicing successfully in Montreal, where he is ranked among brilliant and forceful barristers. For a time he was associated with the late C. Beausoleil, M. P., but the death of the latter severed this connection and subsequently he became associated with other firms, the present one being Rivet, Glass & Sullivan. He is recognized as a strong and able practitioner, a barrister whose knowledge of underlying legal principles is comprehensive and exact and whose application of points of law is always correct and logical. His keen and incisive mind grasps quickly all the details of the most intricate case, seizes upon the most telling points and arguments, and his presentations are models of conciseness and accuracy. Mr. Rivet has thus won distinction in his chosen profession and has secured a representative clientage in Montreal connecting him with a great deal of notable litigation. He has been interested and active in affairs affecting the Montreal bar, his ability being widely recognized in professional circles.
As is often the case, Mr. Rivet’s success in law has carried with it prominence in politics and his interest in the growth and welfare of the province has carried him forward into important political relations. At the bi-election of 1904 he was returned to the house of commons and, representing Hochelaga in that body, served with ability and distinction until 1911. During this time he accomplished a great deal of constructive and important work in statesmanship, leaving the impress of his personality and standards upon useful, and beneficial legislation, his vote and influence being always on the side of right, reform and progress. A stanch liberal, Mr. Rivet has always supported the principles and policies of that party and has been one of the greatest individual forces in its expansion in Montreal, where he founded the St. Gabriel Liberal Club, of which he served as president in 1898. He has been a director of the Montreal Reform Club. He calls himself an imperialist and is one in the sense that the greatness of the empire depends to a great extent on the fair development of the colonies. He is, however, a stanch advocate of Canadian customs and institutions and has done as much as any one man in the Dominion to promote their spread and growth. Although of French Canadian extraction he speaks English fluently and often addressed the house of commons in that language. In a lecture on the dual language of Canada delivered before the Nomads’ Club in 1909 he advocated Canada as a bi-lingual nation and he has done much to promote the fusion of the two great nations which dominate the country. He also addressed the Canadian Club in Ontario, advocating closer relations between the two races, in view of national unity.
Mr. Rivet married in January, 1898, Mlle. Rose Cypihot and both are widely and favorably known in social circles of Montreal. Their children are: Gaston, born June 23, 1901; Marguerite, January 10, 1904; and Gerard, January 24, 1906.
Mr. Rivet has extensive and important club affiliations, belonging to the Club St. Denis, the Club Canadien de Montreal and the Reform Club, and socially is found to be genial, charming and constantly courteous. In his profession he has made continued and rapid advancement and his accomplishments in the political field have been substantial and far-reaching, so that he is well entitled to a high place among the representative and useful citizens of the city where he makes his home.
Since 1900 Joseph Alcide Chaussé has filled the important position of superintendent of buildings and city architect of Montreal and in that position has established for himself an enjoyable reputation. He is one of the foremost men in the profession, not only in the city, but in the Dominion and recognition has come to him from numerous national as well as foreign societies. Alcide Chaussé was born at St. Sulpice, Assumption county, Quebec, Canada, on January 7, 1868, a son of Edouard and Rose de Lima (Rivet) Chaussé, both natives of St. Sulpice, Quebec. The father, a prominent lumberman there and ex-alderman of the city of Montreal, died on March 15, 1909, the mother having preceded him in death, passing away on July 20, 1896. The Chaussé family is of ancient lineage and one [374] of the old-established ones in the province of Quebec. Pierre Chaussé, le Chaudronnier (the brazier), was born in 1630 and was established at St. Anne de la Parade as early as 1681. Pierre Chaussé, another of the name, called la Lumière, was born in 1651, a son of Jean and Catherine (Groleau) Chaussé. He married Marie Madeleine Sel au Deselles on April 24, 1681, and they had five children. These are among the earliest ancestors of Mr. Chaussé recorded in Canadian history.
Alcide Chaussé received his fundamental education at St. Mary’s Academy in Montreal. He studied architecture with the late Alphonse Raza, of Montreal, from the 3d of March, 1884, to the 14th of March, 1887. From the 17th of March of that year until July 24, 1889, he was in Chicago, perfecting himself in the profession, and was admitted to practice in 1888. On the 20th of November, 1889, he opened an office for the practice of architecture at Montreal and continued with ever increasing success until May 21, 1900, when he was appointed to his present important position. A wide and comprehensive knowledge fits him particularly for this work and Mr. Chaussé has been in a large measure responsible for the upbuilding of the city along lines of the “plan beautiful.” He also holds the position of commissioner of the superior court for the district of Montreal and that of justice of the peace for the same district.
Mr. Chaussé is a charter member of the Province of Quebec Association of Architects, of which he served as president in 1906. In 1907 he was the promoter of and since its inception is, honorary secretary and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada; is an associate of the Canadian and American Societies of Civil Engineers; a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Construction; a member of the Board of Plumbers’ Examiners in Montreal; chairman of the committee on fire prevention of the American Society of Municipal Improvements; a member of the American Public Health Association; a member of the council of Le Comité Permanent des Congrès Internationaux des Architectes; member of the British Fire Prevention Committee; corresponding member of La Société Centrale des Architectes Français; the American Institute of Architects; La Société Centrale d’Architecture de Belgique; La Société Nationale des Architectes de France; Architekten-Verein at Berlin, Germany; Sociedad Central de Architectos, Madrid, Spain; and the Society of Portuguese Architects. He is a member of the council of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. Mr. Chaussé has been awarded gold, silver and bronze medals by various architectural societies for technical papers and lectures. He was a member of the International Congress of Architects held at Paris in 1900; at Madrid, in 1904; and London, England, in 1906; and of the International Fire Prevention Congress, held at London in 1903; a delegate to the Sixth Commercial Congress of the Empire, held at London, in 1906. In 1907 he conceived the project for the Institute of Architects of Canada. He is the author of several articles on fire prevention and fire protection; of the “Building Inspector’s Handbook,” published in 1902; the “Code of Building Laws of the Province of Quebec,” published in 1906; the “Handbook of Building Laws of Montreal”; and the “Supplement to the Code of Building Laws,” published in 1913, all of them published in English and French.
At Ste. Bridgide’s church, Montreal, on Saturday, September 8, 1894, Mr. Chaussé was united in marriage to Miss Rose de Lima Renaud, a daughter of Cyrille Renaud and Rose de Lima (Favreau) Renaud, both of Montreal. The [375] father is a well known manufacturers’ agent of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Chaussé have two sons: Marcel, who was born July 7, 1902, and Fernand, born December 29, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Chaussé are members of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation, Church of the Holy Sacrament, on Mount Royal Avenue.
The political views of Mr. Chaussé coincide with the principles of the conservative party. He is a member of Le Club Canadien of Montreal, a member of L’Alliance Nationale, of which he served as grand marshal; and a member of the Association of St. Jean Baptiste, of which he has been president of Ste. Bridgide’s Section. He was also president of the Cêrcle Jeanne D’Arc of L’Alliance Nationale. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Chaussé finds recreation in curling and is a member of the St. Lawrence Curling Club of Montreal. His city residence is at No. 1433 St. Hubert Street, while the summer home of the family is Villa Iris, Sault-au-Recollet.
Manufacturing interests of Montreal find a prominent representative in Mortimer Barnett Davis, one of the leaders in the tobacco trade of the Dominion, being active in the management of an enterprise of mammoth proportions. It is true that he entered upon a business already established, but in enlarging and developing this many a man of less resolute spirit and of more limited business sagacity would have failed. Each step he has taken in the business world has been one of progress, bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.
Mr. Davis was born February 6, 1866, in Montreal, a son of Samuel and Minnie (Falk) Davis, the former the founder of the firm of Samuel Davis & Sons, manufacturers and importers of cigars at Montreal. Mortimer B. Davis completed his education in the high school of his native city and early became associated with his father in business, receiving thorough training that acquainted him with every phase of the trade. He went upon the road as a traveling salesman and eventually was advanced to the position of manager after the firm had acquired the D. Ritchie Tobacco factory. He controlled the business most systematically and, finally, when it had been absorbed by the formation of the American Tobacco Company of Canada in 1895, he became president of the company and so continues. Later he gave to the country a great national industry in the Empire Tobacco Company, which is a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada. He was largely instrumental in establishing a permanent market for Canada leaf tobacco and promoting trade interests in his line between this and other lands. Something of the volume of business under his control is indicated in the fact that there are now three thousand workmen in his factories. No undertaking in connection with the tobacco trade seems too difficult or its scope too broad for him to successfully manage and control. Every effort which he puts forth seems to count for the utmost and obstacles and difficulties in his path seem but an impetus for renewed concentration and direction. His opinions carry weight in the management of other important financial, commercial and agricultural interests.
On the 12th of June, 1898, Mr. Davis was married to Miss Henrietta Myers, and they have one son. Mr. Davis belongs to the Royal Montreal Golf Club, and also holds membership in the Mount Royal, St. James, Montreal Hunt and Montreal Jockey Clubs, the Auto Club of Canada and the Forest and Stream Club, associations which indicate something of the nature of his interests and activities and which have brought about a well rounded character, justifying the expression of the Gazette, which termed him “a man of strength, vigor, capacity and wisdom.”
René Alphonse Joseph Pigeon, patent solicitor of Montreal, member of the firm of Pigeon, Pigeon & Davis, was born at Billingsbridge, near Ottawa, on the 11th of July, 1890. The ancestral line can be traced back to Pierre Pigeon, who was born in 1636 and was married in Montreal to Jeanne Godart, who was born in 1638. Their marriage occurred in 1662, twenty years after the foundation of Montreal. Representatives of succeeding generations have lived in or near Montreal, some going to Laprairie and others to Verchères. The father, Hormisdas Honoré Pigeon, was born at Verchères, in Verchères county, P. Q., and after having lived for some years in the United States removed to Ottawa, where he has now been engaged in business for more than thirty years. He married Marie Tremblay who was born at Baie St. Paul, Charlevoix county, and was married in 1889. The Tremblays were among the earliest settlers of that section.
René Alphonse J. Pigeon was a student in the University of Ottawa, completing his studies there in 1907. He afterward studied mechanics and electricity and entered upon his professional career as draftsman in the office of Fetherstonhaugh, Dennison & Blackmore, patent solicitors at Ottawa. After a year he was promoted to the position of manager of their Ottawa office and was in the employ of that firm for four years. In 1912 he left them to establish himself in business in Montreal as a member of the present firm of Pigeon, Pigeon & Davis. Previous experience and thorough collegiate and professional training have well qualified him for the responsibilities, activities and duties of the profession. He is a typical young man of the age, alert, enterprising and progressive and is now at the head of a large, growing and successful business.
In the life of the Catholic church of Canada Rev. Joseph Nazaire Odilon Dupuis occupies a foremost position as inspector and visitor of a number of parish schools which are attended by over thirty thousand children. He was chosen to this important office in 1913 by twenty-seven school commissions in Montreal which are formed into an association, and has done fruitful work in promoting education in the city.
Rev. Dupuis was born at Montreal on the 16th of December, 1871, and is a son of Nazaire Dupuis, founder of the commercial house of Dupuis Frères, and of Alphonsine (St. Onge) Dupuis. He pursued his classical studies at the College of Montreal and in June, 1890, entered ecclesiastical orders. He was ordained priest by Monseigneur Fabre on August 30, 1896. From 1896 to 1899 he studied at the Canadian College of Rome, Italy, returning from there with the degree of Doctor of Theology, bestowed by the propaganda in 1898, and the degree of Doctor of Canon Law, bestowed in 1899 by Apollinaire College. From 1899 to 1900 he studied at the Catholic Institute of Paris and at the Sorbonne. In the latter year he returned to Canada, becoming vicar of the Church of St. Jacques at Montreal, where he remained until 1902, when he was attached to the congregation St. Louis de France, remaining until 1904. He was appointed almoner of the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of the Sault au Récollet, where he remained for about nine years. At the same time he acted as chaplain at the Crèche of the Sisters of Miséricorde. In 1913 he was chosen by twenty-seven school commissions of Montreal, formed into an association, as a visitor and inspector of all the schools under the control of these commissions, having under his jurisdiction thirty thousand children divided over forty different parishes and eighty-two schools. Rev. Dupuis was one of the founders of Lafontaine Council of the Knights of Columbus. He is life governor of Notre Dame Hospital and is professor at Laval University and the author of several lecture papers. He has been heard as a preacher in nearly all of the churches of Montreal. Rev. Dupuis is a great lover of fine arts and literature and spent his last holidays in Italy and Spain, paying especial attention to the masterpieces of those countries.
Harry Hayward Henshaw, whose name was well known in electrical circles died in Montreal, his native city, May 15, 1908. He was born in 1865, a son of Joshua Henshaw, who for many years was paymaster with the Grand Trunk Railway. His mother bore the maiden name of Jane Fayrer and in the family were two sons and a daughter: Charles G., now living in Vancouver; Harry Hayward; and Lady Williams Taylor.
After pursuing his education in Montreal schools, Harry Hayward Henshaw obtained a position with the Grand Trunk Railway and afterward spent twenty years with the Royal Electric Company, gaining intimate and comprehensive knowledge of the various phases of the business, during the two decades of his identification therewith. When the Royal Electric Company became a part of the amalgamation forming the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company he became secretary and treasurer of the new company, remaining thus for many years, on the expiration of which period he became manager of the Allis-Chalmers Company, manufacturers of electric machinery. He had been with them for only a few months when ill health forced him to resign. Throughout almost the entire period of his business career he was connected with electrical interests and came to be a leading figure in electrical circles.
In Montreal in 1895 Mr. Henshaw was married to Florence Thompson Christie, a daughter of Peter M. and Margaret (Thompson) Christie, the latter being a daughter of Edward Thompson, a prominent citizen of Montreal serving as alderman from the Centre ward and rendering the city much valuable service. He was mainly instrumental in the widening of Notre Dame Street during his term of office, and in recognition of his efforts for this work he was publicly presented with a handsome silver service on Christmas Day, 1859. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Henshaw, William Christie, came to this city at an early day and was active in the soap manufacturing business until late in life when he retired. He was a prominent church man, being for forty years an elder in St. Paul’s church. To Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw was born a daughter, Margaret Fayrer. Mr. Henshaw was a member of St. James Club, Forest and Stream Club, and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. He belonged to the English Cathedral church and was interested in all that pertained to the city’s development and progress, along material, social and moral lines. His life measured up to high standards of manhood and citizenship and commanded for him the respect, confidence and good-will of those who knew him.
George Creak, senior member of the firm of Creak, Cushing & Hodgson, chartered accountants, was born and educated in London, England. His parents were George and Maria Creak, of Clapham, London. For many years he was secretary and treasurer of the Merchants Cotton Company, began practice as a chartered accountant in 1895 and is now at the head of the above firm.
Mr. Creak is a member of the Association of Accountants of Montreal and is a fellow of the Dominion Association of Chartered Accountants. He is a Freeman of the city of London and is a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company, as were his father and grandfather before him. Mr. Creak belongs to the Anglican church and is a member of the Mount Royal Club, the Canada Club, the Art Association of Montreal, the Montreal Hunt Club, and the Board of Trade.
Since entering business life William Ernest Findlay has devoted his attention uninterruptedly to the insurance profession, and his success is due to his close application, indefatigable energy and thorough understanding of every phase of the business in which he has so long been engaged. Montreal claims him as a native citizen, his birth having here occurred April 26, 1867, his parents being Captain Jonathan D. G. Findlay, R. N. and Mary (Forbes) Findlay, both now deceased. The son acquired his education in the model and private schools and, as previously stated, became connected with the insurance profession upon his entrance into business life. He was manager and inspector of the Northern Life Insurance Company and in 1906 was advanced to the position of general secretary, [381] which he later resigned to devote his entire attention to his other interests. In his connection with the Northern Life he did much to shape the policy of the company and direct its activities, and its success is attributable in considerable measure to his efforts, sound judgment and ready understanding of the different phases of the business. He is now chief agent for Canada of the Niagara Fire Insurance Company of New York, and also for the province of Quebec for the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company and is an authority on fire prevention and underwriting.
On the 8th of February, 1897, Mr. Findlay was married to Laura Brockwill Grier, a daughter of William Grier, of Montreal, in which city they have since resided. Mr. Findlay has an interesting military chapter in his life record, having in 1891 been appointed second lieutenant of the Sixth Regiment Fusiliers. The following year brought him advancement to the rank of captain and in 1904 he became a member of the Corps Reserve. He holds a first class certificate from the Royal School of Infantry. He is a justice of the peace and commissioner of the superior court. He is a life member of Royal Victoria Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M., and a director of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He is honorary secretary-treasurer of the Canadian branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and has always been much interested in athletic affairs.
Church activities vied with business interests in claiming the attention and energies of Walter Norton Evans, who died on the 23d of October, 1896. He was born at Wolverhampton, England, in 1837, and after pursuing his education there, came as a young man to Canada. His father, Samuel Norton Evans, also a native of England, crossed the Atlantic to the American continent and spent the last years of his life in retirement in Guelph, Ontario. In business circles Walter N. Evans made for himself a creditable place. He became cashier of the firm of Frothingham & Workman, and was one of the executives of the Thomas Workman building. His identification with the above interests covered a period of nearly a third of a century. His name became a synonym for reliability as well as energy in business circles. Men came to know that they could depend upon him, that what he promised he would do and that he would improve his opportunities not only for his own benefit but for the welfare of those things in which he was concerned.
In 1864 Mr. Evans was married in Montreal to Miss Nora Hunter, a daughter of the Rev. Stephenson Hunter, a minister of the Unitarian church of England. They became parents of five children: Nevil Norton Evans, professor of chemistry in McGill University; Mabel Norton, who is Mrs. George. C. Wright, of Ottawa; Dr. Percy Norton Evans, professor of chemistry in Purdue University, at Lafayette, Indiana; Lillian Norton, the wife of Professor Henry Martyn MacKay, head of the civil engineering department at McGill University; and Miss Gladys Norton Evans, at home.
Mr. Evans was deeply interested in affairs of public moment, kept well informed concerning the claims of vital interest and gave his indorsement to many [382] measures that are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. For many years he was prominently and actively connected with the Unitarian church and for a long period served as superintendent of its Sunday school. High were the ideals which his life activities embodied and the name which he left to posterity is an honored one.
Hon. Laurent Olivier David, senator and journalist, possesses a statesmanlike grasp of affairs that has enabled him to handle important public questions in a manner that has largely influenced public opinion. Prominent and active, however, as he has been in the field of journalism and in politics, literature is perhaps his real life work and his writings will endure for years to come, especially the important historical volumes of which he is the author. A native of Sault au Récollet, Quebec, he was born March 24, 1840, a son of Major Stanislas and Elizabeth (Tremblay) David. He pursued his education in St. Therese College and after thorough preparation for law practice was called to the bar in 1864. While yet a law student he entered the field of newspaper publication in the founding of Le Colonisateur, to which he was a contributor. He would undoubtedly have won prominence in the practice of law had he continued in that field, but the trend of his mind was rather for the discussion of public questions of vital significance and far-reaching importance. He was particularly interested in the question of the impending confederation which so altered the destiny of the Dominion. It was during the period of his early manhood that he became associated with Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and the friendship then formed between them has since existed. There was little indication at that period to show that Laurier, the young lawyer, who was forced to practice the most rigid economy, would in future years, as prime minister, guide the destinies of his country. Long after he had risen to prominence Mr. David became his biographer, his history of the eminent liberal leader being marked by delicate sympathy, inner knowledge and keen and subtle appreciation of character.
Continuing his activity in the journalistic field, Mr. David, in 1870, established and became chief editor of an illustrated weekly called L’Opinion Publique, which he left because he objected to the paper’s supporting the government on the question of the Pacific scandal. He made in that circumstance an important sacrifice of his personal interest. In this enterprise he was associated with Messrs. Mousseau and Desbarats. In 1874, in association with the late C. Beausoleil, M. P., he established Le Bien Public, which he discontinued when the Mackenzie government refused to raise the tariff more than a relatively small per cent, which Mr. David thought insufficient in view of the financial crisis then prevailing. His newspaper career as well as his natural interest brought him into close connection with the important political and other significant questions of the day, and his discussion thereof through the columns of the press did not a little in formulating public policy. His presentation of any subject was always clear and cogent. There was a piquant and compelling force in his style, and the development of his native powers and talents in the field of literature [385] has made him one of Canada’s foremost representatives in authorship. During the brief interval between two epochs in his newspaper publication he acted as translator and assistant clerk of the votes and deliberations of the house of commons during the Mackenzie regime. This was the initial step of his activity in public office. He resigned the position in 1878 and afterward successfully practiced his profession in Montreal. In May, 1892, Mr. David was called to the office of city clerk of Montreal and was one of the revisers who drafted a new charter for the city in 1898.
In the meantime he was taking an active part in the discussion of many questions relative to the provincial and national welfare. Originally a supporter of the conservative party, he withdrew therefrom to join L’Union Nationale, an organization of young men pledged to oppose the confederacy of the provinces. Later he joined the liberal party under Dorion, Holton and Laflamme and was in full accord with their policy on all questions save that of protection to native industries, which he had always favored. For many years he has been an unswerving supporter of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, enjoying his personal friendship and political confidence in a supreme degree. In 1867 and 1875 he unsuccessfully contested Hochelaga (local) at the general election, and in 1878 contested Hochelaga for the house of commons, while in 1891 he contested Montreal East for the house of commons. He sat for Montreal East in the legislature from 1886 until 1890, when he retired because he was not entirely in accord with the policy of Mr. Mercier, his local leader. On the 19th of June, 1903, he was called to the senate by Lord Minto and has since taken an active part in shaping the legislative history of the country along the lines of progressive statesmanship. He moved the address in reply to the speech from the throne in 1905, and his speech was highly appreciated by the whole Canadian press. He has since moved on the subject of senate reform and on the subject of concerted measures for the restriction in Canada of indecent and immoral literature, and other subjects of vital interest to the general public. He declined appointment to the lieutenant governorship of the Northwest and it is said that he would have been appointed judge if he had been willing to accept the charge. He was also offered a judgeship in Montreal and refused.
It would be difficult to determine which has been the most important feature in the life record of the Hon. Laurent O. David. Much of his time has been devoted to authorship, in which field he has had marked influence aside from that which he has exerted in journalism. From his pen have come various important historical works, the titles and dates of publication being as follows: Biographies et Portraits (1876); Le Heros de Chateauguay (1883); Les Patriotes de 1837-8 (1884); Mes Contemporains (1894); Les Deux Papineau (1896), Le Clergé Canadien (do.), condemned at Rome and placed on the Index because of the strong position which he took against the intervention of the priest in political matters; L’Union de Deux Canadas 1841-67 (1898); Le Drapeau de Carillon, a drama (1901); Laurier et son Temps (1905); Histoire du Canada depuis la Confédération; and Souvenirs et Biographies (1910). He has also lately published biographies of Charles Le Moyne and of his illustrious sons, d’Iberville, de Bienville, etc. These biographies first appeared in La Presse but will later be issued in book form. He has frequently addressed the public from the platform on such important subjects as National Unity, A Page of Canadian [386] History, etc., and is recognized as one of Canada’s most graceful and instructive writers as well as a much admired public speaker. The Toronto Club has characterized him as “a man of fine literary attainments and high views of national life” and the Toronto News wrote of him, “a man of sincere and enlightened views, excellent abilities and thoroughly informed upon public questions.”
Mr. David was married in 1868 to Mlle. Albina Chenet, who died in July, 1887. In 1892 he wedded Mlle. Ludivine Garceau. His children numbered one son and nine daughters. Next to his home, he holds dear the public interests and is prominently identified with the Society for the Protection of Women and Children of the province of Quebec. He is deeply and helpfully interested in all measures which seek the betterment of the community, and endeavors to shape the public welfare according to the highest ideals. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a knight of the Legion of Honor of France, having been appointed in 1911. He has deep attachment for the institutions of his native land, and it has been said of him that “next to his love of Canada is his love for the flag which protects him and his race in all that they hold dear and precious.” He often gives expression to his admiration for the English constitution and does not cease to repeat that it is the most perfect political system of government made by man. He has membership in the Canadian Club and in the Roman Catholic church. From early life he has been deeply interested in the conservation of the French language and customs, especially since the opening of the Northwest, which event seemed to threaten the extinction of the French-Canadians by foreign populations. Accordingly he associated himself with St. Jean Baptiste and other national societies, and it was as president of St. Jean Baptiste Society that he labored to erect the Monument National. Although considered a sincere patriot by his countrymen his patriotism is not narrow, and he is always ready to admire what is done by other people for the advancement and honor of their nationality. He often repeats that the existence of different nationalities in a country is an element of progress and civilization and that Canada cannot but benefit by the work along different lines of the representatives of two of the greatest nations of the world; that the maintenance of French nationality does not conflict with the keeping of British institutions. In his present position as city clerk of Montreal he has displayed admirable fitness resulting from habits of precision and wide knowledge of the civic situation, combined with the courtesy, urbanity and quiet dignity which have ever been among his marked characteristics. He has enjoyed widespread confidence in this position, discharging his duties without regard to partisanship, and the most malevolent have never dared to assail the integrity and honor of his course. His utterances may stir to public thought and action and then, having accomplished their purpose, are in a measure forgotten. His position as an author, however, is established for all time, and in this connection the Montreal Standard has written:
“As a writer he has gained the highest distinction. Like Keats, he has an instinct for fine words. As Goldwin Smith is in English, so Mr. David, among French-Canadians, is the most exquisite writer of his generation. Perhaps the chief charm of his prose lies in its exceeding clarity, and clearness is the first quality in a French writer. There is no man in Canada today who can better propound a synthesis; that also is a luminous feature of his style. But for elegance and clearness he has among his compatriots achieved a position of unique pre-eminence.”
Since the fall of 1912 Adrien Lafontaine has been engaged in law practice in Montreal. His offices are located at No. 13 La Patrie building and he makes his home at No. 1136 Galt Street, town of St. Paul, Montreal. He was born in the parish of St. Barthélemi, in the county of Berthier, on the 30th of November, 1887, a son of Edmond and Marie Louise (Denis) Lafontaine, the father a well known citizen of Montreal.
Adrien Lafontaine enjoyed a very thorough education. He attended the Academy of St. Barthélemi and from the College of Montreal obtained the degree of Bachelor of Letters in rhetoric and philosophy, studying there during the years 1908 and 1909 with the Fathers of St. Sulpice. He then entered Laval University of Montreal, where he pursued his legal studies and from which he graduated in 1912 as licentiate in law (LL. L.). On the 9th of July, 1912, he submitted to examinations before the chamber of notaries and was thereupon received as a notary, establishing himself as a practicing lawyer on the 30th of October, 1912. His excellent legal equipment gives promise of a distinguished career.
Mr. Lafontaine is interested in a loan company and a mining company. He has been a notary public since the 12th of July, 1912. On March 1, 1913, he joined the Independent Order of Foresters and has been elected to the office of secretary-treasurer of the Préfontaine Court of that organization. Since October 1, 1912, he has been vice president of the Parish Circle of the town of St. Paul. Mr. Lafontaine is prominent among the professional men of the city and has many friends among the younger generation of lawyers. He has already succeeded in gaining a great amount of confidence and good-will among the general public.
James G. Day was born in Montreal, December 12, 1834. He had therefore passed the seventy-second milestone on life’s journey, when called to the home beyond. He was one in a family of nine children, whose father, John J. Day, was born in London, but came to Montreal and was one of the most active men of his time in the city. He was particularly interested in all things pertaining to its welfare and progress and his aid in public movements was of a beneficial character.
James G. Day was educated in Montreal and took the law course at McGill University. He was admitted to the bar in Montreal. He engaged in the practice of his profession until 1866, when he was compelled to abandon it because of poor health. After spending one year in the United States he returned to Montreal and became a member of the firm of Hutchins & Company, wholesale tea merchants, [388] and there continued for a few years. He then engaged in the coal business until his failing health caused him to seek a change. He then located at Troy, New York, and there resumed the practice of law, so continuing until his death, January 6, 1907.
It was while a resident of the United States that he was married in Bloomington, Illinois, to Miss Ellen E. Lewis, a daughter of Dr. William Lewis, who was an English Army surgeon and spent twenty years in the West Indies. He was afterward stationed for a time at Halifax and subsequently removed to Chicago, where he lived prior to establishing a home in Morris, Grundy county, Illinois, where his remaining days were passed. He was very active in his profession, being recognized as an able and eminent medical practitioner.
Mr. and Mrs. Day had three sons: Dr. John L. Day, engaged in the practice of his profession in Westmount; Albert J. Day, who is with Greenshields & Company; and Maurice Baldwin Day, acting manager of the Bourbonniere branch of the Union Bank of Canada, at Montreal.
Henry Miles in 1895 became one of the founders of the firm of Leeming, Miles & Company of Montreal, importers and manufacturers of drugs, chemicals and proprietary articles in the drug and grocery lines. He has since been an active factor in the successful control of the business and to other fields of activity has extended his efforts with equally desirable results. He was born in Lennoxville, P. Q., May 8, 1854. His father, the late Henry Hooper Miles, D. C. L., LL. D., a well known historian and for twenty-five years vice principal of Bishop’s College at Lennoxville, afterward became secretary of the Protestant section of the department of public instruction for the province. He married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of Dr. William Wilson, of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
In the Lennoxville grammar school their son Henry Miles pursued his preliminary education, which was supplemented by study in the high school of Quebec and in the Laval Normal School of the same city. His early business experience came to him through association with the firm of Lyman, Sons & Company, of which he became manager and managing partner, his association with the house continuing from 1870 until 1895, when he separated his interests and in the latter year organized the firm of Leeming, Miles & Company of Montreal for the importation and manufacture of drugs, chemicals and proprietary articles in both the drug and grocery lines. After continuing for a considerable period as managing partner he was elected to the presidency of the company on incorporation. He is also engaged in the manufacture of medicines as proprietor of a business conducted under the style of Dick & Company and he is publisher and editor of the Montreal Pharmaceutical Journal. Even this does not compass the extent of his business activity, for he is president of the National Hydro-Electric Company, Ltd., and managing director of the Carillon Construction & Development Company, Ltd.
Moreover, Mr. Miles is actively and helpfully interested in organizations for the benefit of trade and business conditions. He is a member of the Chambre de Commerce, was treasurer of the Montreal Board of Trade in 1897-98, was vice president in 1899-1900 and in 1901 became president. The present magnificent Board of Trade building stands as a monument to his energy. He is still an active member of the organization, and since 1901 he has been president of the Montreal Business Men’s League, which has been instrumental in effecting many municipal and other reforms. He is likewise president of the Proprietary Articles Trade Association of Canada, secretary-treasurer of the Montreal Industrial Exhibition Association and in 1900 was a delegate to the International Commercial Congress at Philadelphia. In 1905 he was honorary treasurer of the Hon. John Young Monument Committee. Aside from all these interests of a semi-public character his activities have been salient features in the attainment of success for other organizations and for the public good. He has filled the office of justice of the peace and is consul in Canada for Paraguay. He was one of the founders of the Montreal Philharmonic Society and for a time was director of Trinity church choir, both of which indicate his deep interest in music. He represented the Montreal Board of Trade at the funeral of King Edward in London, England, in May, 1910. Fraternally he is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, in sympathy with the purposes of those organizations. His religious faith is that of the Anglican church, and he was for many years warden of Trinity church and the Church of St. James the Apostle. He has also been a member of the synod. His political belief is that of the liberal party. He belongs to the Canada, Montreal and Country Clubs, and those who meet him in these different organizations find him a social, genial companion. He has been a thorough and discriminating student of many questions that pertain to Canada and her welfare, carrying his researches far and wide. In 1880 he was the author of the Prize Questions in Canadian History, having won the first prize, and in 1900 he published an Address on Commercial Education, indicating deep insight into and thorough knowledge of the question. He made the customs’ tariff a special study for years and has written much on that subject.
Mr. Miles was married in 1875 to Miss McGregor, of Montreal. Nature endowed him with qualities, which developed through persistent energy and laudable ambition, have brought him into prominent relations. Inheriting the strong intellectual force of worthy ancestry, he has developed his talents and his powers not only in the control and enlargement of important business interests, but also along lines in which the general public has been the beneficiary.
Rev. David Benson Rogers, since 1911 rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Montreal, was born in Watford, Ontario, and is a son of John B. Rogers of that city. He acquired his preliminary education in the public schools there and after graduating from the Watford high school entered McGill University from which he was graduated with the degree of B. A. and with first class honors in mental and moral philosophy, in 1906. Continuing his studies he received the [392] degree of M. A. in 1909 and in the same year that of Licentiate in Theology from the Montreal Diocesan Theological College. He was made deacon in the Episcopal church in 1908 and received full orders in 1909 and in the former year was appointed assistant in Grace church, Montreal. In this position he did sincere and earnest work until 1911 when his ability and zeal were recognized in his appointment as rector of St. Luke’s church. He possesses true religious zeal, is earnest, God-fearing and unostentatious in the discharge of his duties and has already accomplished a great deal of consecrated work among his people whose love he holds in large measure. He is moreover a man of initiative spirit and administrative ability, and under his able management the business affairs of the church have been carried forward in an orderly and systematic manner.
On the 19th of April, 1911, Mr. Rogers was united in marriage to Miss Florence Ethel Hurd, eldest daughter of Henry Hurd of Montreal. Mr. Rogers is widely and favorably known in Montreal among his own people and among those of all denominations, and his influence is felt as a potent force in the moral development of the community. The doctrines which he professes he consistently practices, and at all times his life has been actuated by high and honorable purposes and characterized by kindly actions and consideration for others. He realizes fully the obligations which devolve upon him and finds it a privilege to bring his fellowmen to a knowledge of truth and an understanding of those principles of life which bring men into more harmonious relations with the divine law.
Charles H. Maguire, who figured prominently in insurance circles in Montreal, was born in Quebec in 1858 and died at The Glade, Boisbriand, province of Quebec, July 31, 1907. His father was Hon. Judge Maguire of the superior court of Quebec, a very able and distinguished citizen and jurist, who was born April 15, 1810, and died July 5, 1880. He married Miss Frances Horan, also of Quebec.
Their son, Charles H. Maguire, was educated in the seminary of that city and for a few years was connected with the bank there, thus receiving his initial business training. About 1897 he came to Montreal and engaged in the insurance business as a member of the firm of Esinhart & Maguire, which succeeded the late Walter Kavanagh as chief agents for the Scottish Union & the National Insurance Company of Edinburgh. They also became chief agents for the German-American and the Rochester German Insurance Company, conducting an insurance business of large proportions, his name becoming a synonym for successful achievements in insurance circles.
Mr. Maguire was also active in interests of the city and his devotion to the public welfare was manifest in many tangible ways. He was fond of outdoor sports, especially those of an aquatic character. He always adhered to the religious faith in which he was reared—that of the Catholic church.
Mr. Maguire was married twice. In Quebec he wedded Miss Mountain, who is survived by two children: Eustace J. Maguire, now living in Denver, Colorado; and Sister Mary of the Annunciation, of the Congregation of Notre [393] Dame. In Montreal, in 1904, Mr. Maguire wedded Henrietta Kavanagh, a daughter of Henry Kavanagh, who was born in Carlow, Ireland and came to Montreal in 1838.
Louis J. Loranger, a man distinguished by scholarly attainments and a wide knowledge of commercial law, is practicing at the Montreal bar as the senior partner in the firm of Loranger, Loranger & Prud’homme. Born on the 22d of September, 1870, the eldest son of Hon. Louis Quesime and Marie Anne Rosalie (Lafranboise) Loranger, of whom more extended mention is made elsewhere in this work, in the city which is still his place of residence, he has here since remained, and the record of his progress is a familiar one to many of his contemporaries, who recognize the fact that native talent well developed and opportunities carefully improved have brought him to his present creditable position as a representative of the legal profession. He was a student in St. Mary’s College of Montreal and afterward in Laval University, from which he received the degrees of B. A. and M. L. A., a special examination later bringing him the LL. D. degree. He was called to the bar on the 10th of January, 1894, and for eighteen years was a partner of Mr. Justice Beaudin. Their practice was extensive and of a most important character. His present position as legal adviser to La Chambre de Commerce and to the Citizens’ Association and the Association of Architects indicates his rank among the foremost members of the Montreal bar. He is also vice president of the International Law Association and a member of the council of the bar. He was made a king’s counsel in 1910.
Mr. Loranger is a conservative in politics and is president of La Jeunesse Conservative. He belongs to the Conservative Club, Le Club Cartier, the Union Catholique and L’Alliance Nationale. The name is today an honored one in legal circles not only in Canada but throughout America, for he has a wide acquaintance among the eminent representatives of the bar south of the border.
Walter Kavanagh was one of the best known representatives of insurance interests in Canada. For a quarter of a century he had been chief agent for the Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, for which he did a large business. He also held the chief agency of the German-American company and recently had been appointed to the same position with the Rochester German Insurance Company.
Mr. Kavanagh was of Irish extraction, of which he gave evidence in his brightness, warmth of heart, geniality and lively wit, which will long be remembered by those who were his social associates. As an insurance agent he was full of energy, aggressive, and thoroughly in earnest in promoting the interests of the companies he represented. It is but natural that such success as attended the [394] efforts of Mr. Kavanagh should have created heart burnings in those who had not the ability to reach his plane in the insurance world, and that his position should have been at times jealously envied it is superfluous to mention, for there were many who tried to emulate his success and many who sought to rival his popularity. Mr. Kavanagh died November 22, 1905.
The world has little use for a misanthrope. The worth of the individual is largely judged by what he has accomplished in behalf of his fellowmen and, as a modern philosopher has put it: “Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success.” Judged by this standard Francis Wolferstan Thomas was a most successful man. Along strictly business lines, too, his advancement was continuous until he stood among the prominent representatives of banking interests in the country, the growth and development of The Molson’s Bank of Montreal being attributable in large measure to his efforts and sound business judgment. He was born at Moorwinstow, Cornwall, England, January 9, 1834, and was educated at King Edward VI School in Sherburne, Dorsetshire. It was the family wish that he should enter the priesthood of the Anglican church; and later he was intended for the army, but before a commission was procured he came to Canada, arriving here in October, 1851. He came of ancestry honorable and distinguished. His paternal grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Thomas, a fellow of Oxford and vicar of Tidenham in Gloucestershire. He married Elizabeth Wolferstan, of Hartland, Devon, and their family included Rev. Francis Wolferstan Thomas, who became rector of Parkham, North Devon. He married a lady of the ancient and important family of Shearrue, whose seat is at Woodlands, Cornwall. They were the parents of Francis Wolferstan Thomas.
The latter came to Canada with the intention of following agricultural pursuits, but gave up that plan and turned his attention to engineering, securing temporary employment with the Grand Trunk Railway Company. Soon afterward, however, he sought other employment and his native talents and training gained him recognition in appointment to a position in the Bank of Upper Canada. A year later James Stevenson, the cashier of the Quebec Bank, who was then managing the Bank of Montreal, offered Mr. Thomas a position, which he accepted. He was afterward rapidly promoted in recognition of his ability and the rapidity with which he mastered the various phases of the banking business, until in 1865 he was appointed manager of the London branch of the bank in western Canada. In 1870 the position of cashier in Molson’s Bank was offered him and after carefully considering the subject of making a change he at length accepted, and the continuous growth and development of the bank from that time until his death testified to his ability, resourcefulness and initiative. He occupied a commanding position in banking circles, his opinions being largely accepted as authority upon all vital questions of the financial world of Canada. He was also a director of the Canadian Life Assurance Company. His high standing among the financiers of the country is indicated in the fact that in [397] 1896 he was honored with the presidency of the Dominion Bankers Association, and he was also a member of the council of the Montreal Board of Trade and chairman of the bankers’ branch of the Board of Trade. He was likewise a director of the Montreal Cemetery Company.
In 1861 Mr. Thomas was married to Harriet Amelia Goodhue, a native of London, Ontario, and third daughter of the late Hon. George Jarvis Goodhue, M. L. C., and a representative of one of the distinguished families of Salem, Massachusetts. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, of whom four are living. Mrs. Thomas ably seconded her husband in his many philanthropic and beneficent efforts. She has served as manager of the Ladies’ Benevolent Society for thirty-four years and was its treasurer for nineteen years; she was first directress of the Mackay Institute for Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind; first directress of the Church Home; and president of the Montreal School of Cookery, founded by the Princess Louise. Both Mr. and Mrs. Thomas held membership in the Church of England. Probably no other man in the city led such an active and useful life in respect to charities and public movements having to do with the upbuilding and welfare of Montreal. For years he was a prominent member of the Good Government Association. He was also a director of the Art Association and was a member of the council of the Board of Arts and Manufactures. No good work done in the name of charity or religion ever sought his aid in vain. He was a member of the committee of managers of the Montreal General Hospital and of the St. John’s Ambulance Association, and thus he reached out in helpful spirit toward the unfortunate. He was treasurer of the Church Home, treasurer of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, treasurer of the Andrews Home, treasurer of the Murray Bay Convalescent Home, president of the Mackay Institute for Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind, and vice president of the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In 1894 he was elected president of the Montreal General Hospital and the following year was chosen president of the St. George Society. He was for many years an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and was district deputy grandmaster of the London district. One of his most successful accomplishments was the erection of the Montreal General Hospital Jubilee Training Home for Nurses in 1897. While eminently successful in business, he regarded his banking interests as but one phase of life, and it never was allowed to overshadow his duties to his fellowmen. It would be more just to say that it was a deep interest in mankind rather than a sense of duty that prompted his active support of and cooperation in the many movements with which he became allied—movements which seek to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate, to advance the interests of science, to promote civilization and uplift mankind.
Mr. Thomas passed away on May 18, 1900, and the Montreal Star in an editorial said: “In mourning the death of Mr. F. Wolferstan Thomas, Montreal sorrows for the loss of one of her most prominent and useful citizens. A successful banker Mr. Thomas was, as the growth of Molson’s Bank under his guidance shows; but he was more than that. He was a citizen in the fullest sense of that much abused word. At every point he bore the duties that attach to citizenship duties, that far too many busy men neglect. Then he was a philanthropist, as his long and valuable services in connection with the General [398] Hospital, the Mackay Institute and the other establishments founded for the succor of the sick and suffering abundantly demonstrate. The mere list of the associations for the good of his fellowmen with which he was actively connected, make up a long paragraph. As his sympathies enrolled him among the forces which ease the grind of life for the unfortunate, so his stanch integrity and keen judgment classed him with those who made for honest government and just laws.
“His influence for good—both the good that smiles in charity and the good that is stern against aggression—will be missed in the community; as his tall straight figure will be missed from the streets and from such assemblies of citizens as gather for deeds of brotherhood and public benefit.”
Rev. John C. Brophy, pastor of St. Agnes’ Catholic church in Montreal, exemplifies in his beneficial, upright and useful life the high ideals of the priesthood he represents and has become a force in the spread of Catholic doctrines and the promotion of Catholic education among the people of the city.
St. Agnes’ parish was organized in 1905 of English-speaking people, and the services were held first in a room in St. John Baptist church. Later the congregation, which has grown continually since the foundation of the parish, gathered in a hall in St. John Baptist Market where they listened to the wise counsel of the founder and first parish priest, Rev. W. J. Casey. He died May 13, 1912, and was succeeded by Rev. John C. Brophy, the present incumbent, who has proved a worthy follower in his footsteps. Father Brophy has about five hundred Catholic families under his charge and has already accomplished excellent work among them, holding their love and respect in large measure. He has taken a great interest in the cause of Catholic education and has carried forward the work along this line, begun by his predecessor, by his able superintendence of the Olier School for boys, and the Sacred Heart Academy for girls. This latter institution is under the direction of the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
Father Brophy’s life has been one of earnest and consecrated usefulness, for he constantly exemplifies in his actions the high doctrines in which he believes. A man of good business ability, he has proved an excellent administrator of the business affairs of his parish, and his example of spiritual attainment and self-sacrificing labor may well serve as an inspiration to his people.
The attractive suburb of Westmount is largely the monument to the business enterprise and progressive methods of Thomas Campbell Bulmer, now deceased, who was almost a lifelong resident of Montreal, and for a long period an active factor in its business circles. He was born at Three Rivers, Quebec, in 1846, and was educated in the public schools there and in Montreal, being brought to the [399] latter city when a youth of ten years by his father, Thomas Bulmer, who was a native of Yorkshire, England, and on coming to Canada settled at Three Rivers, but in 1856 removed to Montreal, where for many years he was active as a contractor and builder. He married Anna Phoebe Fearon, also a native of England.
When his school days were over, Thomas Campbell Bulmer served an apprenticeship to the book binding trade, became proficient as a workman and in 1868 joined Henry Morton and Charles Phillips in a partnership under the style of Morton, Phillips & Bulmer. The business developed and grew until the firm occupied a prominent position among stationers, blank book makers and printers. A few years prior to his death Mr. Bulmer withdrew from that connection, in which he had realized a handsome profit, to engage in the real-estate business at Westmount. He was recognized as the father of that beautiful suburb, having been one of the first men to foresee the value of that section as a residential district. He was actively engaged to the time of his death in its improvement, development and upbuilding and made it one of the beautiful suburban districts of Montreal.
Mr. Bulmer passed away on April 7, 1902. For many years he had been an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and had been equally faithful as a member of the Anglican church. Sterling motives and high principles guided him in all of his relations and made him an upright man, so that he left behind him not only the substantial rewards of earnest, persistent labor, but also that good name which is to be chosen in preference to great riches.
Napoleon Giroux, a native of Montreal, where he was born August 12, 1863, is a successful merchant of this city, where he has also other property interests. He conducts a book and stationery store, which he owns. He is a son of Carolus and Mary (Hayes) Giroux, the former a carpenter-contractor.
Napoleon Giroux received his education in the Jesuit College and the University of Ottawa. He chose the book-selling line as his life vocation and became a clerk in an establishment of that character. He later made himself independent and now owns one of the most profitable stores in the city of this character.
On the 13th of October, 1884, Mr. Giroux was married in Montreal to Miss Rose Anna Galipeau, a daughter of Louis and Vitaline (Gariepy) Galipeau, the former a contractor-builder. Mr. and Mrs. Giroux have five children: Charlemagne; Albina, who married Joseph Casgrain; Eva; Emile, who married Miss Juliette Jalbert; and Hubert. Both Mr. and Mrs. Giroux are popular in social circles of the city. The former is public-spirited and has always taken a deep interest in municipal affairs, public honors having come to him in his election to the office of alderman of the city of Montreal, in which capacity he has served since 1902. Both he and his family are devout communicants of the Catholic church. He is president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the parish of St. Pierre and also belongs to the Cercle St. Pierre. The success which Mr. Giroux has achieved as a bookseller must be ascribed to his discriminating taste as a man of letters. His excellent education has well prepared him for carefully selecting [400] his stock of books, and his gracious and kindly demeanor to his patrons is continually adding to the list of his satisfied customers. Mr. Giroux has widened his views upon life and enhanced his classical education by extensive travels, having visited Europe on various occasions.
In the ranks of civil engineers and architects of Montreal Joseph Emile Vanier has constantly forced his way to the front until he is today widely and favorably known as a specialist in municipal engineering and architecture. He was born at Terrebonne, P. Q., January 20, 1858, a son of the late Emilien and Lucie (Soucy) Vanier, the former at one time a produce merchant of Montreal. In his youth Joseph Emile Vanier became a pupil in the Jacques Cartier normal school and attended successively the Commercial Academy and the Polytechnic School of Montreal, a department of Laval University. He was graduated therefrom with honors with the class of 1877, and entered upon the practice of his profession in which he has since continued, making a specialty of municipal engineering and architecture. He has given special attention to public engineering projects in the cities and towns surrounding Montreal and has been retained as expert engineer by the Dominion and Quebec governments. He is secretary for the Architects Association of Quebec, and he designed the New Polytechnic School of Montreal in 1904. He was elected president of the Montreal Polytechnic School Association in 1910. He is a member of the Society of Civil Engineers, a member of the Société des Ingénieurs Civils de France and a member of the society of Architects of the Province of Quebec.
The Montreal Gazette says that Mr. Vanier has ever been “a credit to his province.” He believes in “Canada for the Canadians,” and this has been the policy upon which he has worked in behalf of public interests. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. He maintains his residence in Montreal in the winter seasons and has a summer home, Beauverger, at Ste. Rose, P. Q. In club and sporting circles he is also well known. He belongs to Club Canadien, Club Lafontaine, the Fish and Game Club, the Engineers Club and the Automobile and Aero Club of Montreal.
Among the recent additions to the Montreal bar is Pierre Louis Dupuis, who has already gained a reputation which many an older practitioner of law might well envy. He was born in the parish of La Longue Pointe on the 3d of September, 1887, a son of Louis Napoleon Dupuis, former merchant, one of the founders of Dupuis Freres, Limited, and for some time controller of the city of Montreal. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Melanie Levesque, was a daughter of the late Pierre Thomas Levesque, whose ancestors rendered [403] valuable services to the province and Dominion in judicial and legislative capacities.
In the acquirement of his education, Pierre Louis Dupuis pursued a classical course at L’Assomption Collège, which he attended from 1900 until 1908, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree in that institution. He took up the study of law in Laval University, which he attended from 1908 until his graduation on the 26th of June, 1911, with the LL. L. degree. On the 4th of August, 1911, he was admitted to the bar.
His commercial course was pursued in Eastman’s Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, during the meantime, and he was graduated with honors from the institution on the 30th of September, 1910.
Before locating permanently in Montreal, for the practice of his profession, Mr. Dupuis took an extended European trip, having previously traveled extensively in both Canada and the United States. He entered upon the active practice of his profession in January, 1912. Most liberal educational opportunities had been his and added to his knowledge is laudable ambition and unfaltering determination, qualities which are building up for him a large and gratifying practice. At the beginning of his professional career in January, 1912, he became junior partner of the law firm of Dussault, Mercier & Dupuis, recognized as one of the strong law firms of the city. In addition Mr. Dupuis is connected with many financial interests and his judgment in business as well as professional interests is sound and discriminating.
In politics Mr. Dupuis is a conservative, well informed on significant and vital problems. He belongs to the Catholic church, the Knights of Columbus, the Canadian Club and the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association—associations which indicate the nature of his interests and his recreation and the principles which govern his conduct.
On the 15th of January, 1913, Mr. Dupuis was married, at St. Benoit, in the county of Two Mountains, to Miss Carmel Girouard, a daughter of Joseph Girouard, a notary and ex-deputy of Two Mountains, who is a conservative leader of that district. The Girouards are of the earliest and most prominent French families of the province. Mr. Dupuis has one son, Rene, born October 9, 1913.
A spirit of business enterprise and laudable ambition advanced Alfred Hawksworth to an enviable position among the manufacturers of Montreal where the latter years of his life were passed. In the course of an active career he learned to discriminate readily between the essential and nonessential and utilizing the former and discarding the latter he met success in his undertakings. He was, at the time of his death at the head of the firm of Alfred Hawksworth & Sons, Limited.
He was born on the 9th of October, 1846, at Glossop, Derbyshire, England, a son of Samuel Hawksworth, who always remained a resident of England. In early manhood Alfred Hawksworth crossed the Atlantic to the United States [404] and settled at Lonsdale, Rhode Island, where he was employed in connection with the cotton mills of that place. Subsequently he removed to Concord, Massachusetts, and was made overseer of Daymen & Smith’s cotton mill. His expanding powers and growing ability later lead to his appointment to the responsible position of manager of the largest cotton mill at Manville, Rhode Island, and during his residence there he invented a loom for the weaving of velvet and plush. At different times he was in charge of cotton mills at New Bedford and Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Pawtucket, Providence, and Pontiac, Rhode Island, being thus identified with some of the largest manufacturing interests of that class in New England, while in Pontiac he was for eight years superintendent of the cotton mills of B. B. & R. Knight, and by reason of his responsible position, was accounted one of the foremost business men of that place. He also became an important factor in the public life of the community, being greatly interested in everything that pertained to the general welfare. He sought earnestly and effectively to improve roads, schools and libraries and in fact to advance any measure relative to the public good.
On the 19th of March, 1895, Mr. Hawksworth arrived in Montreal, becoming manager of the Merchants cotton mills at St. Henri, now a part of the plant of the Dominion Textile Company, Limited.
About eight years prior to his death he resigned that position and established the mill supply house of Alfred Hawksworth & Sons, Limited, which was incorporated in 1905 and is still one of the important productive industries of Montreal. The business from its inception proved a profitable one and under the careful guidance of its founder, developed into one of the large enterprises of this character in Canada. Mr. Hawksworth, through long experience, was familiar with every phase of the manufacture of cotton goods and knew the needs relative thereto, his mill supply house being an outgrowth of his experience and knowledge.
While living in Lonsdale, Rhode Island, in June, 1871, Mr. Hawksworth was united in marriage to Miss Esther A. Moss, a daughter of Edward Moss of that place, and they became the parents of a daughter and five sons: Fred, of Montreal; Edward, who is connected with the Hawksworth & Sons Company, Limited; Harry, who is vice president of that company; Walter L., who is secretary-treasurer, and also assistant manager of the supply house; and Lester A. The daughter, Miss Alice M. Hawksworth, is at home with her mother.
Mr. Hawksworth joined the Masonic fraternity in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1870, and in June, 1903, was made a life member of the Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 8, F. & A. M., of Limerock, Rhode Island. He was also made an honorary member of Mount Moriah Club at Limerock and in Masonry he attained the Knights Templar degree. He was a communicant in St. Simon’s church in Montreal and his entire life was actuated by high and honorable purposes and manly principles. He was a great reader, possessing scholarly taste and his private library contained three thousand volumes with the contents of which he was largely familiar, spending many of his pleasant hours in close association with men of master minds within the four walls of his library.
Mr. Hawksworth could truly be called a self-made man—a title of which he had every reason to be proud. It indicated not only his substantial success in business, but also his intellectual growth and progress. Along the former line he [405] possessed notable ability in coordinating force and unifying elements into a harmonious whole. More than his success, the breadth of his mind and character commanded respect and endeared him to those with whom he came in contact. In his leisure hours he was always to be found at his own fireside or in those circles where intelligent men were wont to meet in discussion of vital problems, and when he passed away on the 16th of February, 1913, a feeling of deep regret was manifested by all of his associates, for his genuine worth had given him firm hold upon the affections of those with whom he was brought in contact.
Thomas Bassett Macaulay, actuary and well known in insurance circles, not only in Montreal but throughout Canada and the United States, has aside from his business affairs led a life of intense and well directed activity, being identified with various organized movements which have to do with the promotion of moral progress or which seek to alleviate hard conditions of life for the unfortunate.
Mr. Macaulay is a native of the province of Ontario, having been born in Hamilton on the 6th of June, 1860, a son of Robertson and Barbara Maria (Reid) Macaulay. After pursuing his early education in Hamilton he continued his studies in Montreal and made his initial step in the business world in the service of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada at Montreal in October, 1877. He bent every energy to the mastery of the duties intrusted to him and the recognition of his ability and faithfulness came to him in promotion. In 1880 he was appointed actuary and in 1891 was made secretary of the company. In 1898 he was elected a director and in 1906 became managing director of a corporation that is acknowledged to be one of the strongest and most reliable insurance companies of the world. By examination he became a fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Great Britain and is now supervisor at Montreal in connection with examinations of the institute. He is a charter member of the Actuarial Society of America and was honored with election to its presidency in 1899 and in 1901, while he is now a life member of its council. He has indeed a wide reputation in his profession and extended acquaintance. He is a member of the Royal Statistical Society of England, a corresponding member of the Institute des Actuaires Françaises de France and in 1895 was again a delegate to the International Commerce of Actuaries in Brussels, and again in 1898 in London and in 1900 in Paris. At the last mentioned he was elected vice president to represent both the United States and Canada. He was also elected vice president of the International Actuaries Association in 1906.
Important and responsible are the duties which have come to Mr. Macaulay with his developing powers, and he finds rest and recreation therefrom in his interests in farming and stock-raising. He has valuable farming property at Hudson Heights, Quebec. He also has other business connections, being a director of the Illinois Traction Company, of the National Trust Company and of the Dominion Glass Company. He is likewise actively interested in organizations having to do with the public welfare, being a governor of the Montreal General Hospital. He is likewise a governor of the Congregational College of Canada [406] which is indicative of his church relationship. In 1911 he was elected president of the Congregational Union of Canada. The same year he was elected president of the Canadian and West Indian League. He is a careful student of all the vital problems and questions of the age and fearlessly he pronounces his opinions yet is never aggressive. He favors the imposition of a moderate import duty by the United Kingdom and colonies to be kept distinct from local duties and to be applied to imperial defence.
In 1881, Mr. Macaulay was married to Miss Henrietta M. L. Bragg, who died in 1910. She was the daughter of the late Oliver Bragg, M. D., and a step-daughter of the Rev. J. Lawson Forster, D. D., of London, England. In 1912 he married Miss Margaret Allen, a daughter of the late Rev. William Allen of London, England. Many have expressed the opinion that he should take a more active part in public life for his qualifications are such as would make him a powerful factor in the discussion of important questions. He is an agreeable speaker, clear, fluent and forceful, and he has the ability of instructing while entertaining. It would be difficult to mention the line along which his usefulness has been greatest for he has accomplished much in various connections, and his work has ever been an influencing factor on the side of reform, progress, improvement and right.
The Bagg family is one of the oldest English families on the island of Montreal and one whose members have been foremost in social, financial, religious, political and military circles for the past century, or since the arrival of the first representative of the name, Stanley Bagg, Esq., who was born in County Durham, England, where this branch of the family possessed large landed estates. In Canada for the past three-quarters of a century such men as Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Clark Bagg, scholar, financier and philanthropist, and his son, the late Robert Stanley Bagg, a worthy son of an honored sire, have placed the name on a high plane.
Stanley Bagg, Esq., the first of this family to settle in Montreal, was born in England in 1786 and died at Fairmount, the family residence on Sherbrooke Street, October 31, 1853, aged sixty-seven years. He left to his son, Stanley Clark Bagg, large landed estates in Montreal and County Durham, England. Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Clark Bagg, son of Stanley and Mary Ann (Clark) Bagg, was born at the manor house in Montreal on December 23, 1820. He studied law and afterwards took up the notarial profession, which he practiced successfully for a number of years but abandoned it in order to give his attention to the management of estates which he inherited from his grandfather, as well as a freehold property in County Durham, England. He was at one time the largest landholder on the island of Montreal, gave many streets and squares to the city and made very substantial benefactions to the citizens. He was an honorary member of the Montreal Field Battery and Artillery and of the Light Infantry, and his name figured in connection with public office through appointment to the position of one of Her Majesty’s justices of the peace in 1859, after [409] which he performed judicial duties for a time. In 1865 he was solicited to become mayor of Montreal but declined the proffered honor. In politics he was a conservative but without political ambition, refusing nomination for a seat in parliament. He was, however, a deep student of the questions of the times, wrote largely for the press and his writings were received warmly in both England and America. He was greatly interested in philanthropic projects and in efforts to promote intellectual progress. He became one of the founders and the first president of the English Workingmen’s Benefit Society, was one of the founders of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society, which honored him with its presidency, and a life member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He also belonged to the Cathedral Young Men’s Christian Association, the Natural History Society and the Mechanics Institute. His activities had their root in principles inculcated by the Church of England and he was a devoted member of Christ Church Cathedral. He married Miss Catharine Mitcheson, a daughter of Robert and Frances (MacGregor) Mitcheson, natives of England and Scotland respectively, and died at his residence, “Fairmount,” in Montreal, August 8, 1873.
Robert Stanley Bagg, son of Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Clark and Catharine (Mitcheson) Bagg, and the head of the family in the third generation in this country, was born at the manor house in Montreal in July, 1848, and was educated in the Montreal high school and McGill University, from which he graduated, after which he proceeded to England to complete his studies. On his return to Canada he was called to the bar of Montreal but never practiced law extensively, although he formed a partnership with Donald Macmaster, now a member of parliament. At his father’s death, however, the management of the largest landed estate on the island devolved upon him, so that he abandoned the active practice of the legal profession.
Much of his time and energy was also given to public life and he was considered a powerful platform orator. In 1896 he was nominated for the St. Lawrence division seat in the house of commons, but resigned for political reasons. His father, Lieutenant Colonel Bagg, was a Tory and a personal friend of the late Sir John A. Macdonald, and it was natural that the son should espouse early in life the conservative cause. He was frequently heard on the platform in support of principles of the party, being known as a stanch conservative both in and out of power, while at one time he was president of the Liberal-Conservative Club, giving a great deal of his time to the work of organizing as well as to public discussion. He was well known among the French Canadian people and spoke their language almost as fluently as his mother tongue. Mr. Bagg was mentioned several times as the party candidate in the federal contests, but the house of commons had no attraction for him. He was known personally to all the party leaders from the time of Macdonald down to the present day. Like his father, he was a most generous supporter of charities and benevolent projects, and he was a governor and benefactor of the Montreal General Hospital and the Montreal Dispensary. He was likewise a member of almost every social and sporting club on the island of Montreal; was a splendid horseman and a good soldier, being at one time commanding officer in the Fifth Royal Scots, taking part in the quelling of the Quebec riots and doing much active military duty.
Mr. Bagg had been ailing for several months, but the call came unexpectedly and he died July 22, 1912, at Kennebunk Port, Maine, where he was spending the summer, as was his custom. In his passing Montreal lost one of its foremost citizens, a most prominent representative of one of the old English families, and a man of distinction to whom opportunity meant activity, and who in all of his business and social relations maintained a position that reflected credit and honor upon an honored family name. His life was not self-centered but reached out along broadening lines for the benefit of his fellowmen and of his city, where the family has so long been well known in the best social circles.
Mr. Bagg was married in 1882 to Miss Clara Smithers, a daughter of the late Charles F. Smithers, president of the Bank of Montreal, and to them were born three children, Evelyn St. Claire Stanley, Gwendolen Katherine Stanley and Harold Stanley.
Evelyn St. Claire Stanley Bagg was married on the 26th of October, 1910, to Huntly Ward Davis, an architect of Montreal, and they have one daughter, Evelyn Clare Ward Davis, who is of the fifth generation of the family in Canada.
Seraphin Ouimet, member of the civil engineering firm of Ouimet & Lesage, connected with important municipal and railroad work in Montreal and in various other sections of the province and Dominion, was born October 8, 1879, in Ste. Rose, in the county of Laval, P. Q. The earliest record of the Ouimet family in this province is of Jean Ouimet, who was born in 1634 and died on the 19th of November, 1687, at Ste. Famille. He married Renee Gagnon about 1660 and their son, Louis Ouimet, who was one of nine children, was married February 3, 1693, at Ste. Famille to Marie Anne Genest, by whom he had thirteen children. Anselme Ouimet, father of Seraphin Ouimet, was born at St. François de Sales, about 1840 and married Emelie Gauthier, who was born in Montreal about 1850. Their son, Seraphin Ouimet, attended school in his native town of Ste. Rose and afterward pursued a classical course at Ste. Thérèse in the county of Terrebonne, where he remained for seven years and was leader of his class, and where he gained his B. C. es Lettres. Later he became a student in the Polytechnic school at Laval. He passed his examination with distinction, graduating June 10, 1904, with the degree of B. C. es Sciences. He next engaged with the dominion government as superintendent of Marconi stations on the Gulf, having charge of five stations. He continued in that position for one season and was appointed assistant engineer of the Georgian Bay Ship Canal survey. After four months in that position he was promoted to first assistant and two months later to chief. He continued for eighteen months in that capacity, rendering efficient, capable and acceptable service until, desiring to engage in the private practice of his profession, he opened an office in Montreal. He passed his examination as Quebec land surveyor on June 17, 1908, before the board of the Quebec Land Surveyors Association. For a year he was associated with James H. Parent, at the close of which time he entered into partnership with Royal Lesage and has since continued under the firm name of Ouimet & Lesage. Their clientage has steadily increased in the [411] interim and their work today extends largely over the province, including many contracts for municipal engineering and railroad work. They have been connected with the building of a branch of the Transcontinental, extending from Montreal and have acted as experts for municipal civil engineering projects in connection with important work for electric and other companies. They employ over twenty men, and the business is one of growing importance. Mr. Ouimet is recognized as a clever, energetic and successful representative of his profession, widely known and highly respected. His ability, close study and developing powers have gained him wider and wider recognition until he stands today as one of the able representatives of the profession in Montreal.
Distinguished honors came to Duncan Campbell MacCallum, M. D., in recognition of his marked ability as a medical practitioner, educator and author. He was in the vanguard of those men to whom science revealed in considerable measure her secrets, his wide research and investigation giving him place with the most eminent of the Canadians connected with the medical profession. He was a fellow of the Obstetrical Society of London, a foundation fellow of the British Gynecological Society and professor emeritus of McGill University. He was born at Ile aux Noix, in the province of Quebec, on the 12th of November, 1825, and died November 13, 1904. He came of pure Scotch ancestry, his parents being John and Mary (Campbell) MacCallum. His maternal grandfather, Malcolm Campbell, of Killin, was a near kinsman, through Lochiel Cameron, of the Earl of Breadalbane.
Dr. MacCallum’s early professional training was received in McGill University, from which he was graduated M. D. in 1850. He then proceeded to Great Britain and studied in London, Edinburgh and Dublin, pursuing post-graduate courses in all three cities. Upon examination he was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in England in 1851 and his preliminary training was so thorough and comprehensive as to place him beyond the point of mediocrity even at the outset of his professional career. Returning to Montreal, he entered upon active practice in this city and almost immediately became known, as well, as an able educator and writer upon medical topics. He was appointed demonstrator of anatomy in McGill in 1854 and was connected with the faculty of medicine until his death. In 1856 he was appointed to the chair of clinical surgery and in November, 1860, was transferred to the chair of clinical medicine and medical jurisprudence, occupying that position until April, 1868, when he was appointed professor of midwifery and the diseases of women and children. He retained that professorship until 1883, when he resigned, at which time the governors of the university made him professor emeritus, so that he retained his precedence in the university, in which he had continued as a professor for almost thirty years.
The active work of the profession aside from private practice was carried on by Dr. MacCallum as visiting physician to the Montreal General Hospital from 1856 until 1877, when, after twenty-one years’ service, he resigned and by vote of the governors was placed on the consulting staff of the hospital. [412] From 1868 until 1883 he had charge of the Lying-in Hospital and for fourteen years was physician to the Hervey Institute for Children. His writings gained him almost a world-wide reputation. He contributed articles to the British American Medical and Surgical Journals, to the Canada Medical Journal and the Transactions of the Obstetrical Society of London, England. In 1854 he was associated with Dr. William Wright in establishing and editing the Medical Chronicle, which paper remained in existence for six years. Dr. MacCallum was vice president for Canada of the section of obstetrics in the Ninth International Medical Congress, which was held at Washington, D. C., in September, 1887. His eminent ability and broad learning made him looked upon as a leader in the ranks of the medical profession on the American continent and also gained him recognition abroad, so that he was elected to fellowship in the Obstetrical Society of London and was chosen to become one of the foundation fellows of the British Gynecological Society. On the 1st of March, 1855, he was appointed assistant surgeon of the Sixth Battalion of Montreal Militia and on the 15th of February, 1856, was appointed surgeon to the same.
In October, 1867, Dr. MacCallum was united in marriage to Miss Marie Josephine Guy, the second daughter of Hon. Hippolyte Guy, judge of the superior court of lower Canada and a representative of ancestry, honorable and distinguished. The children born to Dr. and Mrs. MacCallum were: Marie Josephine, who married Professor Thomas A. Starkey of McGill University, of whom there is mention in these volumes and by whom she has one son, Hugh Starkey; Esther Melina; Marianne, who married Edward Desbarats, of Montreal, and has seven children—Edward, Duncan, Josephine, Henry, Lucy Anne, Cecile and Henri; Flora Victoria, who married de Les Derniers Shepherd, of Montreal; and Duncan Guy, who won the degree of M. D. at McGill University in 1907 and is now a medical practitioner of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
The life work of Dr. MacCallum was one of signal service and benefit to mankind and his name deserves to be enrolled with those of the benefactors of the race.
Joseph Alexandre Bonin, one of the prominent and successful barristers of Montreal, where he practices as a member of the firm of Taillon, Bonin & Morin, was born in D’Autray, Lanoraie, province of Quebec, a son of the late J. B. Bonin. In the acquirement of an education he attended Joliette College and was called to the bar as advocate in 1874, being made king’s counsel in 1893. He has been for many years in the successful practice of his profession in Montreal, where the firm of Taillon, Bonin & Morin is regarded as one of the strongest in the city, connected through an extensive and representative clientele with a great deal of notable litigation. Mr. Bonin’s wide experience and successful practice have secured for him a large following, and his comprehensive knowledge of legal principles has made him very successful in the conduct of cases intrusted to his care. His mind is incisive, analytical and deductive [415] and his powers have been developed through the years, until today he is one of the most able and prominent barristers in the city where he makes his home.
Mr. Bonin married a daughter of the late J. L. Leprohon, M. D., vice consul for Spain in Montreal, and Mr. and Mrs. Bonin are well known in social circles of this city. Mr. Bonin is a member of the Roman Catholic church and is a conservative in his political beliefs, taking an intelligent and public-spirited interest in municipal growth and advancement. He has gained prominence and distinction in a profession where advancement depends entirely upon superior merit and ability and stands among the barristers whose work is important as an element in the legal history of this province.
The Guy family is one of the oldest and most prominent in Montreal. Pierre Guy, the first of the name to settle in Canada, joined the French army under M. de Vaudreuil and rose rapidly through intermediate positions to the rank of captain. He participated in the engagements which occurred with frequency between the French in Quebec and the English in Massachusetts and New York and he died at the age of forty-eight years. His son, a namesake, Pierre Guy, Jr., was educated in France and also joined the French army in Canada, serving under General Montcalm in the French and Indian war. He participated in the battles of Caillion, Montmorency and the battle on the Plains of Abraham. When the power of France in Canada was set at naught, he with others left for France, where he remained until 1764. He then returned to Canada and accepted a business situation in Montreal, becoming a loyal subject of Great Britain. Soon afterward when General Montgomery invaded Canada he took up arms for the defence of the country which so exasperated the Americans that they sacked his stores after the capitulation of the city. In 1776 he received from the Crown the appointment of judge and in 1782 became a colonel of militia. He was also active in founding the college of St. Raphael and was thus prominently identified with the military, commercial and educational interests of the province of Quebec. He received from the Crown a large land grant in Montreal in that part of the city known as Bourgoyne and he it was who gave Nuns Island to the nuns and he also gave one-half of Viger Square to the city. At one time he conducted a large business as a fur trader between Montreal and France. His activities were so important and his ability so pronounced that he was a recognized leader in the different fields in which his labors and efforts were put forth.
Pierre Guy, Jr., died in the year 1812, leaving several sons and daughters. Of these Louis Guy, who by the death of his father became the oldest representative of the family, was made a councillor by King William in February, 1831, and died in 1840. Guy Street in Montreal was so called in his honor.
He had six children: Emily, who married Lieutenant Colonel De Salaberry; Caroline, who became the wife of Joseph Baby; Henry, who was a colonel in the British army; Hippolyte; Joseph, who was a lawyer of Montreal; and Adine, who married Mr. Pemberton of Quebec.
Judge Hippolyte Guy, judge of the superior court of Lower Canada, and the second son of Louis Guy, married Marianne Esther Nelson, a daughter of James Frederick Nelson and his wife Mary Ann Adelaide Regnault, the adopted daughter of Chief Justice Vallieres of Three Rivers, P. Q. Judge Guy died April 19, 1860. Unto him and his wife were born three daughters and a son. Marie Louise, the eldest, became the wife of Hon. Chief Justice Austin, of Nassau and they had three children: Barry, Gloucester and Charlotte, now Lady Napier. Marie Josephine married Dr. Duncan Campbell MacCallum, of whom there is made mention on another page of this work. Marie Ann became the wife of Alex de Lusignan by whom she had two children, Guy de Lusignan and Esther de Lusignan. She afterward married Gustave Fabre and by him has one daughter, Terese, the wife of Mr. L’Africanne. Pierre, the youngest in the family, died at the age of four years.
Few men occupy a more enviable position in business and military circles than Lieutenant Colonel Alfred E. D. Labelle. He has been termed “the beau ideal of a soldier,” and his position as one of the captains of industry in Montreal none question. Montreal claims him as a native son. He was born August 23, 1866, his parents being Hospice L. and Leocadie (Masson) Labelle, the former a grain inspector of Montreal. The son was a student in Bishop’s Academy and in a commercial school of his native city, his training in that institution fitting him for the responsibilities which came upon him after he entered business circles in 1883 in the employ of the late W. W. Ogilvie, the miller king. He remained in that connection until the business was merged into the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, Limited, in 1897, at which time he became sales manager for Montreal, so remaining until his retirement from active connection with the business in 1910. In that year he became managing director of the St. Lawrence Flour Mills Company, of which he was one of the principal promoters and as such he stands today as one of the leading representatives of the productive industries of the province, bending his energies to constructive direction and executive control of a business that has already reached mammoth proportions.
He has active connection and voice in the management of many organizations looking to the betterment of trade and commercial relations. He is a member of the Montreal Harbor board, the Montreal Board of Trade, was president of the Chambre de Commerce, and is vice president of the Montreal Industrial Exhibition Association and the Montreal Vehicular Traffic Association. He is also connected with movements touching the general interests of society outside the strict field of business, being councillor of the Red Cross Society and of the Boy Scout movement. His military career is perhaps even more brilliant than his business record. He has been long connected with the volunteer militia service, having joined the Sixty-fifth Regiment as a private in 1882. He was advanced through various ranks until he became lieutenant colonel, commanding in 1897 and in 1902 his name was placed upon [417] the list of retired officers. Subsequently he commanded the Seventh Infantry Brigade, was appointed a second time to the command of the Sixty-fifth Regiment in March, 1907, and is now in command of the Twelfth Infantry Brigade. He served in the Northwest rebellion in 1885 and was one of its medallists. He was on the staff of the Victoria Jubilee contingent in London, England, in 1897, when he was again accorded a medal. He commanded the troops sent to Valleyfield, P. Q., during the trade riots in 1900, and he commanded the Canadian Bisley team in 1908. In the previous year he received a long service decoration and became actively connected with military training in 1896 as president of the Montreal Military Institute. He was likewise president of the Montreal Amalgamated Rifle Association in 1901-2. The Montreal Witness speaks of him as a “splendid officer, popular and respected by all.”
Colonel Labelle was married in 1900 to Amelie Sicotte, the second daughter of the late Hon. L. W. Sicotte. Colonel Labelle is a Roman Catholic in religious faith and a conservative in political belief. His club relations are with the leading organizations of that character in Montreal, including the St. James Club, Club Lafontaine, Club Canadien, the Military Institute and Club St. Denis. The analytical trend of his mind readily enables him to understand the various factors which enter into the successful control of military interests and of business affairs. He has ever followed the broad policy of building up rather than of destroying and in all of his commercial interests has employed constructive measures, never sacrificing interests of others to corporation gain. While in military circles he is a strict disciplinarian, he has at the same time, those qualities which win personal popularity and respect among subordinates and the expressions of praise again and again heard from those who have served under him show that he is justly entitled to be termed “the beau ideal of a soldier.”
Duncan Livingstone MacDougall, a merchant of Montreal for many years and an active church man, whose life was one of broad usefulness as well as of material success, was born in Kendelton, Scotland, in 1848, a son of Archibald L. MacDougall, who in the year 1861 established his home in Montreal. He married Agnes Livingstone, a cousin of the great explorer and missionary who was the first man to penetrate into the heart of Africa. Mr. and Mrs. MacDougall became the parents of two sons, Duncan L. and John, and a daughter, Mrs. Robert Logie.
Duncan L. MacDougall was a youth of thirteen years when the family crossed the Atlantic to Canada. His education was acquired in the schools of Scotland and of Montreal and he crossed the threshold of business life as bookkeeper for Cochran, Cassills & Company, boot and shoe merchants, in whose employ he was continually advanced in recognition of his merit and capability until eventually he was admitted to partnership, continuing a member of the firm to the time of his death. He devoted his undivided attention to the interests of the business and became an active factor in guiding its affairs. He possessed in large measure that quality which for want of a better term has been called commercial sense, [418] seeming to recognize almost intuitively the points and propositions of business that led toward prosperity.
Mr. MacDougall was married in Montreal in 1872 to Miss Margaret B. Patterson, a daughter of William Patterson, who came to Canada from Edinburgh, Scotland, at an early day and was a veterinary surgeon of the city to the time of his death. His wife bore the maiden name of Isabella S. Dunnett. Mrs. MacDougall by her marriage became the mother of three sons and two daughters, Archibald Lorne, Alice Maud, William Percival, Edith Margaret and Duncan Livingstone.
Mr. MacDougall was a member of the Metropolitan Club and was a very active worker in the American Presbyterian church cooperating in various lines of church work and contributing generously to its support. His life was actuated by high and honorable principles, that found expression in noble deeds and helpfulness toward those who needed assistance.
Anthune Sergius Archambault, member of the bar, practicing at Montreal as an advocate, specializes in the administration of estates, and is one of the few in Montreal’s legal profession giving special attention to work in a fiduciary capacity. He was born at St. Antoine, Vercheres county, on the 9th of November, 1874, a son of Alphonse Archambault and Hermenie Gladu, the former a farmer by occupation. While spending his youthful days under the parental roof A. S. Archambault pursued his education at St. Hyacinthe College, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. He then entered upon the study of law, which he pursued in Laval University, in 1898 winning the LL. L. degree. He is an advocate of considerable power and ability and has made continuous progress in his profession since taking up the active duties thereof fifteen years ago. He has gained a good clientage and his practice is of an important character. He was for some time the legal adviser of the parish of Sault au Récollet.
Mr. Archambault has been married twice. He first wedded Rose Helene Patenaude at Montreal on the 7th of May, 1901, and her death occurred on the fifth anniversary of their marriage. On the 17th of November, 1909, Mr. Archambault was again married, his second union being with Annie Michaud, of Ahuntsic. There are two children, Annette and Paul, of the first marriage and also two of the second, Jean and Marie.
Remi Gohier, Sr., of Montreal, actively engaged in the real-estate business which has proved to him a profitable field of labor, was born on the 7th of September, 1841, at St. Laurent, Jacques Cartier county, P. Q., a son of Augustin Gohier dit Belisle and Marguerite Martin dit Ladouceur. The early ancestors [421] of the Gohier family in the province of Quebec spelled the name in various ways, including Goyer, etc., but in France it was spelled Gohier and one of the name was of great prominence during the reign of Napoleon I.
Remi Gohier was a student in the St. Laurent College and with his entrance into commercial circles at the age of twenty-two he became a dry-goods merchant, and for twenty-seven years was engaged in that business at what is now the corner of St. Lawrence and DeMontigny Streets. In January, 1891, he became connected with the real-estate and insurance brokerage business with his two sons, Arthur E. and Alexandre. Having won substantial success he has since continued in that business. He has negotiated many important realty transfers, bought and sold property on his own account and has won a creditable and gratifying measure of success. For eight years he was a director of the Montreal Turnpike Trust Company, and he has done active public service as justice of the peace for about ten years. About 1906 Mr. Gohier became connected with La Compagnie Des Terrains Maisonneuve, Limited, and has since been a director of the same, in which he is extensively interested.
On the 25th of November, 1863, in Montreal, in Notre Dame Cathedral, Mr. Gohier was united in marriage to Miss Anne Jeanne Wright, a daughter of Alexander Hamilton and Marguerite (Scally) Wright. Their children are: Remi, who married Alice Faille; Emma Isabella, the wife of J. A. Lesieur Desaulniers; Arthur Edouard, who married Adelina Tetrault; Corrine, the wife of Eugene Tetrault; Alexandre, who married Charlotte Mongenais; and Bernice. The family are communicants of the Catholic church, and Mr. Gohier is a Knight of Columbus. He has membership with the Liberal Club, which indicates his political belief, and he is also a member of the Montreal Canadian Club. The family is highly respected, warm regard being extended father and sons. The business record of Mr. Gohier has gained for him confidence and good-will as well as substantial success, and his prosperity has been the merited reward of his capability and indefatigable enterprise.
Walter Hamilton Ewing, who is well known throughout Canada and the United States as a champion shot, is the eldest son of the late Alexander Miller Ewing and Ida F. (Appleton) Ewing, of Montreal, and was born in this city on the 11th of February, 1878. He is descended from Irish ancestry. He pursued his education in the schools of his native city and made his initial step in the business world with Hodgson Sumner & Company. Subsequently he became connected with the Hart & Adair Coal Company and in 1904 organized the Lackawanna Coal Company, Ltd., of which he is president.
On the 30th of April, 1902, Mr. Ewing was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Raeburn McIntyre, a daughter of the late Archibald McIntyre, of Montreal, and their children are Morris A., Marguerite R., Walter James and David Russell.
While in Montreal Mr. Ewing is known as a successful, enterprising and progressive business man, he has a wide reputation throughout the continent in connection with his record as a marksman. He made the highest amateur score at [422] the first annual shooting tournament of Canadian Indians at Montreal in May, 1906, winning the Clarendon cup. He won the championship of the world in trap shooting in July, 1908, at the Olympic games in London, England. He has won the championship of Canada, the Grand Canadian Handicap, the Brewers’ & Malsters’ cup and the Provincial Individual. He also shot on all team trophies, namely: 8-Man Dominion, 10-Man Provincial, 5-Man International, 5-Man Provincial and 5-Man Lansdowne cup. He is the only man who ever held the above cups at the same time. Surely he has every reason to be proud of his record in this connection. Mr. Ewing in religious faith is a Presbyterian.
Rev. James Bennett was born in Scotland and when a young man came to Montreal, where he continued his education, begun in the schools of his native land. He entered McGill University, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree, and later, having determined to devote his life to the work of the ministry, he took up the study of theology in Queen’s College at Kingston, Ontario. He immediately entered upon ministerial duties as pastor of the Presbyterian church on Cote des Neiges road, but soon afterward was called to L’Orignal, Ontario, where he filled a charge until his demise on August 17, 1901. His earnest effort, his charity and his consecration to the cause was productive of much good, his labors resulting in the accession of many to the church.
Rev. Bennett was married in Montreal to Miss Agnes Phillips, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hodge) Phillips, and to them was born a son, William Phillips Bennett, now of Toronto.
Thomas Phillips, well known for many years as a valued resident of Montreal, his native city, was at one time proprietor of that section known as Woodbury. He was a son of Thomas Phillips, Sr., who owned nearly all of what is now Beaver Hall Hill, where the family home was maintained for many years. The father was likewise the owner of what is now Phillips square, which was named in his honor. His landed possessions in fact were very extensive and their value increased with the growth and development of the city, making his a valuable estate.
His son, Thomas Phillips, pursued his education in the schools of Montreal, in Upper Canada College and in Dr. Workman’s private school. He purchased a farm on the island of Montreal and later became owner of what is now called Woodbury and constitutes an attractive portion of the city, having all been laid out in city lots. There he lived in comparative retirement. He named his place Woodbury after the old home of Thomas Phillips, Sr., who came from Woodbury, Devonshire, England, and settled in Montreal.
Thomas Phillips, Jr., married Miss Elizabeth Hodge, also a native of this city, and a daughter of James Hodge, likewise a farmer on the island of Montreal. They became the parents of four daughters and a son: Martha Emily, now deceased; Charlotte E.; Agnes, who became the wife of Rev. James Bennett and is now a widow living in Montreal; Mrs. Eleanor A. Perham, the widow of L. D. Perham; and Thomas Phillips, who at his death left two daughters, now residents of Scotland.
Mr. Phillips, whose name introduces this review, was a public-spirited man, and ever interested in the general welfare. From early manhood he was a member of St. George’s church and was its oldest member at the time of his demise. He died January 4, 1900, a day therefore that marked the passing of a prominent representative of one of the oldest families of Montreal and one whose name has ever been a synonym for honorable manhood and loyal citizenship.
Progressive development finds a worthy exponent in Joseph Versailles, whose connection with real-estate operations has been an element in the material development of his section of the province. He was born in Montreal on the 28th of March, 1881, a son of Joseph Versailles and Julie Monarque. Mention is made in L’Histoire de l’Eglise by Rhorbacher of a companion of Jeanne d’Arc of the name of Pierre de Versailles. In early Canadian records the family name frequently appears with many variations, including that of Martin and Louis Martin of this family who was born in 1639 and was massacred by the Iroquois Indians at Long Sault on the 21st of May, 1660. The first record found under the present family name is that of Guillaume Versailles, who was born in 1731 and died on the 27th of November, 1751, at Trois Rivières.
Joseph Versailles of this review was a student in St. Mary’s College (Jesuit) on Bleury Street, Montreal, from which he was graduated in 1903 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, having completed the classical course. Turning from the educational field of business he was for six years proprietor of a hardware store and thus laid the foundation for the success which has since come to him through his activities in the real-estate field. Three years ago he founded the town of Montreal East and his real-estate operations there have been a foremost element in its development and substantial growth. He has recently erected one of the finest office buildings of Montreal on St. James Street, its height making it known as one of the skyscrapers. Mr. Versailles displays marked energy and determination and in his business career brooks no obstacles that can be overcome by persistent, energetic and honorable effort. He has thoroughly qualified himself to discuss every phase of the real-estate business and with remarkable prescience he has recognized the possibilities for the city’s growth and the extension of its suburban interests. The town of Montreal East which he founded was incorporated June 4, 1910, and since that time he has continuously served as its mayor, in which connection he has largely promoted its interests and development.
On the 20th of September, 1904, Mr. Versailles was united in marriage to Miss Marie Prendergast, a daughter of the late M. J. A. Prendergast, managing director of La Banque d’Hochelaga for twenty-five years. He was with the pontifical zouaves in Italy from 1867 until 1870, engaged in the practice of law following his return to Canada and then entered upon active connection with banking interests. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Versailles are Marguerite, Pauline, Joseph and Yvan. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church and Mr. Versailles was founder and the first president, in 1903 and 1904, of L’Association Catholique de la Jeunesse Canadienne-Française. In politics he does not maintain a position of aggressive partisanship. He believes in Canada first, rather than party, and in Canada for the Canadians and acting upon this belief his public service has been of benefit to the municipality and the general interests of society.
Lewis D. Perham, who for many years was connected with the customhouse of Montreal, was born in Russelltown, Quebec, in 1854, a son of Freeman Perham, a farmer of Russelltown. In the public schools of his native place Lewis D. Perham pursued his education and also attended a business college in Montreal. His life in one way was quietly and uneventfully passed, most of it being devoted to service in the customs department of his adopted city. For many years he was thus active in the government service and was occupying that position at the time of his demise. His long connection with the customs office plainly indicates his fidelity, capability and promptness in the discharge of his duties.
In 1885, in Montreal, Mr. Perham was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Phillips, a daughter of Thomas Phillips, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Four children were born to them, of whom two are living, Lewis P. and Ruth E.
Mr. Perham was a conservative in politics. For a few years he held membership with the Orangemen and he belonged to the American Presbyterian church. Death called him December 10, 1907, and those who were his associates in life mourned his death, for substantial qualities and commendable characteristics had endeared him to all who knew him. His life was upright and honorable, for he closely followed ethical and moral standards.
The history of Cote des Neiges would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make reference to Patrick McKenna, who reached the venerable age of ninety-three years—a respected citizen, whose life, though quietly and uneventfully passed, was ever a useful and upright one. A native of Ireland, ambition stirred him to activity with the dawning of young manhood, and feeling [427] that better opportunities might be secured in the new world, he left County Cavan and made his way to Canada where he arrived in 1847. The voyage was made in one of the old-time sailing vessels which dropped anchor in the river and there the immigrants, according to the law of the land, passed into quarantine. Mr. McKenna, anxious to get to work, chafed under this restraint but when he and his fellow travelers were liberated he hastened to make his way into the city where he immediately sought employment. He scorned no labor that would give him an honest living and so showed that he was possessed of the spirit of undaunted industry and determination. In May, 1850, he came to Cote des Neiges, which at that time was a village somewhat remote from Montreal but now included within the corporation limits of the city. He accepted the position of gardener with the late Mr. Donald Ross, but after a year had passed, became a tenant of that part of the property that borders the present Westmount Avenue, although it was years afterward before that thoroughfare was laid out. In 1866 he purchased from the Greenshields estate a tract of fifty acres to which he removed in about 1870 and upon it began the erection of a greenhouse and with the growth of the business in subsequent years additional hothouse space was added. The original firm name, P. McKenna & Son, remains unchanged to the present day.
On the 1st of October, 1849, Mr. McKenna had married Miss Mary Kearney, who in the previous year had left her home at Fanningstown, County Limerick, Ireland, and sailed for the new world. In the succeeding May Mr. McKenna brought his young wife to the home which they occupied for twenty years and on the expiration of that period they took up their abode in the residence where they lived until death called them. Mr. McKenna at first gave his attention to market gardening, conducting a successful business for eighteen years, but gradually withdrew from that branch of business to give his entire attention to the florist business, making the raising of fruit and vegetables merely a side issue.
The McKenna greenhouses became well known and the business prospered from the beginning, bringing Mr. McKenna a substantial financial return which enabled him eventually to retire from active business life.
Mr. and Mrs. McKenna became the parents of thirteen children but six of the number died in infancy, and Elizabeth died a member of the Nuns of Jesus and Mary, under the name of Sister St. Pancratius. Patrick died in 1880 and Mary in 1872. Four children survive the parents: James, a sketch of whom follows; Miss Sarah McKenna; Frances N., the wife of F. Allan Beauchamp; and Sister McKenna, who for seven years was bursar of a nunnery at Lawrence, Massachusetts, and for the past fifteen years has been bursar of the noted Grey Nunnery of Montreal.
Mr. and Mrs. McKenna lived to celebrate their diamond wedding on the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage. The occasion was made a memorable one to all who participated therein. Both Mr. and Mrs. McKenna were enjoying good health, although both were octogenarians, and the celebration was participated in by Mrs. McKenna’s sister, Miss Sarah Kearney, who witnessed the original marriage sixty years before. On the occasion of the diamond wedding the ceremony was marked by the celebration of pontifical mass by His Lordship Bishop Racicot, assisted by others. From 1851 Mr. McKenna was a continuous holder of a pew in St. Patrick’s church.
His long residence at Cote des Neiges enabled him to tell much concerning the history of that section and to relate many interesting incidents connected with its development and growth. He had occupied the position of councillor in the village before its incorporation into a town and about 1889 was succeeded by his son. He was a justice of the peace for the district of Montreal for twenty-five years until his death. He possessed a retiring disposition but nevertheless manifested keen interest in all that pertained to the city’s welfare and never failed to perform a public duty that devolved upon him. He was ever loyal to the land of his adoption and maintained a deep love for the land of his birth. As a boy he received a temperance medal from Father Matthew, the Irish apostle of temperance, which is now treasured by his son.
For over two years after the celebration of the diamond wedding the parents continued to travel life’s journey and then death called the husband and father, who passed away March 14, 1912, at the age of ninety-three years. The wife and mother survived for only a few months, her death occurring on the 12th of July, following, at which time she had reached the age of eighty-two years. They were perhaps the most venerable couple in Cote des Neiges and among the oldest witnesses of the growth and development of the tiny village into a city which eventually was absorbed in the metropolis.
James McKenna, who is his father’s successor in public office and business, was born at the family home in Cote des Neiges, November 11, 1851, his parents being Patrick and Mary (Kearney) McKenna, whose sketch precedes this. When the father retired from the position of councillor of Cote des Neiges in 1889, James McKenna succeeded to the position which he continuously and acceptably filled for nineteen years, while from 1908 until 1910 he was alderman of Montreal. He was appointed justice of the peace for the district of Montreal to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father. He married Margaret Quinn and to them were born eight children: Rose; Evaline, the wife of Antoine Marchand by whom she has a son, Charles; Maud, who was known as Sister St. Margaret of Notre Dame and has passed away; Charles P., who died at the age of eighteen years; Frank J., who married Evaline McCarthy; Leo James, who married Gertrude Eagan and has a son, Leo Martin; Harry W.; and E. Phillip.
Ability to recognize opportunities that others passed heedlessly by, combined with an ambition that brought about their immediate, practical and resultant utilization, brought Robert Thomas Hopper to a position in the foremost ranks of Montreal’s manufacturers and business men. He had the distinction of being the first man to ship asbestos abroad and later became a prominent figure in the [429] mining industry in the province, while at the time of his death he was president of the Dominion Marble Company.
Mr. Hopper was born in Quebec, February 25, 1858, and was educated there in the public school and in Thom’s Academy. His father, Thomas Hopper, was senior partner of the firm of Hopper Brothers, a prominent firm of cattle dealers in the province. Thomas Hopper married Miss Agnes Davidson and their children were six in number. Robert Thomas Hopper came to Montreal in 1876, when he was eighteen years of age and secured a position as bookkeeper with the firm of James Linton, continuing in that connection for a year. He then organized the firm of Irwin Hopper & Company, which existed until 1889, when the business was taken over by R. T. Hopper & Company. This firm engaged in the mineral business, specializing in crude and fibrized asbestos, being among the pioneers in that industry in Canada. Mr. Hopper was regarded as father of the asbestos business in this country. He was the first Canadian to ship asbestos abroad and has the distinction of being the first man in the business to take up the installation of crushing machinery which has since revolutionized the asbestos business.
About 1891, Mr. Hopper established the first Portland Cement plant in Canada, known as the English Portland Cement Company of Canada. Difficulties confronted him, for it fell to his lot to educate the people to the use of cement. He entered upon a campaign which ultimately resulted in success, for his persistency and energy overcame the obstacles placed in his way. Moreover, time tests the merit of all things and the worth of Portland cement is demonstrated in its successful use. Later Mr. Hopper consolidated his interests with the Rathburns of Deseronto, Ontario, organizing the Beaver Portland Cement Company, and with the development of the business and the formation of new associations the Canadian Portland Cement Company came into existence. Their plants were located at Marlbank and Deseronto, Ontario, and with the passing of the years the business developed until it assumed large proportions. Eventually, Mr. Hopper sold his interests after having materially assisted in building up a large and successful business. In 1906 he organized the Dominion Marble Company, of which he continued as president until his death on the 13th of November, 1912. This business was established on a small scale but was developed along modern, progressive lines until the company is now one of the largest in Canada, engaged in the marble business, owning extensive quarries located at South Stukely, Quebec, and Mr. Hopper was also a director in the Sherbrooke Railway & Power Company and remained a director of the Canadian Cement Company after he withdrew from active connection with the management of the business. He was a prominent member of the council of the Canadian Mining Institute and thus kept in close touch with the mining projects of the country.
In 1882, in Montreal, Mr. Hopper was united in marriage to Miss Mary Agnes Mathews, a daughter of Richard Mathews, of this city, and two daughters and a son were born to them.
Mr. Hopper was a member of the Board of Trade and was a public-spirited citizen, interested in all that pertained to civic betterment and improvement. He was a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Club, the Chapleau Club, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club and the Beaconsfield Golf Club. He attended Douglas Methodist church and was deeply interested in [430] many local charities. He sought ever the welfare and development of the community in which he lived along lines of material, intellectual, moral and public progress and his labors were attended with far-reaching results and benefits.
Standing among the foremost men of the legal profession in Montreal, Joseph François Victor Martineau enjoys an important and representative practice. Moreover, he holds the position of general secretary of the bar of the province of Quebec, to which he was admitted over twenty years ago. Mr. Martineau was born at Montreal on the 28th of August, 1867, and is a son of the late François Martineau and Emérentienne (Bouthillier) Martineau. The father was a well known hardware merchant in this city and represented for six years, from 1885 to 1891, St. Mary’s ward, now Papineau, in the city council. In 1892 he was elected as a conservative member of the legislative assembly of Quebec for division No. 1 of Montreal (St. Mary’s division) and continued as a member of parliament until the next general election, in 1897.
Victor Martineau received his classical education at Ottawa College in Ottawa, St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College of Montreal, and for three years attended the law department of Laval University, from which he obtained the degree of LL. B. He was admitted to the bar of the province of Quebec in July, 1892, and ever since he has practiced in Montreal, having attained a high position among his colleagues. He is sound in his logic, terse in argument and forceful in presenting his pleas and, as he is a deep student, is familiar with precedent and all the technicalities of the law. Upon this structure is built his reputation for success. On the 5th of October, 1910, Mr. Martineau was appointed king’s counsel by the lieutenant governor and at the nomination of Hon. M. Arthur Globensky as judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec he was appointed general secretary of the bar of the province in August, 1910.
On the 6th of June, 1893, Mr. Martineau was married to Miss Emmeline Jodoin, a daughter of Isaië A. Jodoin, a well known advocate of the bar of Montreal. To this union were born two daughters. Mr. Martineau is a conservative in political matters and takes the interest of an active and earnest citizen and voter in public matters although he has never aspired to office. He can be ever found among those who make for public progress and readily places his means and ability at the disposal of undertakings that have this end in view.
The life work of John Jennings Creelman has brought him into close connection with the general interests of society as affected by legislative procedure, by activity at the bar and by educational interests. In the year 1913 he was appointed lecturer upon railway economics in McGill University and sustains that relation to the present time. Born in Toronto on the 14th of February, 1881, he [433] is a son of Adam R. and Margaret Cumming (Jennings) Creelman. The former was a son of James Creelman, whose father came from Ireland in childhood and settled in New Brunswick in 1790. Adam R. Creelman, preparing for the bar, was created king’s counsel, gained distinction as a member of the legal profession and in 1900 was made general counsel of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. He married Margaret Cumming, daughter of Rev. John Jennings, D. D., the first Presbyterian clergyman from Scotland to settle in Toronto, which city was then known as Little York.
Born and reared in Toronto, John J. Creelman attended the public schools and Upper Canada College where, upon his graduation in 1900, he won the governor general’s medal. His classical course was pursued in the University of Toronto, from which he graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904. His legal training was received in McGill University, where he was created B. C. L. in 1907. The same year he pursued a special course in the University of Grenoble, after which he entered upon the active work of his profession as advocate and solicitor. Not only did he secure an extensive and important clientele but he also became an active factor in political circles through his appointment in 1908 as parliamentary secretary to the chairman of the committee upon banking and commerce in the Canadian senate. He is a member of the law firm of Casgrain, Mitchell, McDougall & Creelman. His invested interests also indicate extensive and important connection with commercial and industrial activities. He is now a director of the Canadian British Insulated Company, Limited; the Chamberlain & Hookham Meter Company, Limited; the Lancashire Dynamo & Motor Company of Canada, Limited; the Canadian Union Electric Company, Limited; and Fraser & Chalmers of Canada, Limited. He is likewise vice president of E. M. Sellon & Company, Limited. His varied activities have made him a close and interested student of the signs of the times, with a ready and accurate understanding of cause and effect in many of the great vital and significant problems before the country. His researches and logical deductions in the field of transportation have made him an authority upon the subject of railway economics and by reason thereof he was appointed lecturer on that subject for McGill in 1913. In this connection he has become a member of the Canadian Institute and of the National Tax Association.
The spirit of progress which has actuated his entire life has been equally strongly manifest in his military connections. In 1895 he was a member of the Upper Canada College Rifle Company; in 1899 a trooper in the Governor General’s Bodyguard of Toronto, of which he became a lieutenant in the following year. In 1905 he was transferred to the Third “Montreal” Field Battery and in 1909 was commissioned major in command thereof. In 1912 he became lieutenant colonel in command of the Sixth Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, and in 1911 he represented Canada on the coronation contingent at the coronation of King George V. From 1911 until 1914 he has been a member of the executive of the Canadian Artillery Association. In 1913 he passed the militia staff course. He is upon the council of the Montreal Reform Club and is a liberal in his political views.
At Galveston, Texas, on the 24th of June, 1908, Mr. Creelman was united in marriage to Miss Katharine M. Weekes, a daughter of Nicholas Weekes, a confederate veteran of the Civil war, and at one time a railroad president and [434] banker of Galveston. Mrs. Creelman is a graduate of the Bishop Strachan School of Toronto and by her marriage has become the mother of a son, John Ashmore Creelman, representative of the family in the fifth generation in Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Creelman hold membership in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church of Montreal, and he is a prominent club man, belonging to the University, Engineers, Royal Montreal Golf, Thistle Curling and Canadian Clubs of Montreal; the University and Military Clubs of Toronto; and the Junior Army and Navy Club of London, England. In addition to a residence in Montreal he has a country home at Mont Tremblant, where the summer seasons are spent.
Thomas Phillips, remembered as one of the builders of the Rideau canal and as the holder of extensive property interests in Montreal, was born in Woodbury, Devonshire, England. He became a resident of Montreal about 1808 and for a time was engaged in the brewing business. The years chronicled the growth of his business both in extent and importance and he had attained a position of prominence that recommended him for onerous responsibilities when the Rideau canal project was under way. He became one of the builders of the canal and in that and in other connections was a very active man. Early and judicious investments in real estate made him the owner of much valuable property, including a tract of land extending from the foot of the mountain to Lagauchetiere West, including what is now Beaver Hall Hill and Phillips square, the latter named in honor of the family. Their home, a palatial residence, was situated on Beaver Hall Hill.
Mr. Phillips married Miss Martha Anderson, a native of New England, and they became the parents of nine children: George, Eleanor, Thomas, Alfred, Martha, Mrs. Julia Ashworth, William, Esther and Mrs. Elizabeth Capel. Of these, only Miss Esther Phillips is now living. The father died in 1842, while the mother, long surviving him, passed away in 1881. They were members of the English Cathedral church and Mr. Phillips was a most public-spirited man who recognized the needs and opportunities of his city and sought to compass the former and utilize the latter. He was numbered among those of the early half of the nineteenth century who laid the foundation upon which has been built the present prosperity and greatness of the city.
George Archibald Campbell, head of the legal firm of Campbell, McMaster & Papineau, of Montreal, was born in this city, September 26, 1875, a son of the Rev. Robert Campbell, D. D., an ex-moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian church in Canada and for more than fifty years one of the foremost divines of that denomination. His mother was the late Margaret (Macdonnell) [435] Campbell. Both parents were of Scotch descent and were members of families prominent in the clerical and legal professions.
George Archibald Campbell supplemented his course of study in the Montreal high school by a course in McGill University, where he was graduated with first rank honors in 1896, upon the completion of the arts’ course. In preparation for the bar he then entered the law department and won his B. C. L. degree in 1901. He received the Macdonald traveling scholarship in law and he supplemented his instruction received at McGill by attending lectures at the Universities of Paris, Grenoble and Montpelier, France. He received his practical legal education largely under the direction of Donald Macmaster, K. C., M. P., and was called to the bar in July, 1901. Subsequently he became a member of the firm of Macmaster, Hickson & Campbell and entered upon the active practice of his profession, in which he has now continued for thirteen years, his record being marked by an orderly progression that has brought him to an enviable position as a representative of the Montreal bar. He is now practicing as the senior partner in the legal firm of Campbell, McMaster & Papineau. In May, 1912, he was created a king’s counsel by Lieutenant Governor Langelier.
On the 20th of January, 1909, Mr. Campbell was married in Montreal to Miss Amy G. Dawson, elder daughter of William V. Dawson, head of the importing and manufacturing company of W. V. Dawson, Limited, of Montreal. Their religious faith is evidenced by their membership in the Presbyterian church. Mr. Campbell’s political views accord with the principles of the conservative party, and he is a member of the Liberal-Conservative Club. Something of the nature of his interests and recreation outside the strict path of his profession or in the field of citizenship is shown through his membership in the Montreal, University, Beaconsfield Golf, Hermitage Country and Canadian Clubs. He is also a member of the Montreal Art Association. He finds enjoyment in golf and in motorboating and also takes delight in amateur farming, all of which constitute an even balance to his intense professional activity.
Dr. Walter James Prendergast, a successful practicing physician, well read and holding ever to high professional standards, was born in August, 1857, at Cote des Neiges, before it became a part of Montreal. His father, Walter Prendergast, leaving his native Ireland, came to Canada in early life and for a number of years conducted a hotel at Cote des Neiges, but retired many years prior to his death. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Joanna Griffith, was a representative of an old family of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Dr. Walter J. Prendergast pursued his education at St. Mary’s, from which he received the degree of B. A., and afterward spent three years as a student in McGill University, but finished his professional course at Bishop’s College, from which he was graduated with the M. D. degree in 1880. He remained throughout his later career a close student of his profession and thus his knowledge constantly broadened. Immediately following his graduation he began practice in Cote des Neiges and after ten years spent there removed to the city of Montreal, [436] remaining in practice on St. Denis Street until his death. His widow and children returned to the old family home on Cote des Neiges road, where they now reside. Dr. Prendergast was a general practitioner and was much interested in his profession. In fact, anything which tended to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call life was of interest to him and he ever read broadly upon subjects having to do with the safeguarding and restoration of health. In his professional capacity he did great good and was very charitable, for he would respond again and again to the call of the needy even when he knew there was no chance of remuneration for his services.
In Montreal, in 1892, Dr. Prendergast was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Scanlan, a daughter of Michael and Alice (Duggan) Scanlan. The latter, born in Montreal, was a daughter of Patrick Duggan, for many years a contractor of this city. For a half century Mr. Scanlan was connected with the growth of the import and export trade of this country. When seventeen years of age, or in 1857, he entered the service of David Torrance & Company and in 1872, when the Dominion line was established, he became wharf superintendent, which position he held until his death. During that period he was tireless in the faithful performance of his duty and in carrying out the wishes and furthering the interests of the corporation which he represented. Whether in Montreal, in Portland, Maine, or in Boston, Massachusetts, or wherever his duties called him he was the same genial, courteous gentleman, ever watchful of the interests under his care. He died October 20, 1907, at the age of sixty-seven years.
Dr. and Mrs. Prendergast became the parents of four children who survive, namely: Aileen, Walter Francis, Harold and Kathleen. Dr. Prendergast was a man of domestic habits, devoted to the welfare of his family. He was public-spirited and was interested in all those things which work for good and progress. In politics he was a liberal. He was a communicant of St. Agnes Catholic church, and belonged to the Knights of Columbus.
Dr. Prendergast passed away January 21, 1910. Those who knew him—and he had an extensive acquaintance—entertained for him warm regard and many there are who have reason to bless his memory because of timely aid which he rendered them. His practice extended among the poor as well as the rich because of his benevolent nature and it is probable that he derived greater satisfaction from his ministrations to the former than to the latter, for his kindly spirit prompted him to reach out in helpfulness at all times.
Edouard Biron, a prominent representative of the notarial profession, having been appointed secretary of the board of notaries for the district of Montreal on the 10th of July, 1912, was born on the 20th of August, 1877, in the city which is still his place of residence, his father being Samuel Biron, who was a wholesale grocer, conducting business at the corner of McGill and Notre Dame Streets up to the time of his death in December, 1883. The mother was Dame Philomene Olivier.
Edouard Biron was a student in St. Mary’s College in Montreal until graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1897. He next entered Laval University, where he won the LL. D. degree in June, 1900. He became a notary in July of the same year, practicing alone until February, 1903, when he formed a partnership with J. A. Savignac under the name of Biron & Savignac, an association which was maintained for more than ten years, or until September, 1913. On the 1st of that month the present firm of Biron, Savignac, Coderre & Poirier was formed. In addition to the business of that firm Mr. Biron, as previously stated, is acting as secretary of the board of notaries for the district of Montreal, through appointment received in July, 1912. He stands as a prominent representative of his profession and one whose ability in this line is unquestioned. As he has prospered he has made investment in property and is holder of some valuable Montreal real estate.
On the 1st of September, 1902, Mr. Biron was married to Miss Blanche Fleury, a daughter of the late A. Fleury, who was a merchant of Montreal. Mr. and Mrs. Biron are the parents of four children: Germaine, ten years of age; Roger, eight years; Marcel, six years; and Suzanne, a little maiden of five summers. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Biron is general secretary of L’Association St. Jean Baptiste de Montreal and he belongs to the St. Denis and Canadian Clubs and the Club Canadien of Montreal.
Edmund Phillips Hannaford engraved his name high on the roll of the promoters of railway interests in Canada. To no other single agency is progress so largely indebted as to railway building and thus it is that E. P. Hannaford deserves to be numbered among the public benefactors of his country. Throughout his entire life he was connected with railway projects and the superb engineering department of the Grand Trunk system is largely a monument to his skill, ability and sagacity. A native of Devonshire, England, Mr. Hannaford was born at Stoke Gabriel, on the 12th of December, 1834, and he was a youth of but seventeen years when he entered the railway service as draftsman and assistant under Sir I. K. Brunel. Through the succeeding four years he was a member of the engineering corps of the South Devon Railway and in 1856 he became identified with the development of railway projects in Canada. Following his arrival in the new world he became connected with the Grand Trunk Railway and acted as assistant engineer of the company from 1857 until 1866. In the latter year he was appointed chief engineer of the western division and further promotion awaited him in his appointment in 1869 to the position of chief engineer of the company. He remained in that connection for twenty-seven years, resigning from active work in 1896. He was in charge of the engineering department during the period of the greatest development of the railway and managed the construction of all new lines and stations of the company. His particular talent made him very successful in drawing up the plans of yards or overcoming any difficulty in the way of construction. No [440] better proof of his work can be given than the fact that it is now generally admitted that the Grand Trunk has one of the best lines of any railway in Canada. The general offices at Point St. Charles were also erected under his direction.
In addition to his work in connection with the Grand Trunk Railway Mr. Hannaford in 1879 was named chief engineer of the Montreal & Champlain Junction Railway. Ten years before he had been chief engineer of the International bridge and in 1883 he became chief engineer of the Jacques Cartier Union and United States and Canada Railways.
It was in 1859, in Belleville, Ontario, that Mr. Hannaford was united in marriage to Miss Mary W. Roy, a daughter of Robert Maitland Roy, of Scotland, who became a resident of Belleville in 1837. He served in the war of the rebellion in defense of his country’s interests and long held public office, serving for a quarter of a century as town clerk. Mr. and Mrs. Hannaford became the parents of seven children, of whom four survived the father: Elizabeth, who was Mrs. Harry B. Eastty, of Mount Vernon, New York, and died August 3, 1913; R. Maitland, assistant chief engineer of the Montreal Street Railway Company; Edmund P., who is located at Corpus Christi, Texas; and Miss Mary R. Hannaford, at home.
Mr. Hannaford belonged to the Church of St. James the Apostle and his social nature found expression in his membership in the St. James Club. He was a public-spirited man, deeply interested in all that pertained to the welfare and upbuilding of Canada, yet his tastes inclined him to domesticity and in the home circle he was a most devoted husband and father. He was a man of fine personal appearance and impressive manner, yet withal was most genial and affable, and, wherever he went and formed acquaintanceship, it constituted the beginning of warm and enduring friendships.
Mr. Hannaford died August 18, 1902.
Robert Carlyle Jamieson, who stood as a man among men, ready to meet any obligation of life with the confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities, was born in Glengarry, Ontario, in 1836. He was a cousin of Thomas Carlyle, philosopher and historian, and a son of William Jamieson, a gentleman farmer, who married Jean Brodie, also a native of Scotland, and on coming to Canada settled in Glengarry.
Their son Robert Carlyle Jamieson pursued his education in the place of his nativity to the age of sixteen years, when he left home and taught school at Hawkesbury. In 1856 he came to Montreal and thereafter to the time of his death, which occurred almost a half century later, he was a resident of this city. He built up a large and profitable business through his industry, thrift and unfaltering honesty. It was in 1858 that he began the manufacture of varnish on St. Thomas Street, there establishing a plant that is yet conducted by the firm. In 1882 he purchased the plant of the Baylis Manufacturing Company, [441] manufacturers of paints and colors, and later bought the plant of P. D. Dodds & Company at St. Patrick and Island Streets, where the main office is now located. Thus the business has steadily grown and developed, Mr. Jamieson remaining the active head of the firm to the time of his demise. Year by year the trade has increased until it today extends all over Canada and a branch office is maintained in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mr. Jamieson devoted his entire life to the upbuilding and control of this industry, which is still conducted by his sons under the style of the R. C. Jamieson Company, Ltd. It became one of the chief productive industries of the city and constituted and still remains a source of gratifying revenue to the stockholders.
In 1863, in Montreal, Mr. Jamieson was married to Miss Harriet Josephine McGowan, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, a daughter of John H. McGowan, who on leaving his native place, Aberdeen, Scotland, settled at Cincinnati, Ohio, but during the early ’60s removed to Montreal. Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson had a family of seven children, all of whom survive: Harriet A., now Mrs. W. de M. Marler; Helen L., the wife of A. W. Cochrane; Dr. William Hoves; Walter Lockhart; Robert Harry; Frederick Carlyle; and Ernest Temple. The death of the husband and father occurred February 17, 1905.
Mr. Jamieson was a man who occupied an honorable and enviable position in the regard of his fellows. His life work was permeated by noble and upright principles and he was untiring in his efforts to do good. He was one of the original governors of the House of Industry and Reform and for twenty years he was treasurer of the Congregational College. He served as deacon in Emanuel church and was one of the first trustees when the house of worship was erected in 1875. At one time he served on the council of the Board of Trade and he was one of the first members of both the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and the Montreal Curling Club. He was solicited to accept many important offices, both city and provincial, but refused, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business interests and duties and his activities in behalf of his fellow men along the lines of reform, intellectual progress and moral development.
Although a native of Scotland, born in Kintyre, John Keith Macdonald spent almost his entire active life in Montreal, where he arrived when a youth of sixteen years. He believed that better business opportunities awaited him on this side of the Atlantic and he made his initial step as an apprentice at the machinist’s trade under his uncle, John Boyd. Applying himself closely to the tasks assigned him, his knowledge and skill developed day by day until he became an expert workman in that line. Laudable ambition prompted the development of his latent powers and awakened in him the desire to engage in business on his own account, so that eventually he organized the firm of J. K. Macdonald, general machinists and contractors for iron work. Mr. Macdonald continually added to his knowledge through experience, reading and investigation along his chosen line and he continued in the business until his death, becoming one of the well known and leading representatives of industrial activity in Montreal.
In Montreal, in 1867, Mr. Macdonald was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Mackay, a daughter of Norman Mackay, of Glengarry, where he was born and spent his life. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald were born six children, five of whom are living, Mrs. Janette Macfarlane, Norman, Duncan, George and Margaret. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when Mr. Macdonald passed away at the age of sixty-three years. He was a Presbyterian in religious faith and his life was passed in consistent harmony with his professions, making him a man whom to know was to respect and honor.
Colonel Edward Ashworth Whitehead, for many years one of the best known insurance agents and brokers of Montreal, his native city, was born April 16, 1845, and was here educated. He was the head of E. A. Whitehead & Company, insurance agents and brokers, for many years and thus became widely known in financial circles. In this connection he helped to build up the great insurance business conducted under the name of The E. A. Whitehead Company, Limited.
He had perhaps an even wider acquaintance through his military connections, for his military career was long, distinguished and honorable. He was one of the oldest officers in the volunteer military service in the Dominion and as original member of the Victoria Rifles he rose from the ranks to the command of the regiment and was placed on the list of reserve officers in 1876. He was on active duty during the Fenian raids from 1866 until 1870, was present at Eccles Hill and for his service received a general service medal with two clasps, while his active duty at the time of the Northwest rebellion in 1885 also won him a medal. He was chief transport officer under Colonel Middleton and held a long service decoration and he was a member of the Royal Commission on Canadian War Claims in 1885-6.
Colonel Whitehead was a veteran amateur athlete, was one of the founders of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and its first honorary president. In 1908 he was a member of the Canadian Olympic Games Committee and he was also a director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In Club circles he was long popular and prominent, holding membership in the Mount Royal Club; the St. James Club, of which he served as chairman; the Royal Montreal Golf Club; Forest and Stream Club; Montreal Hunt Club; Montreal Jockey Club; Montreal Curling Club; Montreal Polo Club; St. George Snow Shoe Club; the Isleway Club; the Military Institute; and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club.
The end came to Colonel Whitehead September 7, 1912. He seemed almost to the last in the prime of life, his fine figure being erect and soldierly, and the years rested lightly upon him. His eye could still sweep down the long lines of the regiment, his step was elastic and he was enjoying life in all the mental riches that follow a career of activity and usefulness. The Victoria Rifles felt great pride in his brilliant record and in that regiment he was an outstanding figure, a symbol of duty well done, while his memory will ever be to them an inspiration for loyalty in the King’s service. In January, 1912, he was the [445] leading figure at the dinner given by the regiment to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its organization. He had been one of the first to spring to the colors when the corps was organized and had carried those colors in many fields. Even as in his youth, ready to fight for his flag, Colonel Whitehead was as willing to go to its defense in later years, when it might have been supposed that the fire of youth had died down. Years rolled onward, changes came and brought with them the boy scout movement. This appealed strongly to his military spirit and he entered heartily into the work of supporting and furthering the cause. Money was needed; he supplied it. He also raised the money for the trip to Europe a few years ago. He had always loved boys, the military had always been dear to him and in the boy scout movement these two were combined.
Colonel Whitehead was a man to whom a worthy appeal was never made in vain. His heart took in a great circle of friends and his purse was open to all calls of charity.
In the field of sport he was well to the front. In early manhood he was an excellent lacrosse player and old timers remember the games in which he participated against the Shamrocks for the Claxton flags in the early ’60s. He was also a splendid sprinter, making a notable record in the hundred-yard dash. This love of sport he retained to the last and he was a life member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, of which he at one time served as president.
Trouble did not pass him by, but through all he was the same kindly, upright gentleman, maintaining a high sense of duty and honor. In 1899 death robbed him of his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Whitehead, daughter of William Newcomb, whom he had married in 1868; and his son, E. A. Whitehead, Jr., died in 1908.
Edward Ashworth Whitehead, Jr., son of Colonel Edward Ashworth Whitehead, was born in Montreal in 1869 and acquired his education in England and in Kingston, Ontario, where he was graduated with honors at the Royal Military College. He was connected with The E. A. Whitehead Company, Limited, and for many years was a special agent for Montreal of the Phoenix Assurance Company, Limited, of London and was as popular in business as he was in social circles.
Mr. Whitehead, Jr., married Miss May Sicotte, a daughter of Victor Benjamin Sicotte, district magistrate at St. Hyacinthe and a granddaughter of Hon. Louis Sicotte, premier of Canada. Three children were born to them: Edward Ashworth, who is the third of the name to continue the business of The E. A. Whitehead Company, Limited; George Victor, a student at Bishop’s College School; and Margaret Whitehead.
Robert Linton became well known in the business circles of Montreal in connection with the manufacture of woolen goods. He was regarded as a resourceful business man whose enterprise, progress and laudable ambition were constantly manifest in the success which he won. A native of Ireland, he was born in Newtown-Limavady in 1834, a son of Samuel and Martha Linton, who brought their family to the new world during the boyhood of their son, Robert. Settling [446] in Montreal, their remaining days were passed in this city but both have long since departed this life.
Robert Linton acquired his education in the schools of Montreal and received his business training with the firm of William Stephen & Company. Of that firm Lord Mount Stephen was a partner and eventually took over the business upon the death of the senior member of the firm. Continuing in active connection with the business Robert Linton grew in usefulness and capability, as he thoroughly acquainted himself with the duties that devolved upon him. After the death of William Stephen the business was conducted by George Stephen & Company for some time and Mr. Linton was admitted to partnership in 1857. Upon the retirement of George Stephen, later Lord Mount Stephen, the business of the firm of George Stephen & Company was combined with that of Andrew Robertson under the firm style of Robertson, Linton & Company, this connection continuing until 1898, when the business was closed out.
Mr. Linton was married twice. At Three Rivers, Quebec, he wedded Miss Margaret McDougall, and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Robert M., deceased; Margaret M., who is Mrs. Denaston Breakey, of Breakeyville, Quebec; Ernest, a resident of Ottawa; Agnes H, who is Mrs. F. N. Southam, of Montreal; Percy L., deceased; and Alice L., who married Herbert Carter, of Montreal. The second marriage of Robert Linton was also celebrated at Three Rivers, Miss Margaret Paterson, daughter of John Paterson, becoming his wife on the 20th of October, 1886.
Mr. Linton was ever actively interested in those projects and measures bearing upon the progress, upbuilding and development of the city as well as upon his business affairs. He was widely recognized as an honorable and upright man, in whose life there were no esoteric phases. He was a member of the Montreal Board of Trade, a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, and a justice of the peace for a few years before his death. He passed away in November, 1899, after having gained for himself a most creditable position in business circles and in the regard of his fellowmen.
A history of the insurance business in Montreal would be incomplete without mention of Arthur O. Kavanagh, who for many years figured prominently in connection therewith. He was one of the city’s native sons, born April 12, 1860, and in its schools pursued his education, while in the school of experience he also learned many valuable and practical lessons, thus constantly adding to his knowledge and ability. The family name indicates his Irish lineage and he manifested the sterling characteristics of the race. He was engaged in business with his brother, Walter Kavanagh, and they became prominent figures in insurance circles, representing the Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, the German-American Insurance Company and the Rochester German Insurance Company, of which they were chief agents. Arthur Kavanagh familiarized himself with every phase of the business and had gained a most creditable position as an alert progressive man and one ready to meet any emergency in business, when [447] death called him on the 14th of September, 1896, when he was yet in the prime of life.
He had been married in Montreal less than five years before, having on the 7th of October, 1891, wedded Alice Mullin, a native of this city and a daughter of Patrick Mullin, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this publication. They became the parents of three sons: Harold Henry; Arthur Patrick, who died at the age of six years; and Walter John. Deep regret was felt at the passing of Mr. Kavanagh, because of his comparatively early age and because he had gained a firm hold upon the affectionate regard of his business associates and his many friends.
Patrick Mullin had traveled life’s journey for more than four score years when he was called from this life on the 14th of August, 1913. He was a native of Tyrone, Ireland, and for more than six decades was a resident of Montreal, arriving in this city in 1850. He was associated with various business enterprises. With his brother, James E. Mullin, he became associated with another brother, John Mullin, who had, in 1845, established a wholesale grocery business, which they conducted on College Street, now St. Paul Street. There they built up a very extensive and successful enterprise, their patronage constantly growing, as their trade interests extended over a wide territory. In the early years of the business there were practically no railroads in this section of the continent, while means of water transportation were but slightly developed. They hauled much of their stock with teams and, notwithstanding the difficulties involved, they were enterprising enough to compete for business as far west as Toronto. Their merchandise was taken from Montreal to that city by team, the journey requiring two weeks. John Mullin died in 1853, after which the business was conducted by James E. and Patrick Mullin, under the firm name of J. E. Mullin & Company. Both brothers had great faith in the ultimate growth and prosperity of the city and because of this they made large investments in real estate, gradually acquiring the ownership of the block upon which they conducted their business, extending from the rear of the Grand Trunk offices to the Haymarket. Patrick Mullin also invested in other real estate until his holdings were extensive and important. The large block which the brothers acquired on St. Paul and William Streets later became the location of the present plant of the Canada Cold Storage Company and Mr. Mullin became a pioneer in that line of business in the city. He was a man of indefatigable energy and strong purpose and as the years passed on he carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook.
Mr. Mullin was united in marriage, in Montreal, to Alice O’Neil, a native of County Tyrone, Ireland. She died on November 29, 1903, the mother of seven children, as follows: Mary A., the wife of Joseph A. Cloran, of Boston, Massachusetts; Margaret J.; Alice, the widow of Arthur O. Kavanagh; John F., who died in March, 1904, aged twenty-nine years; Patrick; Elizabeth M., who is Mrs. Harry J. Trihey; and Emma M., wife of William J. Hart.
A long and useful life was Mr. Mullin’s. He was a man of quiet habits, but greatly enjoyed a good game of forty-five. In manner he was always courteous, kindly, and considerate to others. In religious faith he was a Catholic and devoted much time to increasing the usefulness of St. Bridget’s Home and of St. Patrick’s Asylum, being a trustee of the latter institution. He gave liberally to the church and did everything in his power to promote its influence.
Rosaire Dupuis, one of the rising young notaries of Montreal, is a son of Louis Napoleon Dupuis and Melanie Panet Levesque. The father is ex-controller of Montreal and one of the founders of the well known mercantile house of Dupuis Freres, Limited. The mother of Rosaire Dupuis is a daughter of the late Pierre Thomas Levesque and comes from a family that has for generations been prominent in the judicial and legislative history of the province and Dominion. Mr. Dupuis was born in the parish of La Longue Pointe on the 17th of October, 1888. He made his classical course at L’Assomption College, from which he was graduated in 1908 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He then took up the study of law in Laval University in 1908 and won his LL. L. degree upon graduation with the class of June, 1911. During the summer seasons of 1909 and 1910 he attended the famous Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was graduated with honors on the 30th of August, 1910. During the succeeding year he traveled abroad, visiting the Holy Land and many European countries.
In January, 1912, Mr. Dupuis began practice and has met with gratifying success in following his profession, in which he is well versed. He is a conservative in politics and a Roman Catholic in religious belief. He holds membership with the Canadian Club, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and the Knights of Columbus, and for the past two years has been secretary of the Anti-Alcoholic League. During the years 1909 and 1910 at Laval he was secretary of the Laval Students-at-Law. He is a young man of promise as well as a credit to one of Montreal’s best families.
Donald Alexander Smith, Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, whose career has been so wonderful as to appear almost magical, was born on August 6, 1820, in the ancient town of Forres, in Morayshire, Scotland. His father, Alexander Smith, was a small tradesman of Archieston and was born in the parish of Knocando. He married Barbara Stuart, of Leanchoil, Abernethy, a capable, thrifty woman, ambitious for her children. It was her desire that her son Donald should prepare for the bar, but, though he did not see fit to follow this wish, the mother heart never lost faith in her son and it was said that after he came to Canada as a fur trader she was frequently heard to remark: [451] “They’ll all be proud of my Donald yet.” It was said that in boyhood he was shy, yet amiable, and displayed sturdy resolution and even hardihood if circumstances called those qualities forth. After leaving school he took up the study of law, his reading being directed by Robert Watson, solicitor, for two or three years. At length, however, he determined to enter the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company, influenced somewhat by a previous suggestion made by John Stuart, his uncle, who was then visiting Scotland. In 1838 he sailed for the new world and after a voyage of between forty and fifty days upon an eight hundred ton vessel, one of the largest on the seas at that time, he landed on Canadian shores. The rebellion of Mackenzie and Papineau had just been suppressed. Donald A. Smith at once entered the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company, but in a minor position. He met various hardships, but he proved his fidelity to the company as well as his capability in performing every service intrusted to him. He was first sent to the Labrador coast, where he spent thirteen years in a cold, bleak, barren, desolate region, with no companionship save a few employes, but during that period he learned the business methods of the company, how to manage Indians and how to secure the best returns. It has been said that power grows through the exercise of effort and year by year Donald Smith became more powerful. The hardships which he was forced to endure developed him. There is probably no other country in the world where there exists a longer or more dangerous postal route for men and dogs—two thousand miles of land travel from Quebec to Ungava in the depth of an Arctic winter, continuing from December until June—yet Lord Strathcona covered that route not once but many times.
His apprenticeship was, indeed, a difficult one, but he was undeterred by all obstacles he encountered and privations which he endured. At length, however, his eyesight became impaired, making it necessary that he go to Montreal for treatment. He covered the journey from Labrador by dog sled and on his arrival in Montreal he was greeted by Sir George Simpson, governor of the company, with the remark: “Well, young man, why are you not at your post?” “My eyes, sir,” came the reply, and he pointed to his blue goggles; “they got so very bad I have come to see a doctor.” But the governor thundered: “And who gave you permission to leave your post?” It would have taken a full year to obtain official consent, but when Mr. Smith was forced to reply, “No one,” the governor answered: “If it is a question between your eyes and your service in the Hudson’s Bay Company you will take my advice and return this instant to your post,” and Mr. Smith started almost immediately upon that return journey of nearly a thousand miles. The weather became so bad that both of his Indians succumbed to the cold and he arrived at the post more dead than alive. He once remarked: “A man who has been frozen and roasted by turns every year must be the tougher for it if he survived it at all.” Donald A. Smith did survive and advanced steadily. He learned the dialect of a number of Indian tribes and he so managed business affairs that his services were ever a matter of profit to the company. His advancement was slow at first, but his worth was eventually recognized and promotion came quicker. His duties were many and onerous because of his remoteness from civilization. He was called upon to minister to the sick and half a century later, when speaking to the students of the Middlesex Hospital in London he described the antiseptic which he used in Labrador in the ’40s, saying: [452] “It was a primitive and somewhat rude form of treatment that was practiced in those days before Lord Lister introduced his discovery. For the treatment of wounds, ulcerated sores, etc., a pulp was made by boiling the inner bark of the juniper tree. The liquor which resulted was used for washing and treating the wounds and the bark, beaten into a plastic mass, was applied after the thorough cleaning of the wound, forming a soft cushion, lending itself to every inequality of the sore. Scrupulous cleanliness was observed and fresh material used for every application.”
When in Labrador, at the age of twenty-nine years, Donald A. Smith married Isabella Sophia Hardisty, with whom he traveled life’s journey for sixty-five years, separated in her death, which occurred in London in 1913. In the meantime he was advancing from one post to another in the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company, becoming trader and then chief trader, while his splendid administrative ability won him further promotion to factor and to chief factor. In 1851 he was transferred to the Northwest provinces and became most active in their later development. He eventually reached the position of supreme head of the company, becoming the last resident governor of the corporation that had its beginning under the Merry Monarch. The year 1868 witnessed his arrival in Montreal, as chief executive for the Hudson’s Bay Company. He is described at that time as “a man of middle stature, rather slight in build, and looked not at all the typical northerner, except when one studied his countenance.” “The snow tan of the north had made him dark as an Indian. He wore a full beard, black and wiry. Black brows met above his eyes, enhancing the stern, uncompromising aspect of his face. He looked what he was—a commander of men and of forces, a man made strong by a life of struggle and conquest in the wilderness.” He had not yet become a wealthy man, although he had saved his money and had invested it in land at various points in the northwest—land that many would have regarded as valueless. With wonderful prescience he discerned something of what the future had in store for that great country and with the growth of its population and the onrushing tide of civilization his holdings increased in value, making him one of Canada’s more prosperous citizens.
While Donald A. Smith had reached the pinnacle of service in connection with the Hudson’s Bay Company when he came to Montreal, he was destined to gain equal eminence in other directions. In the interests of the Canadian Confederation it was seen that the title to the territory of the Hudson’s Bay Company in Rupert’s Land must pass to the crown and a purchase was arranged whereby the company received a million dollars and large reserves of land, although the transfer was not made without great difficulty and danger, culminating in what has been known as the Red River rebellion, or the first Riel rebellion.
Discontented people of that region had been trying to produce an agitation that would separate their settlement from that of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The rapid growth of population in Assiniboia was imperilling the company’s hold and its rule, hitherto wise and practical, was denounced as arbitrary. A contemporary biographer has written:
“Better representation was demanded and, by dint of much uproar and noise, considerable sympathy was obtained from outside. To understand fully the character of this Red River settlement it must be explained that the population was considerably mixed. In all there were about twelve thousand souls. There were Europeans, Canadians, Americans and French half-breeds. With a [453] mixed population like this it was difficult to deal and when, on November 9, 1869, the deed was signed in London, whereby the company surrendered its interests in the northwest to the crown, with reservations for the company, rebellion broke out. The leader was the famous Louis Riel, a Metis, described as ‘a short, stout man, with a large head, a square cut, massive forehead overhung by a mass of long and thickly clustering hair and marked with well cut eyebrows—altogether a remarkable looking face.’
“The Hon. William McDougall had been appointed lieutenant governor of Rupert’s Land and the Northwest territories in September, 1869, but when he went, by way of the United States, to possess himself of his power he was turned back on the borders of his domain by Louis Riel and his followers, the Metis of the plains, who absolutely refused to recognize his authority on the ground that they had not been consulted in the new arrangement. Mr. McDougall found himself unable to cope with the situation and was compelled to remain at a farm house several miles south of the boundary line for six weeks.
“Meanwhile the armed resistance to authority had attained serious proportions. Riel seized Fort Garry, made the editor of the local paper prisoner and was issuing proclamations to the inhabitants. So matters went on until sixty of Riel’s enemies were confined in Fort Garry and the insurgents’ flag hoisted.
“Meanwhile in his office in Montreal Donald A. Smith was slowly but surely studying the position. Understanding the character of both McDougall and Riel, he saw how hopeless the situation was. Understanding them better than they understood themselves, he realized that what was needed was a man who knew the inner mind of the company well and could clear its character of the imputations cast upon it. He was the man—he felt it and although the journey involved grave personal risk he resolved to go. The government promptly accepted his services and he was appointed special commissioner to proceed at once to Fort Garry.
“With characteristic courage he went unarmed and almost alone. No sooner had he arrived at Fort Garry than he was treated as a prisoner of ‘President’ Riel. That, however, did not check his determination. He had made up his mind to avoid bloodshed and yet to enforce the decision of the government. To quote his own words: ‘The part I had to act was that of a mediator. Not only would one rash or unguarded word have increased the difficulty but even the pointing of a finger might, on more than one occasion, have been sufficient to put the whole country in a flame.’ But the unguarded word was never spoken, the finger was never pointed in a wrong direction and the rebellion ended in a bloodless expedition. Yet before Sir Garnet Wolseley marched to the Red river many a heated discussion was held and probably never before in history has a regularly ordained meeting been held in British territory under such conditions. If the moral atmosphere was warmly excited, the physical atmosphere was depressed enough to chill the fiercest rebels.
“The first meeting was a memorable one. In the open air, with the thermometer twenty degrees below zero, a cruel, biting wind penetrating through the warmest clothing, there they stood, men of all nationalities and ages. On the small, raised platform were the four most concerned in the rebellion—Riel, O’Donoghue, De Salaberry (a man beloved by thousands) and Donald A. Smith. At first the meeting was wholly with Riel, who cleverly got himself appointed French interpreter. [454] But when things were at their worst and men of the opposite sides glared at each other with hate in their eyes, Mr. Smith rose to speak. His facts, his practical wisdom and, above all, his reasonableness had their effect upon the swaying multitude. If he did not gain much that day, at any rate he averted bloodshed.
“In the open air, with the thermometer twenty degrees below zero, in the teeth of a biting blast, this meeting was conducted with a respect for decorum and ancient parliamentary methods worthy of Westminster itself.
“The next day things went better. The proposition that representatives should be chosen from both sides was accepted, and when Riel agreed to disband the men at Fort Garry all classes felt that the worst was over. However, matters were not so easily arranged. Riel broke his word and the murder of a young man named Scott complicated the situation. Nevertheless, the excitement slowly cooled and there is little doubt that but for the tactful courage of Mr. Smith a spark would have been put to the flame of rebellion.
“‘I am as certain as I can be of anything,’ said Dr. O’Donnell, one of the old timers of Winnipeg, who was at Fort Garry in 1869, ‘that Donald A. Smith saved the northwest of Canada. On December 10, 1869, he was appointed a special commissioner to explain to the people of the Red River settlement the principles on which the government of Canada intended to govern the country and to take such steps as he might consider necessary to bring about a peaceable transfer from the Hudson’s Bay Company to the Dominion. At that time everything was in confusion; Mr. McDougall had been refused admission, Riel was king, an American element was trying to bring about the annexation of the settlement to the United States and last but not least the Indians were disaffected. When he reached Fort Garry Mr. Smith was virtually made a prisoner, Riel would not allow him to go outside the fort and kept an eye on his correspondence. In January, 1870, a mass meeting was held at Fort Garry and Mr. Smith was allowed to state his case and tell what he wanted the people to do. Riel was present, together with O’Donoghue and other insurrectionaries. It was a critical moment, I assure you; in fact, when Mr. Smith got up to read his commission from Sir John Young most of those present expected to see him arrested or shot on the spot. As it was he had a stormy time, but managed to impress many of the hot-headed with the belief that the interests of the settlement would be properly safeguarded by Canada. Riel was afraid of Mr. Smith’s influence and at once hurried on preparations for having himself made president of a provisional government. Then came the wholesale arrests culminating in the murder of Thomas Scott. Mr. Smith risked his life in an attempt to save Scott. Notwithstanding Riel’s antipathy to him, he went boldly to Riel and pleaded for Scott, even going so far as to warn Riel that if Scott was shot his blood would be upon his head. Riel was intoxicated with power and more than half disposed to shoot others on the loyal side, but Mr. Smith told him to his teeth that such a crime would not go unpunished.
“‘In the discussions that took place over the Bill of Rights to be sent to Ottawa, the chief part was borne by Mr. Smith. His coolness and sagacity undoubtedly prevented the collapse of the negotiations. “This man Smith,” said O’Donoghue at one stage, [455] “knows too much for us, he is too able for us. We must get rid of him or the northwest cannot be made either an independent republic or part of the United States. He is a Hudson’s Bay Company officer and as such a friend of the half-breeds, and will be able to persuade them that union with Canada is to their interest.” It was a wonder all along that Mr. Smith was not shot. He was warned often enough that his life was in danger, but seemed quite willing to risk it in behalf of the cause he represented. A good many English-speaking settlers, while loyal enough, did not at first care to belong to Canada; they thought Rupert’s Land would be better off as a crown colony than as a Canadian province and Mr. Smith had to convince them that they were mistaken. In reality, therefore, he was between two fires—the Riel or disaffected party and the loyalists who did not favor the idea of confederation—whilst, as I have said, there was an American element working for annexation.
“‘At a later period when Governor Archibald came in (September 2, 1870), Mr. Smith rendered services to Canada of the highest moment. The Governor did not receive a very cordial reception, but Mr. Smith, who accompanied him, set about the work of conciliating the French, the old time English-speaking settlers and the new or Canadian settlers, who constituted three distinct factions. Mr. Archibald frequently told me that but for Mr. Smith the little community would have been torn to pieces by intestine strife. He was the one man who brought the northwest into Canada, who, indeed, saved it to the British empire, and we think he should get credit, even at this late day, for so great a work.’
“Many are the anecdotes concerning Mr. Smith’s dangerous mission to Fort Garry during the first Riel rebellion and of the commencement of his political career in the far west.”
With Sir Garnet Wolseley were Captain Buller, afterward General Sir Redvers, and Lieutenant Butler, afterward General Sir William. The tyranny of Riel had become irksome to the people, who received the newcomers joyously, and at the approach of the “red coats” Riel, with his co-conspirators, fled, taking up his position on the shores of St. Boniface. All was now quiet in the settlement, the purchase price of one million, five hundred thousand dollars had been paid and the territory transferred to Canada.
Donald A. Smith was by this time recognized as the most powerful man in the west. The governor general thanked him for his services and in 1870, after the organization of the province of Manitoba, he was returned to the legislature for Winnipeg and St. John. He was also called to the Northwest territorial council and was returned for Selkirk to the house of commons. He supported the conservative government then under direction of Sir John A. Macdonald and the party soon found that in him there was another man fit for leadership. It was found that the builders of the railway from ocean to ocean had trafficked with contractors and taken money for election purposes. This became known as the Pacific Scandal and the intense feeling manifest throughout the country centered in the house of commons. The house divided upon a motion of the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, the leader of the liberal opposition to Sir John Macdonald. Feeling was intense. At one o’clock in the morning of November 5, 1873, Mr. Smith arose and uttered what became an oracular speech, for the people he represented were vitally interested in the building of the railway so necessary to the development of their country. It is said the house became deadly calm; no one knew whether he would adhere to his party’s policies or otherwise. He said: [456] “For the honor of the country no government should exist that has a shadow of suspicion resting upon it, and for that reason I cannot give it my support.” These were his closing words, greeted by frantic cheers by the opposition, and the government was doomed. Feeling ran high and was most intense and bitter, but in later years the two leaders, the great statesman and the great financier, built together the Canadian Pacific Railway. Both were master builders and the executive capacity of the financier was necessary to the constructive genius of the statesman. It was in no idle spirit of laudation that Sir Charles Tupper stated that “had it not been for Mr. Smith’s indomitable pluck, energy and determination the road would never have been constructed.”
Mr. Smith thoroughly understood the fact that colonization could not be carried forward in the west without the building of the railroad. Another has written concerning this:
“It must have been with profound reluctance that he voted for the overthrow of the Macdonald government. He knew that the fall of that administration would set back the construction of the Pacific Railway and of the necessity of that great work to the unity and stability of the confederation he was thoroughly convinced. He was not well satisfied with the slower and less heroic policy of Mackenzie, although it is said he believed the road should be built by the government and ‘not by any company, however honorable or competent.’ He said in 1876, ‘Nothing short of a guarantee from the government of interest on the whole amount of the bonds could induce capitalists to embark on the enterprise.’ He, therefore, well understood the magnitude of the contract into which the syndicate entered in 1880 and the peril to his fortune and reputation involved in the assumption of that gigantic undertaking.
“There is no doubt that the syndicate received great subventions, but Mr. Smith and his courageous associates undertook to build a railway through thousands of miles of unknown and uninhabited country, along the sterile shores of Lake Superior and across the Rocky mountains. They had to go out in advance of settlement. They had to lead the march of civilization across leagues of unsettled prairie. They had to seek a silent port on the Pacific. It was a more daring idea than the Cape to Cairo Railway, which united two great centers of world activity. The Canadian Pacific was a plunge through nothing to nothing. It was a stupendous guess at the future. As we look back we recognize that few human achievements rank higher than the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway across this enormous stretch of territory, its operation during the first ten years of its history and the maintenance of its credit in face of persistent attack, slow growth of population and unpromising national outlook. The whisper goes that when the great enterprise hung on the verge of collapse, Mr. Smith pledged his private fortune to the last dollar in support of its credit, as he held his associates to the scrupulous performance of every detail of their contract with the country.”
One of the initial steps of the work was the purchase of the bankrupt St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway, which, extending over Minnesota and Dakota had a branch line to Pembina, Manitoba. Built by Dutch capitalists, it became bankrupt in 1873, yet Messrs. Smith and Hill recognized that with the return of prosperity this would become a profitable undertaking. These two, together with George Stephen, later Lord Mount Stephen, and N. W. Kittson purchased the road.
Sir John Macdonald returned to power in 1878, but he could not secure the cooperation of London financiers in the building of the railroad. When it was seen that it was impossible to carry the project through as a government railroad, in 1880 the four men who had made the old Minnesota railroad a paying investment, undertook the other task. A syndicate was formed, known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, ultimately capitalized at seventy-five million dollars, with twenty-five million dollars of land grant bonds, and this company built the railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The task accomplished was a gigantic one. The movement had the support of the conservative government, but was bitterly assailed by the opposition, both in the house and through the press. Again and again the word went out through the papers and through party utterances that the railroad could never be made a paying investment. It was almost impossible to get investors to buy stock. At times the treasury seemed utterly exhausted. It is said that one day Donald A. Smith came late to a directors’ meeting. He looked into the faces of his colleagues and said: “Nobody has any money; let’s adjourn until tomorrow.” The following day he smilingly entered the room. “Has anybody raised any money?” he asked. Everyone replied: “Not a cent.” “I have raised another million,” announced Mr. Smith, “and that will last us until somebody gets more money.” Never for a moment did he lose faith in the ultimate triumph of the venture. He inspired others with much of his own contagious enthusiasm. Again and again when his associates seemed utterly discouraged he inspired them with hope and when he was in Great Britain and the directors wrote him a long letter indicating their utter despair he cabled back one word “Craigellachie,” recalling at once the old Highland clan cry “Stand Fast, Craigellachie,” and once more inspired by their chieftain the men did stand fast and on the 7th of November, 1885, at Craigellachie, British Columbia, Donald A. Smith, then a white haired man, drove a golden spike into the cedar tie upon which the rails met from east to west. The weight of the Herculean task which he had accomplished between 1880 and 1885 had changed the strong, black bearded, sturdy man to a white haired veteran. Before night came on the Marquis of Lansdowne, governor general of Canada, had received a telegram from Queen Victoria congratulating the Canadian people on an event “of greatest importance to the whole British empire.” Speaking of the Canadian Pacific Railway Sir Charles Tupper said:
“The Canadian Pacific Railway would have no existence today, notwithstanding all the government did to support that undertaking, had it not been for the indomitable pluck and energy and determination, both financially and in every other respect, of Sir Donald Smith.” Mr. James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway of the United States, also said that “the one person to whose efforts and to whose confidence in the growth of our country, our success in early railway development is due is Sir Donald A. Smith.”
The splendid work done by Mr. Smith won him imperial honors. He was created a knight commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George by Queen Victoria in 1886 and a decade later received a knight grand cross in the same order, being privately invested by Her Majesty at Windsor Castle. At the time of the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 Queen Victoria bestowed a further mark of royal favor upon Mr. Smith by elevating him to the peerage of the united kingdom as Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal of Glencoe, in the [458] county of Argyll, and of Montreal, in the province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada. In 1908 he was appointed a knight of the grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order and was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society, while in 1910 he became a knight of grace of the Order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem.
In the meantime he had become identified with so many financial interests that it would be impossible to enumerate them. He also remained active in politics, unyielding as ever in all matters where subserviency was demanded by party exigencies. It has been said:
“He was not a legislator; he was not a statesman; he never wanted office; and he seldom spoke. He was forced into the house by his commanding personality and he sat there representing the silent power of the empire builder. But it is not to be supposed that he was not a working member. Probably few men did more valuable parliamentary work, while he remained a member of the house.”
In 1874 Mr. Smith resigned his seat in the Manitoba legislature, but remained a representative of the province at Ottawa, sitting for Selkirk until 1880. In 1887, at the general election, he was returned to the house of commons as member for Montreal West, now St. Antoine division, by a majority of fourteen hundred and fifty, and was reelected in 1891 by a majority of thirty-seven hundred and six, remaining the representative for Montreal West until 1896. In 1892 he was an active participant in the commercial congress held in London and in March, 1896, he served as a delegate to the Manitoba government to aid in deciding the Manitoba school question, his colleagues being Messrs. Dickey and Desjardins. In April of the same year he was sworn of the queen’s privy council of Canada, and he was commissioner to the Pacific cable conference held in London in 1896, in which year he once more attended the commercial congress. During the existence of the Imperial Federation League he was vice president of that organization for Quebec. In April, 1896, ere the conservative administration went out of power, he was appointed Canadian high commissioner in Great Britain, succeeding Sir Charles Tupper, who had filled the office since its creation in 1884. The high commissionership combines all the functions of an ambassador and financial agent but has no diplomatic standing. The appointment as high commissioner is a political one, but when Sir Wilfrid Laurier came into power Lord Strathcona still retained the position as if there had been no change in government. When the conservatives returned to power in 1911 he remained in London, with the approval of all Canada. When the expenses of the high commissioner’s office in London were being discussed in the Dominion house of commons the late Sir Richard Cartwright said:
“I believe that Canada has in very important respects been extremely well served by Lord Strathcona since he has represented us in Great Britain. It is a matter of no small moment to Canada that our representative should be well and favorably known on the London Stock Exchange as a man of the highest honor and probity, and a man whose word is universally admitted to be his bond. I need not tell the house that the emoluments are absolutely naught to Lord Strathcona. I need not tell the house that in all probability, in the exercise of hospitality which he has indulged in during a single London season, he will vastly exceed all that is nominally assigned to him as the representative of Canada. I think every member of the house who has occasion to visit London will testify that, whether or not the office in other respects comes up to all that he desires, Lord Strathcona, at any rate, is worthy of upholding in every possible way the honor and dignity of Canada. I may further add that Lord Strathcona is a man whose advice is eagerly sought and has very great weight, indeed, with the British government and with Englishmen, Scotsmen and Irishmen of every rank and station. As regards his influence in what I may call the diplomatic circle and the ministerial circle and on the Stock Exchange, Canada would find it pretty hard, indeed, to replace Lord Strathcona.”
Lord Strathcona’s name stands high on the roll of those who have figured most prominently in financial circles in the Dominion. He was one of the large shareholders of the Bank of Montreal, became its vice president in 1882 and president in 1887. It was only after many years’ residence in London that he resigned in 1905, whereupon he was immediately elected honorary president for life. He studied banking from every possible standpoint and in all of its relations to other business interests. His first address to the shareholders after he became president was a notable one. He spoke of the bountiful harvests in Canada and in the American northwest and recognized the fact that shipping interests must bring the grain to Montreal and that the bank would benefit thereby. Few men would have considered the question in so wide a scope. Year after year during his presidency Lord Strathcona continued to call attention to the wealth of the nation as provided by the agricultural districts of the northwest and time has proven the wisdom of his judgment in this regard.
Not only was Lord Strathcona a railroad builder, a distinguished financier and a political leader, but he was also one of Canada’s most generous philanthropists. He never for a moment forgot his own struggles and his hand was ever out-reaching to assist another. His munificence was princely, yet his giving was most unostentatious in its character and no one will ever know the extent of his private charities. Some of his gifts, however, he could not conceal. In association with Lord Mount Stephen he gave one million for the erection of a great hospital in Montreal to commemorate the queen’s jubilee. Later, when the building had been erected on the mountain side, they gave equally in the sum of eight hundred thousand to endow the institution and the Royal Victoria is today one of the best equipped hospitals on the continent. Modern science has been exhausted to furnish it adequately and the large endowment makes it possible to keep pace with the newest discoveries and inventions. McGill University has again and again been the beneficiary of Lord Strathcona until the sum total of his gifts reaches two million dollars, and in addition he has presented to the university the land on which to erect the new medical building and the site and building of the Royal Victoria College. He also gave the income of a million dollars as an endowment to the Royal Victoria College and the chair of zoology. The former was founded for the higher education of women and is one of the most popular and useful of his bequests to McGill. Lord Strathcona was early chosen a governor of McGill and was elected chancellor of the university in 1889. The gifts to the university for the faculty of medicine included the Leanchoil endowment, in memory of his mother, fifty thousand dollars; for endowment of the chair of pathology, fifty thousand dollars; for endowment of the department of hygiene, fifty thousand dollars. The faculty of applied science benefited by the endowment of its pension fund, fifty thousand dollars, while the faculty of arts also benefited [460] by a like amount for the same object. Of the five hundred thousand dollar gift, given in 1909, it was stipulated that fifty thousand should go for augmenting the salaries of the professional staff. To the Trafalgar Institute, affiliated with McGill University, he gave thirty thousand dollars. Together with Lord Mount Stephen he endowed a Canadian scholarship in the Royal College of Music, London, and subsequently endowed a second scholarship on his own account. Lord Strathcona took an active interest in the cooperative scheme put in operation in 1912 by the Montreal Theological Colleges affiliated with McGill and in the summer of 1913 contributed one hundred thousand dollars to a half million dollar fund raised by the friends of the four institutions concerned—Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational—to place the joint work upon a permanent basis. As honorary chairman of the Western committee of the Young Men’s Christian Association Lord Strathcona gave one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to funds for the Young Men’s Christian Association buildings in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Lord Strathcona’s patriotism and generosity found expression in the equipment of the famous Strathcona Horse, a military force of five hundred and forty men completely equipped and sent to the front at a critical period of the war. He paid the expenses of equipment, pay and transport until the regiment reached Cape Town. The service of the regiment was, indeed, a credit to its founder and has become a part of the military history of Canada. Another of Lord Strathcona’s beneficent gifts was the contribution of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to create an annual fund of ten thousand dollars for the encouragement of physical and military training in the public schools of the Dominion. In writing upon this subject Lord Strathcona said:
“While I attach the highest importance to the advantages of physical training and elementary drill for all children of both sexes, I am particularly anxious that the especial value of military drill, including rifle shooting for boys capable of using rifles, should be constantly borne in mind. My object is not only to help to improve the physical and intellectual capabilities of the children by inculcating habits of alertness, orderliness and prompt obedience but also to bring up the boys to patriotism and to a realization that the first duty of a free citizen is to be prepared to defend his country. The Dominion at the present time and for many years to come can hardly hope to be able to give so long a period of training to her military forces as by itself would suffice to make them efficient soldiers, but if all boys had acquired a fair acquaintance while at school with simple military drill and rifle shooting the degree of efficiency which could be reached in the otherwise short period which can be devoted to the military training of the Dominion forces would in my opinion be enormously enhanced.”
Among other evidences of his generosity was a gift of one hundred thousand dollars in June, 1913, through the minister of militia, for the purchase of a site on Lorne Crescent for a drill hall for the exclusive use of McGill students.
Lord Strathcona has been equally generous in his assistance of Scottish institutions. He gave to Marischal College, Aberdeen, one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and to Aberdeen University fifty thousand dollars. He became chancellor of the university in 1903 and held the office throughout his remaining days, while from the students came the honor of election as lord rector of that university. He founded the Leanchoil Cottage Hospital in his [461] native town of Forres and gave generously to other charitable and educational institutions of his native land. In 1902 he gave a million dollars to the fund for King Edward’s Hospital and about the same time gave fifty-two thousand, five hundred dollars to Queen Alexandra’s fund for the unemployed.
Lord Strathcona was honored with the friendship of Queen Victoria, King Edward and Queen Alexandra and of King George and Queen Mary and for many years His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught regarded him as a close friend. He was the host of King George and Queen Mary when as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York they visited Montreal in September, 1911. By invitation he was present at the coronation of King Edward and Queen Alexandra in 1902 and at the funeral of the former in 1910 he was one of Canada’s representatives. Again in his official capacity he was present at the coronation of King George and Queen Mary in 1911.
Many academic honors were conferred upon Lord Strathcona. He received the LL. D. degree from Cambridge in 1887; LL. D., Yale, 1892; LL. D., Aberdeen, 1899; LL. D., Laval, 1902; LL. D., Toronto, 1903; LL. D., Queen’s, Kingston, 1905; LL. D., Ottawa, 1906; LL. D., St. Andrew’s, 1911; and D. C. L., Durham, 1912. He was presented with the freedom of the city of Aberdeen in 1902; of Edinburgh in 1903; of Bristol in 1908; and of Bath in 1911. Lord Strathcona’s portrait by Arless was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1890. Another portrait by Jongers was presented to McGill University by the governors of that institution in 1901. Still another portrait was presented to the Canada Club of London in 1902. Lord Strathcona was honorary president of the Mount Royal Club and also of the Canadian Club of Montreal. In 1898 he was appointed honorary lieutenant colonel of the Victoria Rifles, Montreal, a tribute to the interest he had taken in the military movement in Canada. In 1902 he became honorary colonel of the Eighth Volunteer Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment. In 1909 he was honored by being made honorary colonel of the Fifteenth Light Horse and in 1910 he was made the honorary colonel of the Seventy-ninth Highlanders. At the house of the Royal Society of Arts, Adelphi, London, on November 15, 1912, Lord Sanderson, on behalf of the Duke of Connaught, president of the society, presented the society’s Albert medal to Lord Strathcona “for his services in improving the railway communications, developing the resources and promoting the commerce and industry of Canada and other parts of the British empire.” Lord Sanderson read a message from the Duke of Connaught in which His Royal Highness said: “In my present office of governor general of Canada I have had special opportunities of fully realizing the great services Lord Strathcona has rendered to the Dominion and to the industrial and commercial progress of the British empire. As an old friend of many years’ standing I rejoiced that, as president of the Society of Arts, I had been able to add another mark of appreciation of his long and valuable career of usefulness.”
Lord Strathcona was a familiar figure at the Athenaeum Club in Pall Mall, the center of British culture and exclusiveness. In one of its handsome dining rooms he delighted to gather together distinguished men of Great Britain to meet visiting Canadians of high rank and greatly was the honor appreciated. Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Mr. Borden have both enjoyed the High Commissione [462] r’s hospitality in this luxurious form and realized afresh what a genius for entertaining was his.
A contemporary biographer has written:
“On November 12, 1913, Lord Strathcona suffered bereavement by the death of Lady Strathcona, who died in her eighty-ninth year, at their London home, Grosvenor Square, most unexpectedly. Pneumonia was the cause of death. Lord Strathcona bore the blow with much fortitude and made continuous acknowledgement of many hundreds of messages of sympathy which came to him from all quarters and classes, from the king and the royal family downwards.
“Isabella Sophia, Lady Strathcona, was the daughter of the late Mr. Richard Hardisty, long a resident of Montreal and also for many years one of the trusted agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company in Labrador. She became the wife of Lord Strathcona when he was twenty-nine years of age. The early married life of Lord and Lady Strathcona was spent in the bleak winds of Labrador. It was a terrible country in those days. Winter comes early and stays late—and such a winter! A few short hours of frozen day, then night—a long uncanny night. Sometimes the snow falls through weeks on weeks and no man dares to move beyond the circle of the little settlement. Wolves in those days would sweep the icy paths, truculent, hungry, seeking their sustenance. At night about the little camp their hordes would sweep howling in mournful unison. By day, men went their ways but cautiously, watching the hard grey sky above and the hard white snow below.
“Lady Strathcona accompanied her husband everywhere in his long years of service of the Hudson’s Bay Company. They saw Lake Winnipeg before the city was. They traveled the dreadful wastes where the great Mackenzie river tumbles across the Arctic circle. Dreary Keewatin they learned from end to end, tramping in and out from the posts on Hudson’s bay. They threaded the forests on the Ontario hinterland and on foot or by dog sled paced the thousands of miles of prairie that lie between Lake Winnipeg and the Rocky mountains.
“Lord and Lady Strathcona spent over sixty years of happy married life together. Lady Strathcona maintained her interest in Canada to the very end and took the keenest interest in public affairs. She followed events in Canada closely and was especially interested in everything pertaining to McGill University. All who were the recipients of her hospitality in London, either as the wife of Canada’s high commissioner or as private guests were charmed with the kindness displayed to them by Lady Strathcona. Lady Strathcona was presented, with Lord Strathcona, to Queen Victoria in Windsor Castle in July, 1886, and to King Edward and Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace in March, 1903, and April, 1904. She was present, with Lord Strathcona, in Westminster Abbey at the coronation of King Edward and Queen Alexandra. With Lord Strathcona she was also present at the coronation of King George and Queen Mary, in June, 1911.
“Although a woman of a retiring and altogether unostentatious nature Lady Strathcona throughout her life splendidly seconded her husband in his innumerable acts and schemes for the benefit of the people of Canada and of mankind at large. With her daughter, the Hon. Mrs. Howard, Lady Strathcona gave one hundred thousand dollars to McGill University for the erection of a new wing to the medical building. To Queen Alexandra’s fund for the relief of the unemployed [463] of Great Britain she gave fifty-two thousand, five hundred dollars and from time to time she also gave largely in many directions. Throughout she exercised a large and gracious hospitality. At Knebworth House and at Glencoe in Scotland she was beloved by the people for her many acts of kindness and generosity.
“Lady Strathcona accompanied Lord Strathcona on his flying visit to Canada in the autumn of 1913, when His Lordship came to Montreal to take part in the ceremonies connected with the congress of the American Bar Association. Lady Strathcona at that time appeared to be in the best of health and spirits. They were present together at the recent reception given by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught at St. James Palace just before Their Royal Highnesses left London to return to Canada.
“Lady Strathcona’s funeral took place to Highgate cemetery on November 18, after a simple service in the Church of St. Mark. Lord Strathcona was a pathetic figure as he followed the coffin to the church, leaning on the arm of his daughter, the Hon. Mrs. Howard. Among the numerous floral tributes was a handsome wreath with a tender inscription from Queen Mother Alexandra. It bore the words, ‘To dear Lady Strathcona—a sorrowing tribute to the memory of a beloved wife and companion for sixty-five years—From Alexandra.’”
It was but little more than two months after the death of Lady Strathcona that Lord Strathcona passed away, his death occurring January 21, 1914. His was a strikingly splendid figure even at the age of ninety-three. He had learned well the lessons of life. Nobility of character and high purpose had won for him imperial honors and had made him one of the world’s empire builders.
At the time of his death, which occurred on the 25th of June, 1903, Robert James Inglis was at the head of the most extensive merchant tailoring establishment and the best known business of its kind in Montreal, which was developed entirely through his efforts and capability. He was recognized as a self-made man and his example should serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to others. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1856 and in 1875, when but nineteen years of age, he opened a tailoring establishment on St. Joseph, now Notre Dame Street. Although his start in life was comparatively unimportant, he soon demonstrated his capability and proved that he was worthy of confidence and support. Year by year his patronage grew and after nine years at his original location he removed to Beaver Hall Hill while later he was for five years on St. Catherine Street West. Less than one month prior to his demise he opened his establishment in a business block which he had erected, having well appointed and attractive quarters in which he carried a large and carefully selected line of goods. In style, excellence of design and workmanship the output of his establishment could not be surpassed, and progressive methods and honorable dealing led to the establishment of a business of large and gratifying proportions.
Mr. Inglis was survived by his widow and four sons: Douglas S., Robert J., W. Stewart, and Lockhart C. The first two are in charge of the business of [464] R. J. Inglis, Ltd., of Montreal, and W. Stewart is in charge of the branch of the firm in Winnipeg, established after the death of his father. Mr. Inglis had reached a position where the comforts and luxuries of life were at his command but death called him when he was only forty-seven years of age. He was a prominent member of Victoria Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M., but he was never a club man, preferring the enjoyment of the pleasures of his home. He possessed a strong character, marked individuality and pleasing personality and was loved by all who knew him. His acquaintance was a wide one, for his entire business life had been spent in Montreal and he had gained for himself a creditable position in business and social circles.
Manufacturing and financial interests in Montreal find a worthy representative in Charles Blair Gordon, practical, progressive and determined. His familiarity with the line of business in which he is engaged, his recognition of opportunities and his laudable ambition have gained him distinction and success, and material progress has been largely promoted through his efforts. Perhaps there is no other man in Canadian business life whose career so aptly illustrates the reward of conscientious business energy. Montreal has reason to be proud of the fact that he is one of her native sons. He was born here in 1867, his parents being John and Jane Gordon. After passing through consecutive grades to the high school and mastering the branches of learning therein taught, he took up the more difficult lessons to be learned in the school of experience, entering business circles in the employ of McIntyre, Sons & Company. In that connection he gained his first knowledge of business methods and measures, and the experience which he thus acquired led him to believe that he might profitably pursue a business career independently. He left that firm, therefore, to become the organizer of the Standard Shirt Company, of which he became the manager, and which he conducted very successfully. At the organization of the Dominion Textile Company, Mr. Gordon became at first managing director and vice president. He was elected to the presidency of the company in 1909 and has since remained at its head, bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control. The business, which is one of the worlds’ largest cotton manufacturing concerns, has developed steadily under his guidance, for he keeps in close touch with trade conditions and studies every question bearing upon manufacturing in his line. He was also at one time vice president of the Montmorency Cotton Mills Company and of the Colonial Bleaching & Printing Company. He was likewise a director of the Merchants Cotton Company and is still financially and officially connected with the Montreal Cotton Company. He is a director of the Bank of Montreal, president of Penman’s, Ltd., president of Hill Crest Collieries, Ltd., vice president of the well known financial bond and investment house of C. Meredith, Ltd., and a director of the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, Ltd. He is likewise a director of the Ritz-Carlton Company, owners of the magnificent new hotel, the Royal Trust Company, the Dominion Bridge Company, and numerous other corporations in the Dominion [465] of Canada. His judgment is sought as a valuable factor in the management of all the different business organizations with which he is connected. McGill University has requisitioned his services and made him one of its governors. To further the interests of trade he has become a member of the Canadian Manufacturers Association and was elected vice president of the Quebec branch in 1911.
In 1897 Mr. Gordon was united in marriage to Miss Annie Brooks, of Seaforth, Ontario, and they reside at Terra Nova on St. Luc road, Ville Notre Dame des Neiges, Montreal. His social interests largely center in his membership in the Mount Royal, Canada, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Racquet, Montreal Jockey and Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs. Mr. Gordon is a typical man of the age. He has gone beyond many who perhaps started out ahead of him in the race of life, this being due to his close application, unfaltering energy, and an earnest and persistent desire to accomplish at any one point in his career the utmost possibility for success at that point. He belongs to that class of valued and representative citizens who in advancing individual interests have also largely promoted the public good.
Leslie Hale Boyd is not only a student of the law but also of the vital public questions which are engaging wide attention, and is, as well, widely known in connection with many athletic and similar organizations. Montreal numbers him among her native sons, his birth having here occurred July 31, 1873, his parents being Andrew and Georgina L. (Hale) Boyd. Passing through consecutive grades in the public schools, he entered the Montreal high school and eventually pursued the arts and law courses in McGill University, which in 1894 conferred upon him the B. A. degree and in 1897 that of B. C. L. In 1898 he began practice as an advocate, and while advancement at the bar is proverbially slow no dreary novitiate awaited him. Almost from the beginning of his professional career he was accorded a liberal clientage and is now one of the prominent practitioners of the Montreal bar. In 1908 he was created king’s counsellor. As he has won success in his profession, he has made investments in real estate and is now the owner of considerable valuable property in the city.
In 1898 Mr. Boyd was married to Miss Emma Constance, a daughter of the late William Farrell, of Montreal, but her death occurred in August, 1909. Mr. Boyd makes his home at No. 1036 Dorchester Street West. He is a Presbyterian in religious faith and is identified with various social organizations and with different societies having to do with the material development and welfare of the city. He belongs to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, which has honored him with the presidency, and in 1908 he was vice president of the Amateur Athletic Federation of Canada. He likewise belongs to the Canada Club and the Engineers Club, the Caledonia and St. Lawrence Curling Clubs, the Canadian Club and the Rangers, Fish and Game Club, and he figures prominently in the various athletic and similar organizations to which he belongs. His interest in [466] affairs of general importance is indicated in the fact that he is a governor of the Montreal Homeopathic Hospital and a member of the Protestant board of school trustees at St. Henri, P. Q. The conservative party numbers him among its active workers and representatives, and in 1910 he was elected alderman of St. George’s ward of Montreal as a reform candidate, and in 1912 and 1914 was reelected by acclamation. In May, 1912, he ran in the St. Lawrence division as the conservative candidate for the provincial legislature but was defeated. The talents with which nature endowed him he has wisely used, not only for the benefit of himself but for the improvement of municipal and moral conditions and physical and mental development.
It is a natural thing that when the sons of Great Britain desire to emigrate they turn toward one of the colonial possessions of the great British empire, and thus it is that a large percentage of Canada’s citizens have come from Scotland. Among the number was Colin McArthur, who was born in Glasgow in 1835, a son of James McArthur, a mason contractor of that city. He was educated in St. Enoch’s school of Glasgow and for sixteen years was associated with the firm of Wylie & Lockhead, wall paper manufacturers, acting as manager of their interests most of the time. While in their employ he frequently visited Canada and the United States in the interests of the house, and eventually taking up his permanent abode in Canada, embarked in business in Toronto. In 1879, however, he came to Montreal and entered into business with J. C. Watson in the manufacture of wall paper under the firm name of Watson & McArthur. This relation was maintained uninterruptedly until 1884, when Mr. McArthur withdrew from the firm and established the present business, that of Colin McArthur & Company, wall paper manufacturers. In the early days skilled labor had to be brought from the States, but in time men of this country were trained for the work and with the introduction of improved machinery the business developed rapidly. The trade grew enormously and Mr. McArthur was not only one of the pioneers in his line but controlled one of the most extensive and successful enterprises of that character. He thoroughly understood every phase of the business and, watchful of details pointing to success, his capable control was manifest in the excellent results which rewarded him.
Mr. McArthur was first married to Margaret Jamieson, of Largs, Scotland, and had two children. David married Rose Wilkinson and died in 1902, leaving a widow and three children, Colin, David and Margaret. Margaret, the daughter, is now living in Montreal. Mr. McArthur married in England, in 1869, Miss Annie Williamson, who survives him and resides in Montreal.
Mr. McArthur was an active factor in public interests as well as in business circles. He joined the Board of Trade in 1888, and he was much interested in public institutions and in plans for the general welfare. He was a life member of the General Hospital and was a member of the Caledonia and St. Andrew’s Societies. He also was a life member of the Protestant Insane Hospital and took an active interest in the founding of that institution. A Presbyterian in [469] religious faith, his many good deeds had their inception in his Christian belief. He did much for charity and in fact was continually assisting others, yet all in a most unostentatious manner. He never spoke of his benevolent acts and shrank from all publicity of that character, yet there are many who have reason to bless his memory for aid rendered in an hour of need.
The late George Edward Desbarats was head of the well known printing firm of Desbarats & Company of Montreal, which, for many years has set the standard for all that is progressive in this field of business activity. He was a representative of a family that through many generations has been closely connected with the printing business, successive generations being in the vanguard of those who have been most active in bringing about the advancement and improvement in connection with the art preservative of arts. The History of Printing and Bookbinding in the State of Bearne gives account of Pierre Desbarats, bookseller from 1638, who established in 1651 the first printing office to have more than a transient existence in the state of Bearne; while Jean Desbarats, 1656 to 1687, was named printer to the Royal College of Bearne in 1662, printer to the Jesuit College at Pau in 1663 and printer to the King and the Royal College in 1680. Jean Desbarats, 1687 to 1714, was appointed King’s printer and printer to the Royal College in 1687. Isaac Desbarats, 1714 to 1737, was printer to the States of the Province of Bearne and on the 24th of December, 1719, was officially appointed to succeed Jean Desbarats as King’s printer. Parliamentary decree of April 27, 1730, admitted him to the ranks of the nobility as “Isaac Desbarats, King’s Printer, Seigneur de Labarthe Buisson.” Isaac Charles Desbarats, 1737-1787, was made printer to the King and to the States of the Kingdom of Navarre, September 20, 1737. He succeeded to the rank of Seigneur de Labarthe Buisson and was “ Avocat au Parlement.” The printing establishment was inherited by Jeanne Desbarats but the government would not allow a woman to carry on the printing business and it had to be sold. The above indicates the close connection of the family with the printing business in France from 1638 to 1787. The family name has figured with equal prominence in Canada. Pierre Edouard Desbarats was named King’s printer January 27, 1800, and so continued until his death in 1828. His son, Georges Pascal Desbarats, father of George E. Desbarats of this review, succeeded his father and in 1844 was named Queen’s printer.
The family had been founded in Canada by Joseph Desbarats, who came to this country in 1756 and in 1761 married Marie Louise Crête at Beauport. He died in 1810. Their son, Pierre Edouard Desbarats, was married in September, 1798, to Josephte Voyer and at the time of his death, in 1828, was not only printer of His Majesty’s laws, but was also assistant clerk of the house, lieutenant colonel and justice of the peace. His son, Georges Pascal Desbarats, married Henriette Dionne, daughter of Hon. Amable Dionne. She died in 1839, while G. P. Desbarats passed away in 1864. He had succeeded his father in business and in 1844 was named Queen’s printer, in which connection he removed with [470] the Government to Kingston, Toronto and Quebec as the government was successively established in those cities. He was also lieutenant colonel of militia.
George Edward Desbarats was born at Quebec, April 5, 1838, and in the attainment of his education attended Holy Cross College at Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1846 to 1851; St. Mary’s College at Montreal from 1852 until 1855 and Laval University at Quebec from 1855 until 1857. He won the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws and thoroughly qualified for the bar. He studied with the Hon. Jean Thomas Taschereau in 1857 and with the law firm of Bethune & Dunkin in Montreal. He was received at the bar of Lower Canada in 1859 and was offered a partnership in the firm of Laflamme & Laflamme but declined in order to enter his father’s printing office, in which connection he remained in Quebec until 1865, when he went to Ottawa which had been made the new seat of government. In Quebec he published several volumes of original French-Canadian literature, among which were: Le Foyer Canadien in three volumes, eleven hundred and thirty-six pages; La Littérature Canadienne, in two volumes, seven hundred and eighty pages; Essais Poétiques, Lemay, in one volume, three hundred and twenty pages; Les Anciens Canadiens, P. A. de Gaspe, in one volume, four hundred and twelve pages; Mémoires de M. de Gaspe in one volume, five hundred and sixty pages; Canadians of Old (English) in one volume, three hundred and thirty pages; Mère Marie de l’Incarnation, L’Abbé H. R. Casgrain, in one volume, four hundred and sixty pages; Vies des Saints, Abbé Casgrain, in one volume, seven hundred and fifty pages; Lives of the Saints (English) in one volume, seven hundred and fifty pages; Chansons Populaires du Canada, Ernest Gagnon, in one volume, three hundred and seventy-five pages; Contes Populaires, Paul Stevens, in one volume, two hundred and sixty-five pages; Traité d’Art & d’Histoire Militaire, L. T. Sugor, in one volume, four hundred and seventy-two pages; Instructions Chrétiennes pour les Jeunes Gens, in one volume, three hundred and twenty pages; and Le Protestantisme, Etc., Abbé Guillaume, five hundred and fifty pages.
On removing to Ottawa in 1865 Mr. Desbarats occupied a building erected for this purpose which was begun during his father’s lifetime and belonged to the estate. Malcolm Cameron, who had been Queen’s printer with the father of George Edward Desbarats after the death of Stewart Derbishire, held the patent alone from 1864 to 1869 and was G. E. Desbarats’ partner in the printing business. The building erected there in Ottawa was one of the largest business blocks of the city at that time. It was in this building that the Hon. Thomas D’Arcy McGee lodged in company with Sir Hector Langevin and others on the occasion of his atrocious assassination and it was upon the place where the murder occurred that Mr. Desbarats caused to be erected a memorial tablet. This, it has been supposed gave offence to a certain lawless element in the population, resulting in the destruction of the noble pile of buildings by the incendiary’s torch. After the destruction of the building by fire on the 21st of January, 1869, it was not rebuilt. The Cartier-Macdonald government was then in power and gave out the Gazette, laws, etc., to public competition. G. E. Desbarats was appointed Queen’s printer and charged with making the schedules, getting the tenders and adjudging the contracts. He held the office for about a year and then resigned to remove to Montreal, where he had large interests in a lithographic and photo-engraving business which he had established there in connection [471] with the Leggo Brothers. The fire of January 21, 1869, destroyed the complete first edition of Les Oeuvres de Champlain, which G. E. Desbarats was publishing at that time, the compiler and annotator being L’Abbé Laverdiere, librarian of Laval University. Not only was the manuscript destroyed but also the electrotype plates and illustrations. The only copy saved was that in proof sheets in Mr. Laverdiere’s hands. Mr. Desbarats determined to republish the work at once. The second edition was printed direct from the type, being limited to one thousand copies. The six volumes, which are quarto, contain some sixteen hundred and fifty pages and are copiously illustrated with facsimiles of the original charts, maps and cuts produced by the Leggotype process. This great work was published by G. E. Desbarats in 1870 and is considered the finest book issued so far from the Canadian Press. He was also the publisher, in Ottawa, of H. J. Morgan’s Bibliotheca Canadensis.
At the fire in Ottawa G. E. Desbarats’ net loss was over one hundred thousand dollars. The estate also lost heavily on the building, which was only partly insured. At a meeting of citizens an address of sympathy was voted to Mr. Desbarats and afterwards presented to him, handsomely engrossed, bearing the city seal, signed by the mayor and others and framed.
In 1869 G. E. Desbarats built a printing office on St. Antoine Street, Montreal, and there founded The Canadian Illustrated News, the first number of which was issued on October 30, of that year, with Alexander Robertson as the first editor and E. Jump as chief artist. The illustrations were at first photo-electrotypes produced by the Leggotype process. In 1870 Mr. Desbarats founded a French companion paper to the Canadian Illustrated News called L’Opinion Publique, a twelve-page paper, the illustrations in which were for the most part the same as those in the English weekly. The editors were J. A. Mousseau and L. O. David. Among the contributors to its pages were P. J. O. Chauveau, L. H. Frechette, Joseph Marmette, J. A. Poisson, Benjamin Sulte, W. Gelinas, Joseph Tassé and many other distinguished French-Canadian writers. By arrangement with Ferdinand Gagnon, L’Opinion Publique absorbed L’Etendard National of Worcester, Massachusetts.
In May, 1871, Mr. Desbarats became proprietor of a weekly literary paper named The Hearthstone. The editorial work of The Hearthstone was performed by J. A. Phillips. Mr. Desbarats owned and conducted The Dominion Telegraph Institute which had been started by Churchill, continuing this for two years, during which time were sent out many capable telegraph operators now at the head of their profession. In 1872 he organized the Graphic Company to publish a daily illustrated paper in the city of New York. This was the first illustrated daily ever published and it came to end in about a year, being too far ahead of its time and lacking the necessary capital. Still the field of his activity and usefulness constantly broadened, and at all times he was in the lead among those who have wrought for advancement and progress in connection with the printing and publishing business. In March, 1873, he founded The Canadian Patent Office Record and Mechanics Magazine, a quarto monthly of thirty-two pages devoted to engineering, manufacturing, mining and other industrial pursuits. With each number was issued the official patent office record, the whole amply illustrated, the two parts together forming a book of from sixty to eighty pages monthly, the subscription price to which was only a dollar and a half a year.
In 1873 it was thought advisable to form a stock company to carry on the Canadian publications and the general Montreal engraving and printing business. The Desbarats Lithographic & Publishing Company was therefore organized by G. E. Desbarats, W. P. Hussey, Luke Moore, William Angus, Jonathan Hodgson, Alexander Buntin and Daniel MacLellan as provincial directors; G. E. Desbarats and W. P. Hussey as managers. In April, 1874, Mr. Desbarats entered into negotiations with G. B. Burland with a view to amalgamating the two concerns and formed The Burland-Desbarats Lithographing Company, from which he retired in 1876. He then opened a small office in the old postoffice building and in 1878 moved to larger premises and laid the foundation of the present Desbarats Printing Company, one of the most important establishments of this character in the Dominion. In 1879 G. E. Desbarats joined with Notman & Sandham in organizing The Artotype Printing Company and went himself to New York to learn the artotype work.
In 1884 W. C. Smillie, founder and first president of The British American Bank Note Company entered into negotiations with G. E. Desbarats & Company to revive the Canada Bank Note Company which absorbed G. E. Desbarats & Company’s business and in which G. E. Desbarats and H. Drechsel were appointed managers. In 1887 Mr. Desbarats admitted his son, William, to a partnership and together they published the Dominion Illustrated, a weekly illustrated paper which also had to be discontinued for lack of capital. Half-tone engraving was then in its infancy and Mr. Desbarats was the first to introduce it into Canada. The process was largely used in the Dominion Illustrated and a photo-engraving plant was installed to meet the paper’s requirements. While all days were not equally bright in his career and indeed in his business experience he saw the gathering of clouds that threatened disastrous storms, yet his rich inheritance of energy, determination and initiative enabled him to turn defeat into victory and promised failures into brilliant successes. His strict integrity, business conservatism and judgment were always so universally recognized that he enjoyed public confidence to an enviable degree and naturally this brought him a lucrative patronage. In early manhood he showed conspicuously the traits of character that made his life brilliantly successful and his mental and physical activity, combined with thorough training, brought him to an eminent position as a representative of the printing and publishing business in Canada.
The business career of Mr. Desbarats with its steps of successive advancement has been given but what of the man and his personality? All who remember him speak of him as of the highest type of gentlemen, his kindly nature and courteous manner winning for him many warm friends. Even now, twenty years after his demise, his old employes mention him with the greatest respect and love. It has been said that there is no better way to judge an individual than by his treatment of those in his employ. Judged by this standard, no man has been more worthy of regard. While in Ottawa his employes presented him a silver goblet and tray as a mark of esteem. The employes of the Canadian Illustrated News presented him with two bronze statues and a necklace for Madame Desbarats and the employes of the Canada Bank Note Company presented him a water pitcher when he severed his connection with that company.
Aside from his extensive printing and engraving business Mr. Desbarats was deeply interested in all that pertained to the city’s welfare, and those things [473] which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride received his indorsement and cooperation. He took great interest in the Montreal Philharmonic Society of which he was one of the directors. He was captain in the Civil Service Rifle Regiment, of a company composed entirely of men in his employ. During the smallpox epidemic in Montreal in 1885 he was chairman of the citizens’ relief committee and took a leading part in the establishing of a temporary hospital at the exhibition grounds. His political allegiance was given to the conservative party but he took no active part in politics. In religious faith he was a Roman Catholic and in 1867 was president of the Société St. Jean Baptiste in Ottawa.
On the 30th of April, 1860, G. E. Desbarats was married to Miss Lucianne Bossé, eldest daughter of Joseph N. Bossé, advocate who was afterward senator and subsequently judge. Mr. and Mrs. Desbarats were married in Quebec and they became the parents of five sons and two daughters. George J., born January 27, 1861, and now deputy minister in the naval service, married Miss L. Scott, a daughter of Sir Richard Scott. William A., born February 14, 1862, is president of the Desbarats Printing Company, Limited. Edward S. C., born April 24, 1863, is president of the Desbarats Advertising Agency and married Miss M. A. MacCallum, daughter of Dr. D. C. MacCallum. Lucianne, born August 10, 1864, married Lord de Blaquière. Cecile is superior of the Convent of the Sacred Heart at New Orleans, Louisiana. Alexander died in childhood; and C. H. Hullett married Miss J. Henkels of Philadelphia. He is the secretary and treasurer of the Desbarats Printing Company. He and his brother, William, succeeded to the business upon their father’s death and it has since been organized into a joint stock company.
Such in brief is the life history of one who had much to do with shaping the development of the printing and engraving business in Canada. His was largely the initiative spirit that brought about improvement and advancement in methods of printing and of illustration. He ever maintained the highest standards, was quick to adopt any new methods which his judgment sanctioned as of value, and he largely set the standards that others have followed. His life continued one of increasing activity, usefulness and of public benefit to the time of his death which occurred in 1892.
In the practice of law devotion to the interests of his clients, careful preparation of his cases and comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence are salient features which have gained Arthur William Patrick Buchanan a place among the well known representatives of the Montreal bar. He was born at Montreal in 1870, the son of Alexander Brock and Elizabeth Ann (Best) Buchanan and grandson of the late Alexander Buchanan, Q. C., a distinguished lawyer and in his day the leader of the Montreal bar, who married Mary Ann, the daughter of James Buchanan, H. B. M. consul at New York from 1816 to 1843. After attending the Montreal high school our subject entered McGill University and later pursued his law course in Laval University, where he took the degree of LL. B. in 1893. He was admitted to the bar of the province of [474] Quebec in 1894 and the same year began practice as an advocate. He was created a king’s counsel in 1908 and practices in partnership with W. J. White, K. C. Their clientele is extensive and of a representative character, and Mr. Buchanan has proved himself a capable and careful lawyer. He is interested in genealogy and has written a history of his family, The Buchanan Book (1911).
In 1897 Mr. Buchanan married Berthe Louise, elder daughter of William Quirin, of Boston and resides at No. 731 Pine Avenue West. Mr. Buchanan is a life member of the Buchanan Society, a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and a member of the St. James Club, the Canada Club, the Montreal Hunt and the Royal Montreal Golf Club.
In many public positions Andrew Robertson gained wide acquaintance and the efficiency of his service in public behalf marked him as one of Montreal’s most valued and prominent men. In commercial circles he was well known as the founder and senior member of the firms of Andrew Robertson & Company and Robertson, Stephen & Company, wholesale dry-goods merchants, and later he became a factor in insurance and financial enterprises. This however represented but one phase of his life, as he became connected with many public projects having to do with the general development and improvement of the city, or with its charitable and benevolent activities. Abraham Lincoln said, “There is something better than making a living—making a life,” and it was that spirit which actuated Andrew Robertson at all times. He recognized his obligations to his fellowmen and again and again he played the part of the Good Samaritan, not from any unavoidable sense of duty but from a deep love for his fellows.
Mr. Robertson was of Scotch birth, the place of his nativity being Paisley, and the year, 1827. When he arrived at school age he entered the Paisley grammar school, where he gained a working knowledge of the common branches of learning. All through his life he was a student,—a student of books, of men, of affairs and the signs of the times, and he became a thoroughly well read man, whose judgment was regarded as sound and his sagacity keen. After leaving school he learned the weavers trade and in 1840 was sent to Glasgow and entered upon a four year’s apprenticeship in a drapery and clothing establishment. Subsequently he became an employe of a manufacturing firm and displayed such ability and resourcefulness in this connection that he was soon afterward admitted into a partnership, and as most of the work of the firm devolved upon him, his health gave way and his physician recommended that he go either to Australia or Canada.
Mr. Robertson’s choice fell upon the latter country and in 1853 he sailed for the new world, accompanied by his wife and two sons. He at once joined the wholesale dry-goods firm of Brown & Swan and, on retiring therefrom two years later, founded the firm of Andrew Robertson & Company which in 1867 was merged with the older established business of William Stephen & Company and continued under the style of Robertson, Stephen & Company. With the firm [477] and its successors he was continuously connected until 1885, when he retired. Early in the 60’s he built the Auburn Woolen Mill at Peterboro, Ontario, for the manufacture of Canadian tweeds, and successfully directed it from Montreal until 1867, when he sold it as part of the purchase price of the Stephen business. His methods were ever progressive, and his close application and indefatigable energy constituted the foundation upon which he builded his prosperity.
While building up a commercial enterprise of large and profitable proportions, Mr. Robertson always found time to devote to public duties and the promotion of the general welfare. Joining the St. Andrew’s Society in 1857 he served as treasurer in 1862 and 1863, second vice president in 1864 and 1865, first vice president in 1868 and president during 1869 and 1870. In 1876 he was president of the Dominion Board of Trade and in that and the following year was also president of the Montreal Board of Trade. He had the honor of being chosen the first president of the Dominion Commercial Travelers’ Association, and thus he figured prominently among the men who were most active in commercial pursuits. He himself extended his efforts as a business man with the passing years and became president of the Royal Canadian Insurance Company in 1876, in which position he continued until his death, while from its formation in 1880 until his demise he was president of the Bell Telephone Company of Canada.
His public service was of a varied character and embraced connection with charitable and benevolent objects, with public works and with movements having to do with general progress and improvement. In 1872 Mr. Robertson became one of the governors of the Montreal General Hospital and later was elected and served successively as treasurer, vice president and president. In 1879 he was elected chairman of the board of harbor commissioners for Montreal and remained in that position until his death. His name figured also in connection with military activities, beginning in 1861, when, during the Trent excitement he was gazetted first lieutenant and quartermaster of the Montreal Light Infantry. Many tangible evidences of his devotion to the public welfare may be cited. He familiarized himself with all the details of the management of the General Hospital and was greatly interested in the proposal to enlarge it, so that in 1886 upon a trip to England he consulted some of the best architects of that country concerning the subject and brought back with him plans for the proposed extension. The deepening of the ship channel between Montreal and Quebec was a project which awakened his strong and hearty enthusiasm, and he frequently said that when he saw the completion of the plan he would retire from the active duties of chairman of the board, well satisfied. He was of a nervous temperament, possessed marked energy and was a tireless worker, and before his health became impaired he was actively and helpfully interested in the movement for the improvement of the harbor and the prevention of damages by flood. During the great flood of 1885 he was making a tour through the submerged district in a canoe, propelled by one of the oldest river men. His companion of that occasion testified to the deep interest he took in the poor people of the district. He left the harbor commissioners’ office with forty or fifty dollars in his pocket and when he returned he had not enough cash to pay the boatman, having given all to the flood sufferers. This is but one incident of his generous spirit, which was constantly manifested. He was of a most charitable disposition but he gave in a quiet, unassuming manner, following the mandate not to let the left hand [478] know what the right hand doeth. Again and again his gifts of charity were known only to the recipients.
On the 19th of April, 1850, in Scotland, Mr. Robertson was married to Miss Agnes Bow, a daughter of the late Alexander Bow, of Glasgow, and they became parents of ten children, four sons and six daughters, of whom the sons and four daughters are still living, six being residents of Montreal, while one daughter and one son reside on the Pacific coast.
At the time of his death, which occurred March 29, 1890, Mr. Robertson was chairman of the harbor commission and his associates in that work, as also those in other relations of life, entertained for him the highest regard. In politics he was conservative and in church connection a Presbyterian. In his Christian faith was found the root of a well spent, honorable life, reaching out along many lines for the benefit of his fellowmen. The world is better for his having lived and his memory remains as a blessed benediction to those who knew him. Mrs. Robertson survived her husband for nine years, passing away suddenly in her beautiful home, Elmbank, Dorchester Street West, on the 6th of July, 1899, mourned by a large circle of old friends.
Rev. Joseph Guillaume Laurent Forbes, bishop of Joliette, was formerly the spiritual director of the thirty-nine hundred families which make up the great French-Canadian parish of St. Jean Baptiste in Montreal, a position of responsibility as well as one of power and importance among the Catholic people of the city. This responsibility rested upon the shoulders of a conscientious, capable and God-fearing man and the power was used wisely and humbly, so that Father Forbes has become an important force in the conservation and propagation of the doctrines which he teaches and professes. He is a native of the province of Quebec, born in Isle Perrot, near Montreal, August 10, 1865, a son of John and Octavie (Léger) Forbes, both natives of Vaudreuil. The Forbes family was founded in Canada in 1757 and representatives of the Léger family came to Quebec with the first French colonists in 1608. Both parents are still living, the father having retired from active life.
Rev. Guillaume Forbes acquired his early education in the kindergarten at the Nazareth Asylum in charge of the Grey Nuns in Montreal and was afterward a student at the Catholic Commercial Academy of this city. He was graduated from Montreal College with the class of 1882 and from the Seminary of Philosophy in 1884. He finished the course in the College of Theology in 1887 and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood March 17, 1888. Immediately afterward he was sent as curate to Caughnawaga, where he did excellent work among the Iroquois Indians. He held his original position until 1892 and was then given the direction of the Caughnawaga mission, serving until 1903. In that year he was appointed parish priest of the Church of St. Anne de Bellevue, in the province of Quebec, and he there remained until 1911, when he was appointed rector of St. Jean Baptiste church in Montreal. The parish of St. Jean de Baptiste in Montreal is one of the largest and most important [479] French-Canadian congregations in the city, and its rector holds a very responsible position and one which makes him a great individual force in Catholic circles. The original church building was burned June 27, 1911, and is now being replaced at a cost of three hundred thousand dollars, the entire property being valued at five hundred thousand dollars. Father Forbes had four assistants, Rev. Joseph A. Lefevre, Rev. Charles A. de Lamirande, Rev. Auguste Paré and Rev. Hector Quesnel, and had spiritual jurisdiction over thirty-nine hundred families and nineteen thousand souls, all French-Canadians. He became very popular and widely beloved among the people of this congregation, who saw his simplicity of character, his greatness of heart, his earnestness and sincerity, and who recognized his administrative and business ability. On the 6th of August, 1913, Rev. Forbes was chosen by the Holy See to succeed the Rt. Rev. Alfred Archambeault as bishop of Joliette. He received the episcopal consecration in the cathedral of Joliette from the hands of His Grace, Monseigneur Bruchesi, archbishop of Montreal, on the 9th of October, 1913. A brother of Bishop Forbes, the Rev. Father John Forbes, of the White Fathers, after a stay of sixteen years in the mission fields of Africa, is since the year 1900 residing in Quebec, superior of the branch house of the Society of the White Fathers in Canada.
Bishop Forbes is profoundly learned in Indian dialects and is in addition an author of some note, his works being all of a religious character. Besides his original volumes he has edited and republished a Life of Catherine Tekakwitha and an Iroquois almanac for the years between 1899 and 1903.
The name of Bissonnet has long been a distinguished one in this locality, the first member of the family having been one Pierre, a son of Jacques, who was born in 1626, and on the 3d of May, 1660, married Mathurène Des Bordes and who, as the records show, had seven children. A brother of Pierre, Jacques, was married in 1670 and sixteen children are credited to him. Arthur Edouard Joseph Bissonnet worthily upholds the honor of the family name, having gained a reputation along legal lines in Montreal, where he has successfully practiced since 1897. He was born at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, and is a son of Napoléon and Domithilde (Scott) Bissonnet. The father was a well known manufacturer of that city, where he passed away in 1887, the mother having predeceased him in 1882. The paternal grandparents were Jérome and Josephte (Courtemanche) Bissonnet, who died in 1870 and 1872, respectively.
Arthur E. J. Bissonnet received an excellent education. His preliminary courses were taken at the College of the Sacred Heart at Arthabaskaville, which was followed by a classical course at St. Hyacinthe that earned him the title of M. L. A. In 1894 he studied law at Laval University and in 1895 and 1896 at McGill University which he left in 1897 with the degree of B. C. L., being admitted to the bar of the province of Quebec in the same year. His advent in Montreal soon followed and here he has ever since been engaged in the practice of his profession. No long novitiate awaited him for he soon demonstrated his [480] ability to successfully cope with the most intricate law problems and gained a reputation which connected him with much important litigation. He has represented some of the foremost firms and individuals as well as other interests, having attained a name for preparing his cases thoroughly and presenting them in an able manner. He has all the attributes of a successful lawyer, clearly sets forth his cause and by the weight of his character and his insight into human nature has won a high standing in his profession. In 1909 Mr. Bissonnet was appointed king’s counsel and as such handled important government cases which especially connected him with provincial law revenue on duties on successions. His prominence in fraternal circles has led to his election as legal adviser of the Council of St. Henry (for 1913), a branch of the Knights of Columbus at Montreal. Mr. Bissonnet is now at the head of the legal firm, Bissonnet & Cordeau, occupying suite 606, in the Royal Trust building.
On the 14th of February, 1905, occurred the marriage of Mr. Bissonnet to M. A. Ernestine Roy, a daughter of Amedée Roy and Hemma (Rocher) Roy. The family has been long established in the county of Bagot, in the province of Quebec, and her father was a prominent merchant in his locality. Mr. and Mrs. Bissonnet have the following children, Jean, Léon, Marie Laure, Louise Marie and Paul.
His political convictions lead Mr. Bissonnet to support the liberal party, and he is a member of the Montreal Reform Club and other political institutions. Although not an active politician, he takes a deep and helpful interest in the issues of the day that affect the Canadian people as a nation and his province as part of the Dominion and stands ever ready to support progressive measures making for advancement, either material or intellectual. His faith is that of the Catholic church. A distinguished and influential lawyer, he is highly respected in the profession and is esteemed by the general public as a public-spirited citizen who loyally acknowledges and fulfills his duties to his city and his country.
Duncan A. McCaskill was a factor in Montreal’s commercial development and progress, inasmuch as he was the founder and head of the house of D. A. McCaskill Company, later McCaskill, Dougall & Company, manufacturers of railway and carriage varnishes and japans. The extent and importance of his business made him well known in commercial circles, while his career demonstrated the possibilities for successful achievement on the part of any individual who must perforce start in life as he did, without any capital to aid him. He was born in Victoria county, Cape Breton, in 1845 and was a son of Murdo McCaskill, a justice of two counties of Cape Breton. His education was acquired in his native county, where the first thirty years of his life were passed. The year 1875 witnessed his arrival in Montreal, where he connected himself with one of the large business houses of the city. During the succeeding five years he steadily progressed and there awakened in him the ambition to enter commercial circles on his own account. He took his initial step in the direction in which his later labors brought him to the prominent position which he occupied as the [483] head of the house of what is now McCaskill, Dougall & Company, manufacturers of railway and carriage varnishes. He was ever a most industrious man, close application and energy constituting the basis of his success. In 1902 he retired and spent his remaining days in those ways which afforded him recreation and enjoyment, traveling extensively in company with Mrs. McCaskill through the United States and Europe.
Mrs. McCaskill was in her maidenhood Miss Abbott, a member of the Abbott family of Andover, Massachusetts, and one of the old New England families. They were separated by death on the 12th of July, 1907, when Mr. McCaskill passed away at Lausanne, Switzerland.
While an active factor in the business world, Mr. McCaskill also took a great interest in political matters and for several years was president of the Sir John A. Macdonald Club. In 1900, at the solicitation of a large body of electors of his native county, he became a candidate for political honors. The conservative party lost in that connection and Mr. McCaskill was defeated at the polls, although a large vote was accorded him and his course gained him the general esteem of the people. By preference he concentrated his efforts upon his business interests and private affairs and worked his way upward until he stood among the successful merchants and manufacturers of the city with a record that commended him to the confidence and admiration of colleagues and contemporaries.
With intense activity intelligently directed and with ability to plan and perform that amounts almost to genius, Samuel Hamilton Ewing has become one of the prominent manufacturers and capitalists of Montreal. He today has financial investments in many of the most important corporate interests of the province, and his opinion concerning complex business matters is eagerly sought and constitutes a valuable element in the attainment of a wise conclusion.
From his boyhood Samuel Hamilton Ewing has been a resident of Canada. He was born May 10, 1834, at Lisdillon House, Londonderry, Ireland, and is a representative of an old family of Irish origin, his parents being Samuel and Margaret (Hamilton) Ewing, who with their family crossed the Atlantic to Canada during the boyhood of their son Samuel H. Entering the public schools of Montreal, he pursued his education and afterward joined his brother, Andrew S. Ewing, in the ownership and management of the extensive coffee and spice mills formerly owned by his father. The business, established in 1860, was conducted under the firm style of Samuel Ewing & Sons, Samuel Hamilton Ewing remaining an active factor in the management and direction of the business until his retirement from the firm in 1892. In the meantime the efforts of the partners had resulted in the establishment of an enterprise of extensive proportions. Gradually he extended his efforts to other fields, becoming financially and ofttimes actively interested in corporations which are now recognized as among the foremost in the commercial and industrial circles of the province. He is president of the Montreal Cotton Company, president of the Canada Accident Assurance Company, president of the Levis County Railway and the Cornwall [484] Street Railway, and is vice president of the Molson’s Bank and the Sun Life Assurance Company, while he is a director of the Atlantic Sugar Refinery, the Standard Clay Products, Limited, the Crown Trust Company, and the Illinois Traction Company. One of the local papers said of him: “It is doubtful if there is a more active man of his age in the city of Montreal.” What he undertakes he accomplishes, and he utilizes opportunities that many others have passed heedlessly by. Moreover, he has the ability to unify seemingly dissimilar elements, coordinating them into a harmonious whole.
Mr. Ewing has been married twice. He first wedded Miss Caroline Wilson Cheese, of London, England, who died in 1872, and later he wedded Margaret Anna Knight, who passed away in March, 1908. She was a daughter of George Knight, of Glasgow, Scotland. Mr. Ewing’s attractive home, Seaforth, is situated at No. 100 Cote des Neiges road. He is well known in club circles, holding membership in the Mount Royal, Canada, St. James and Canadian Clubs. He is a life governor of the Art Association of Montreal. His political belief is that of the conservative party but the honors and emoluments of office have little attraction for him. He has preferred always to devote his leisure to such activities as seek the public welfare along charitable or humanitarian lines. He is a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and served for several years prior to 1906 as its treasurer. He is likewise a governor of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, and in 1906 was the delegate to the Sixth Congress Chambers of Commerce of the Empire. Forceful and resourceful, his is a record of a strenuous life, stable in purpose, quick in perception, swift in decision, energetic and persistent in action.
Albert Hébert, deceased, who for many years was one of the best known business men of Montreal, was born in this city, February 28, 1864. He was educated in the Jesuit College and the Archambault Commercial School, from which he was graduated. At the age of seventeen years he entered the firm of Dufresne & Mongenais and a year later became a member of the firm of Hudon, Hébert & Company, wholesale grocers. Later, when his father, C. P. Hébert, retired from the firm, Albert Hébert became the general manager of the business and so continued throughout his remaining days, directing the policy and stimulating the progress of the business, which became one of the important commercial concerns of the province. A man of resourceful ability, he was a director of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank and succeeded his father as treasurer of Notre Dame Hospital. He was a prominent member of the Board of Trade, serving as a councillor in 1904 and 1905, a governor of Laval University and a governor of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. Mr. Hébert was married in Montreal to Miss Loulou Barbeau, a daughter of the late E. G. Barbeau, who was the first manager of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Hébert had one daughter, Joséphine, now the wife of Mr. LsRaoul de Lorimer, of Montreal. While traveling in Europe Mr. Hébert died at Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 1911, although when he left Montreal for this trip he was [487] in the best of health. He was but forty-seven years of age at the time of his demise, yet he stood very high in the opinion of the leading business men of the wholesale district of Montreal and was also appreciated and esteemed in financial circles. When Notre Dame Hospital was threatened with a financial crisis in 1909 it was Mr. Hébert, the treasurer of the institution, who opened the subscription and by his energetic campaign raised the two hundred thousand dollars which saved the day. One who knew him well and was, therefore, qualified to speak of his sterling traits of character wrote to the Montreal Star:
“There were many sympathizing and sad hearts in Canada after it was known that Albert Hébert, Esq., of your city died in the prime of life, far away from home in Switzerland. In the death of Mr. Hébert Montreal has lost the prince of the many princely merchants. He was known far and near not only by reputation but personally and wherever he was known he was respected and beloved. I have had business dealings with the late Mr. Hébert for over a quarter of a century and during that long period I have had many opportunities of forming an opinion of his worth as a man and of his splendid abilities as a business man. At the annual business meeting of the Wholesale Grocers Guild, of which he was a prominent and respected member and at which meetings I have often had an opportunity of attending, it was always a pleasure to hear him speak in his faultless English, with a slightly French accent. His opinions and advice had a spirit of fairness and good sense that invariably carried conviction with them. No better argument in favor of a joint English and French training could be had than to hear him address a meeting in English. The late Mr. Hébert will be missed in Montreal. He will be sadly missed by the many English speaking friends in the west when they visit Montreal. It is men of his type that are needed to build up Canada as a nation.”
Among the successful physicians of Montreal is Dr. J. Georges Piché, who has been in practice since 1900. He was born in St. Gabriel de Brandon, Berthier, province of Quebec, September 4, 1872, and descends from one of the oldest families of that section.
His father, Camille Piché, was a notary of St. Gabriel for forty years, occupying the position at the time of his death. He was regarded as one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of the locality. He married Sophie Desparrois dit Champagne, a native of St. Sulpice, province of Quebec.
Dr. Piché acquired his early education at St. Gabriel and later attended the normal school at Montreal, leaving there in 1887. He then went to the United States and for several years was a bookkeeper in the employ of a wholesale grocery house at Providence, Rhode Island. In 1896 he returned to Montreal and, having determined upon a professional career, began the study of medicine at Laval University, where he was graduated in 1900 with the degree of M. D.
Dr. Piché immediately began the practice of his profession in Montreal on DeMontigny Street, where he continued with gratifying success until 1914, when he removed his offices to No. 287 St. Denis Street. He is now accorded a liberal [488] practice and his ability is constantly increasing as the result of broad experience and wide reading and research. He is now physician to the Merchants & Employers Guarantee & Accident Company, and he is a member of La Société Médicale de Montreal.
In 1894 Dr. Piché was married in St. Gabriel de Brandon, province of Quebec, to Albertine Bellemore, a daughter of John Bellemore, of that place, and they have four children: Julien, Georges, Albert, Ernest and Rachel.
John S. Archibald, an architect holding to the highest professional standards and one of Montreal’s native citizens, is a son of the late David A. Archibald, formerly of Inverness, Scotland. Reared and educated in Scotland. Mr. Archibald prepared for the profession which he has made his life work and which he has successfully followed in Montreal. He is a member of the firm of Saxe & Archibald and as such has been connected with the execution of some important professional contracts. A number of the fine structures of the city stand as monuments to his skill and ability. Moreover his position is indicated by the fact that in 1905 he was honored with election to the presidency of the Architects Association of the province of Quebec and at the congress of architects held in July, 1906, he moved the resolution favoring statutory qualifications of architects. He has never believed in deviating from the highest standards of the profession.
In December, 1900, Mr. Archibald was united in marriage to Miss Edith Thurston, the third daughter of J. D. Thurston, of Montreal. In politics Mr. Archibald is a liberal and is interested in all projects that are opposed to misrule in civic affairs and which seek to promote the interests of the many rather than of the few. He is now a councillor of the Montreal Reform Club, and he belongs also to the Engineers Club. He has carefully cultivated the powers and talents with which nature endowed him and thus has gained more than local recognition as a capable architect, well versed in the science of his profession.
Among the younger members of the bar of Montreal is Esioff Léon Patenaude, a member of the well known firm of Leonard, Patenaude, Filion & Monette, who maintain offices at No. 26 St. James Street. Not only has Mr. Patenaude attained a prominent position along strictly legal lines but he has been prominent politically, having for several terms been elected a member of the provincial legislative assembly of Quebec and serving at present in that capacity. He is a member of one of the old French-Canadian families.
Esioff L. Patenaude was born at St. Isidore on February 12, 1875, and is a son of Hilaire and Angèle (Trudeau) Patenaude. Early showing a preference for a legal career, he laid the foundations of his classical education in Montreal College, from which he graduated with the degree of B. A., and subsequently [489] studied law at Laval University, receiving the degree of LL. L. He has since taken up his practice in Montreal and, having been able soon to demonstrate his knowledge and ability, has built up a reputation as one of the foremost advocates of the city. He is a member of the firm of Leonard, Patenaude, Filion & Monette, who are connected with much of the foremost litigation before the courts, their patronage being distinctive and important.
On the 8th of May, 1900, Mr. Patenaude married Miss Georgiana Deniger and they have two children, Rose Angèle and Alphonse. In religious faith the family are Roman Catholics. The political allegiance of Mr. Patenaude is given to the conservative party and, as he has become widely known in his profession, it was but natural that he should be chosen to the Quebec legislative assembly, to which he was elected at the general election of 1908. He was returned to his seat in 1912, his reelection being the confirmation of his record. He has always exerted himself to the best of his ability in the interests of his constituents and has done valuable work in committee rooms as well as on the floor of the provincial house of parliament. Prominent among the French colony, Mr. Patenaude is highly respected by all who know him for what he has attained and for those characteristics which have made possible his success. He is ever willing to gladly bear his share in promoting the public welfare and the advancement of the city and is a forceful factor in Montreal not only along legal and political lines but in building up material progress and promoting measures which elevate moral and intellectual standards.
Joseph Gustave Avard, one of the best known men in real-estate circles in Montreal, has been instrumental in promoting some of the largest projects in this city during the past ten years, notwithstanding the fact that his life record does not cover one-half the span of time of many other real-estate dealers of the city. He was born January 29, 1881, at Shirley, Massachusetts, a son of Louis and Philomene (Sasseville) Avard, both of whom are natives of St. Hyacinthe county, Quebec. For some years the father was a saddler at Shirley, Massachusetts, but since 1883 has resided at St. Hyacinthe.
The son was educated in the schools of St. Hyacinthe, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Academy and in the St. Hyacinthe Practical Business School. For a year he was a clerk in St. Hyacinthe Bank and through the ensuing four years was with the Eastern Townships Bank at St. Hyacinthe and Waterloo, Quebec.
In 1903 Mr. Avard came to Montreal as an accountant for the firm of McPherson & Company, wholesale dealers in cheese and butter. In 1905 he opened a real-estate office at 47 St. Vincent Street under the firm name of Avard & Dagenais. This firm continued in business successfully for five years at that location. On the expiration of that period the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Avard opened an office in the Royal Trust building, where he remained for two years, removing thence to the Transportation building at No. 120 St. James Street in 1912. In that year the business was incorporated under the name of J. G. Avard & Company, Ltd. He promoted the Viauville Lands, Ltd., one of the largest [490] deals carried through in the past decade. The firm owns the Tetreauville Annex and are agents for Hudonville Lands, Ltd. Mr. Avard is also a director of the Dominion Quarry, Ltd., of the Metropolis Apartment Company, Ltd., Montreal Playhouses, Ltd., and of the Practical Business School of St. Hyacinthe. His offices in the Transportation building are models of good taste and the casual visitor has only to glance around to see that Mr. Avard is a lover of the fine arts.
On the 2d of October, 1904, Mr. Avard was married, in Montreal, to Rachel Eva Simard, a daughter of the late Adelard Simard, a well known lawyer of Waterloo, Quebec. To Mr. and Mrs. Avard have come three children: Elise; Gaston, who died at the age of eleven months; and Jean.
Active in the social life of the city, Mr. Avard is a member of the Canadian Club, the National Sporting Club, the Reform Club, St. Denis Club and is the vice president of the Laurentide Summer Home Company, Ltd. Politically he is a liberal, and his religious faith is indicated in his membership in St. Leon’s Roman Catholic church at Westmount, where he resides.
Albert H. Campbell, an active factor in business circles in Montreal as a member of the firm of A. C. Leslie & Company, iron, steel and metal merchants on St. Paul Street, remained in connection with that business until his death, which occurred August 27, 1907. He was a native of Ontario, born May 13, 1866, and a son of Dr. Donald P. Campbell, who was also born in the province of Ontario, where his father had settled upon coming to Canada from Scotland. Dr. Campbell was a graduate of McGill University and after preparing for the medical profession practiced in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, until his death which occurred in 1870. He was married in Montreal, in 1863, to Miss Alice Bell, a daughter of James Bell, who came to this city in 1832 from Scotland and was prominent as a contractor and builder here until his death in 1860. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Campbell returned with her family to Montreal, where she has since resided.
Albert H. Campbell was thus reared in this city and completed his education in the Montreal high school, in 1883. He first engaged with Frothingham & Workman after leaving school, spending a few years with that firm before he embarked in business on his own account as junior partner in the firm of A. C. Leslie & Company, iron, steel and metal merchants on St. Paul Street. He then concentrated his energy upon the development of that business and was a very active representative of commercial interests in Montreal until his life’s labors were ended in death. He studied every phase of the business with which he was connected, readily recognized and utilized advantages and by methods that neither seek nor require disguise, won the confidence and respect of contemporaries and colleagues.
Mr. Campbell was married in Ottawa to Miss Elizabeth Henderson of Ottawa, whose father, John Henderson, is city clerk there. Mr. Campbell belonged to the Canadian Club and his social nature gained him many warm friends. He was a public-spirited man and gave generous and helpful support to projects [493] for the general good. He belonged to the Board of Trade and was in hearty sympathy with its plans for Montreal’s improvement. He was also a member of the American Presbyterian church and his life exemplified his belief.
Capable, earnest and conscientious, Dr. Joseph Israël Desroches has for many years exercised his profession in Montreal, where he is widely known to the general public and enjoys high prestige among his colleagues, especially in regard to hygiene and children’s hygiene, upon which subjects he is an expert. His standing is quite evident from his connection with some of the foremost societies in the medical line in the world and it is therefore not surprising that his practice should be extensive and representative as well as lucrative to him. Dr. Desroches was born in October, 1850, at St. Esprit and is a son of André and Héloïse (Mercier) Desroches, the former in his day a well known agriculturist of St. Esprit. The Desroches family is descended from one Jean Deroches, who was born in 1614 and in 1641 left Ste. Lucie, near Autun, France, for Villemarie. He made the journey with one Monsieur de Maisonneuve. In 1647 he married Françoise Godet and this marriage was the first contract of that kind to be registered at Villemarie. Jean Deroches had a family of eight children, of whom his son Pierre married Marie Beaudry on November 24, 1698, at Pointe-aux-Trembles. It was he who added the s to the original name of Deroches. Jean Deroches died at Quebec on August 23, 1664. This record of the early ancestors of Dr. Desroches is to be found in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire Généalogique, in volume I, page 184.
Dr. Desroches pursued his classical studies at the Seminary of Joliette and received his medical education at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Montreal. There he received his degree of M. D. in 1877. He has ever since engaged in his profession at Montreal and, deeply studious of mind, has ever continued in perfecting his wide knowledge and keeping up-to-date with the latest discoveries made in the world’s medical science. The humane element in his nature is strongly developed and much of his success must be ascribed to the confidence which he inspires in his patients and which is recognized today as being one of the larger factors in effecting a cure. Careful in diagnosis, he is decisive in his actions after reaching a conclusion and there are hundreds who can testify to his ability and are grateful to him for having given them back health and happiness.
It is but natural that a man of Dr. Desroches’ ability should turn to the scientific side of his profession, not finding his sole satisfaction in mere attendance upon and ministrations to the sick. In 1884 he was chosen by the Hygienic Society of the Province of Quebec as manager of the Journal of Popular Hygiene and had charge of this valuable medium of influence until 1895, contributing many articles toward the enlightenment of the general public. In 1887 Dr. Desroches was nominated an honorary member of the Société Française of Paris and in the same year, on the occasion of the exposition of children’s hygiene, held in Paris, he received from the Hygienic Society for Children, of that city, a diploma and a gold medal and was chosen a corresponding member of the society. In 1889 he [494] was made a corresponding member of the Society of Physical, Natural and Climatological Sciences of Algiers. From 1892 to 1895 and from 1898 until 1901 Dr. Desroches had charge of the medical bureau of the province of Quebec and from 1894 until 1900 was a member of the Provincial Council on Hygiene, of Quebec.
On February 9, 1881, Dr. Desroches was united in marriage to Miss Albertine Groulx, a daughter of Louis Thomas and Cornélie (Doyou) Groulx, the former a well known barrister and notary public of Joliette. Dr. and Mrs. Desroches have the following children, Jeanne, Gilberte, Henri, Juliette and Lucille. In various connections the Doctor has made valuable contributions to hygienic science and the subject of medicine and several of the works of which he is the author enjoy a wide circulation and are considered standard by the profession. He is a public-spirited man, progressive not only in his profession but in regard to all subjects that affect his home city and is ever ready to give his warm support to worthy public enterprises. His deep knowledge assures him of a position of distinction, while his kindly spirit has gained him a place in the hearts of his fellowmen.
Hon. Honore Mercier, minister of colonization, mines and fisheries, lawyer and legislator, recognized as one of the liberal leaders of Montreal and also acknowledged one of the capable representatives of the bar, was born at St. Hyacinthe, P. Q., in 1875, his parents being the late Hon. H. M. (Count) Mercier and Virginie (St. Denis) Mercier, the former prime minister of Quebec and one of the eminent lawyers of the province, of whom mention will be found elsewhere in this work.
The preparatory education of Honore Mercier was received at St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, following which he was privately tutored in preparation for his work at Laval University, that institution conferring upon him the LL. B. degree in 1899. He was made an advocate in 1900, since which time he has successfully practiced his profession, being now senior member of the law firm of Mercier & Beique, with offices in the Quebec Bank building. Mr. Mercier’s knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence is comprehensive and exact, and his ability, devotion to his clients’ interests and the thoroughness with which he prepares his cases have given him high standing as a representative of the legal profession in the province.
Mr. Mercier has been a prominent figure in municipal and provincial affairs, standing firmly in support of the principles and measures which he deems of vital worth. He was elected to the city council of Montreal in February, 1906, and in 1907, was appointed a member of L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, of which he is secretary and treasurer, and in the work of which institution, Mr. Mercier has proven a most capable official.
He was chosen in the liberal interest to represent Chateauguay in the provincial parliament, where he has sat almost uninterruptedly since 1907. On April 29, 1914, he was appointed minister of colonization, mines and fisheries in the Gouin cabinet. He gives earnest and thoughtful consideration to the questions of the [495] day and is farsighted in his outlook over the political field with all that it implies in its relation to the welfare, progress and prosperity of the province and dominion.
Mr. Mercier was married, in April, 1903, to Miss Jeanne Frechette, a daughter of the late Dr. L. H. Frechette, C. M. G. Their religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. They occupy an attractive home at No. 408 St. Denis Street, and its hospitality is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. They also have a summer residence at Bellevue. Mr. Mercier is not a club man in the usually accepted sense of the term, yet he belongs to the Club Canadien and has social qualities that make and retain friends.
Natural ability and profound learning have placed Alfred Forest among the well known young barristers of Montreal, where he enjoys an extensive practice as a member of the firm of Le Blanc, Brossard & Forest, who have offices at No. 35 St. James Street. Well versed in the letter of the law, he is capable, earnest and conscientious in the discharge of his duties and has been entrusted with much important litigation since beginning his career.
The Forest family were among those French emigrants who settled in Acadia—now Nova Scotia—and the earliest record to be found of them in Montreal is that of Madeline Forest, who was born in 1709 at d’Annapolis, Acadia. On the maternal side Alfred Forest is descended from the Mousseau family, who are named among the early settlers in the province of Quebec, the first mentioned being Jacques Mousseau, who was married on January 25, 1694, at Boucherville, to Marie-Ann Daunet, or Daunais.
Alfred Forest was born on the 8th of June, 1881, in the parish of St. Patrick of Rawdon, in the county of Montcalm. His parents were Urgel Forest, gentleman, and Eliza (Mousseau) Forest, a niece of the late Hon. Alfred Mousseau, in 1882 prime minister of the province of Quebec and later minister of public service in the cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald in 1884. In 1886, when he died, he was judge of the superior court of Montreal and was always a leading conservative.
In the acquirement of his education Alfred Forest attended the Seminary of Joliette and then followed the philosophical course at the Seminary of the St. Sulpice Fathers in Montreal, graduating in 1905 with the degree of B. A. This was followed by a law course at Laval University, where on December 21, 1907, he obtained his degree of LL. L. with distinction and was admitted to the bar on the 15th of January, 1908. In 1906 he was secretary of the law students at Laval University and in 1907 was their president. During his law course he received practical training in the office of the Hon. Judge Paul Martineau and with the Hon. P. E. Le Blanc, ex-speaker and ex-leader in the legislative assembly, with whom he is now connected under the firm style of Le Blanc, Brossard & Forest. After settling down to his practice no long novitiate awaited him for he soon demonstrated his ability to cope with the most intricate legal problems. His reasoning is sound, his logic forceful and, being a student of humanity as well [496] as book lore, he easily perceives the vital point in the most difficult legal tangles. As the years have passed he has made himself felt in the legal fraternity. Moreover he is now connected with some of the largest interests of the city, this connection having led him to become a director of the Modern Gas Light, Heat & Power Company, in which organization he served in that capacity in 1912 and 1913.
On April 30, 1913, in Montreal, Mr. Forest was united in marriage to Miss Hélène Jondreville, only daughter of Charles Jondreville, formerly of Paris, France. Her parents came directly from that city to Montreal in 1880. Of a distinguished family, Mrs. Forest is a cultured young lady of rare attainments and many accomplishments and will no doubt take a prominent part in the social life of the city.
Mr. Forest has always been a profound student and is an expert on political economy. He is a member of the conservative party and was offered the candidature in the federal election of 1911 by the electors of the county of Montcalm but declined, as his private interests practically forebade him to divert his time. He is an adherent of the Catholic church and holds membership in the Canadian Club, L’Alliance Française and the Conservative Club. Mr. Forest is loyal to the interests of Montreal, of which he is considerate and which he always tries to promote, proving thereby his value as a citizen. He is esteemed and respected not only among the legal fraternity but among the general public, who have recognized his worth as man, citizen and lawyer.
Personally popular, William Paterson left behind him a large circle of friends at his death on the 23d of October, 1902. For twenty years he had been engaged in the tailoring business in Montreal, where he enjoyed a wide acquaintance. He was born December 2, 1858, in Montreal, a son of James Paterson, a native of Scotland, who passed his youthful days in that country. He there married Miss Ellen Swanson and afterward left the land of hills and heather for the new world. To him and his wife were born seven children.
The father was a tailor by trade and it was under his direction and guidance that William Paterson learned the business. He pursued a public-school education and then entered his father’s shop, devoting many decades to that pursuit. He was in business on Notre Dame Street for two decades, having one of the well equipped establishments of the city and gaining a liberal patronage, which grew with the passing years and made his one of the prosperous tailoring establishments of the city.
On the 18th of August, 1881, Mr. Paterson was united in marriage, on Prince Edward Island, to Miss Arabella Le B. Graves, of Nova Scotia, and they became the parents of four children: Leslie J.; William Henry; Alice G., who is Mrs. James J. Aird; and Grace W.
Mr. Paterson voted with the conservative party but never took an active interest in politics to the extent of seeking office as a reward for party fealty. He was very prominent in fraternal circles, serving as worshipful master of Elgin [499] Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and in 1898 he was elected district deputy grand master of the Montreal district. He was past grand in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was also a life member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, and was one of the members of Knox Presbyterian church, serving for several years on the board of managers. His varied interests and activities of life maintained an even balance and made him a forceful and influential factor in support of the business, social and municipal affairs with which he was connected.
D. Aug. Fontaine is a well known lawyer and notary of Montreal, being located at No. 244 St. Catherine Street East. Born in the town of Marieville, Rouville county, February 2, 1872, he comes of distinguished French-Canadian ancestry. The Rev. Damase Limoges is an uncle and Morrainé Alphonsine Lemieux, his cousin. The Rev. Damase Limoges was curate of the Catholic parish of St. Jean Baptiste, in the county of Rouville, and our subject was baptized in the Catholic church in that parish on the 4th of February, 1872. His father was Felix Fontaine, a notary at Marieville, and his mother Claire (Limoges) Fontaine. The former was born at St. Charles sûr Richelieu or at St. Hyacinthe about November 24, 1832. He studied in the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe and served a legal clerkship at Marieville with the notary Laberge. He afterwards established himself in that city as a notary and there practiced for the rest of his life, being recognized as a brilliant lawyer and gaining great success. He was a member of the Chamber of Notaries for about twenty-five years and when he died was vice president of this institution. The mother was born at Terrebonne, about August 2, 1840, a daughter of Pierre Limoges, a blacksmith, and Dame (Viger) Limoges. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Felix Fontaine, a teacher at St. Hyacinthe. The maternal grandfather, Pierre Limoges, and Charlotte Luce (Viger) Limoges, his wife, were the parents of twenty-three children, three daughters of whom embraced holy orders, one of them having joined the Ladies of the Sacred Heart at Montreal. One of their sons, Joseph Magloire Limoges, is a curate at Sorel; another, Damase Limoges, a curate at Beloeil and Farnham. A daughter, Claire Limoges, is the mother of our subject.
Louis Fontaine received his education in the elementary school at the Hospice of Ste. Croix at Marieville. He completed his commercial and classical studies at the Seminary of Ste. Marie de Monnoir at Marieville, having terminated his course in 1893. He studied law at Laval University of Montreal from 1893 to 1897 and served a clerkship with Maître J. A. Dorval, of Montreal. He received his notaryship at Quebec (with distinction) September 14, 1897. Mr. Fontaine then formed a partnership with his former preceptor, Maître Dorval, under the firm name of Dorval & Fontaine. Following, he associated himself with his classmate, Oscar Desautels, continuing the partnership of Fontaine & Desautels until 1899. At the end of that time he succeeded his father, Felix Fontaine, as notary in Marieville. Taking up his father’s practice, he there followed his profession for about ten years and has been actively engaged in legal work in Montreal since [500] 1910. He was secretary-treasurer of the school commission of Marieville and also was manager of the Marieville branch of a private bank, known as “La Caisse d’Economie de Drummondville.” He also was for some time collector of customs at Marieville. In politics he was a strict liberal until 1909 and although he yet gives his allegiance to that party, is a nationalist at the same time.
On the 29th of July, 1896, Mr. Fontaine was married in the town of Marieville, which is now annexed to Montreal and known as the town of Ste. Cunegonde, to Miss Marie Eugenie Anna Vezina, daughter of Alexandre and Emma (Chagnon) Vezina. The father is engaged in the saddlery business. Mr. and Mrs. Fontaine have three children: Marie Eugenie Claire Ubaldine, fourteen years of age; Marie Marguerite Jeanne, twelve years of age; and Joseph Alexandre Felix Auguste, aged eleven.
Mr. Fontaine is a member of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic church. He is a musical composer of no mean ability and has produced a pleasing repertoire of Canadian songs. He is the author of the Canadian national song, which was written to the words of Abbé A. Fournet, P. S. S. He was a prize winner in the competition between Canadian poets in 1908 and the newspaper La Presse paid him one hundred dollars, le prix de concours. He is adviser to the singers of Notre Dame parish church of Montreal. Mr. Fontaine deeply interests himself in all matters pertaining to public affairs and is interested in the cause of education and in arts and letters. He is a lawyer of ability, a patriotic citizen and a man who stands for the higher things in life and who finds great pleasure and satisfaction in following his aesthetic tastes and in implanting his art ideas in others. His talent along musical lines has been ably put to use in elevating the musical standards of the city and in bringing more closely before the public the idea of creating a home musical art particularly and peculiarly Canadian.
In the field of engineering the name of Arthur Surveyer is widely known. Liberal training and broad experience have brought him to a prominent position and won for him the liberal patronage that is accorded him as senior partner in the firm of Surveyer & Frigon, consulting engineers of Montreal.
Mr. Surveyer was born in this city on the 17th of December, 1878, son of L. J. A. and M. A. Hectorine (Fabre) Surveyer, of whom more extended mention will be found elsewhere in this book, and supplemented his course of study in St. Mary’s College by a course in L’Ecole Polytechnique in which he won the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Applied Science and was graduated as a civil engineer. He also pursued a special post-graduate course at L’Ecole d’Industrie et des Mines du Hainout, Mons, Belgium. His liberal training and broad experience have made him one of the most efficient representatives of the profession. From 1904 until May, 1911, he was in the service of the Canadian department of public works and was engaged on the survey, plans and estimates for the Georgian Bay Ship Canal project and the survey of the Richelieu river for a twelve-foot canal. He was supervising engineer during the construction of the Port Arthur Dry Dock and reported on several hydro-electric projects on the [501] St. Lawrence river. In May, 1911, he left the public service, in which he was connected with many important works, to enter upon private practice, but has been retained as consulting engineer by the public works department in a number of important matters such as the preparation of Canada’s case against the Chicago drainage canal and the report on the plans submitted to the government by the Montreal Tunnel Company and by the Montreal Central Terminal Company. Mr. Surveyer is a member of the St. Lawrence River commission, is engineer for various municipalities and is a member of a number of professional societies and associations, including the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers and the Hydrotechnic Society of France. Thoroughness has characterized all that he has undertaken. That quality was manifest in his preparation for his profession. He was a most discriminating and earnest student and in his practice he has lost sight of no detail of his work and at the same time has given due prominence to its most important problems and features. His entire professional career has been characterized by continuous advancement.
J. F. Olivar Asselin was born at St. Hilarion, in Charlevoix county, P. Q., November 8, 1874, a son of Rieule and Cedulie (Tremblay) Asselin, the latter of whom is still living. He emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1892, and in Fall River, Massachusetts, J. F. Olivar Asselin was for two years employed in the cotton mills.
Taking up journalism, he was at first connected with small French weekly publications. He afterward became editor of La Tribune, a Woonsocket, Rhode Island, daily, in which capacity he enjoyed the friendship and confidence of the Hon. Mr. A. J. Pothier, then lieutenant governor, and now governor of Rhode Island. While practicing his profession in Woonsocket, Mr. Asselin was principal of an evening public school in that city in 1897 and 1898.
He was the first man to enlist in the First Rhode Island Volunteers, at the breaking out of the Spanish-American War.
Returning to Canada in 1900, he was successively connected with the Montreal Herald, La Patrie, Le Journal, La Presse, La Nationaliste and Le Devoir, with a two years intermission—1901-1903—during which he was private secretary to the Hon., now Sir Lomer Gouin, then minister of colonization and public works of the province of Quebec. In 1902 he organized the Nationalist league, being for several years president of the Montreal branch. This indicates his deep interest in political problems and to disseminate the principles in which he believed, he founded La Nationaliste as the organ of the party, and for a time was editor of that publication.
He has written much upon various subjects, his publications including a series of political brochures with the title, Feuilles de Combat. He is also the author of “A Quebec View of Canadian Nationalism, an Essay by a Dyed-in-the-Wool French-Canadian,” which was published in 1910.
He has been in business for four years as manager of the Credit Metropolitain, one of the well known real-estate and financial firms of Montreal.
In 1912, he was appointed by the federal government, a special commissioner to French and Belgium, to study the question of emigration from those countries to Canada. Mr. Asselin has made a special study of municipal questions, and is well known as a member of the National Municipal league, as well as a contributor to the Municipal Journal. Mr. Asselin stood twice as a candidate for parliamentary honors, without success, a result which, in one case at least, was said to be due to his caustic spirit. In 1913 he was elected general president of the great St. Jean Baptiste Society, the national society of the French.
In 1903 Mr. Asselin wedded Mlle. Alice Le Bouthillier of Montreal.
A specialist in the treatment of children’s diseases and prominently known in connection with both hospital and private practice, Dr. Joseph Asselin is one of the best known physicians of Montreal. He was born in Joliette, Quebec, August 10, 1858, a son of Eusebe and Elmire (Cornellier) Asselin. The father was a merchant and proprietor of an important seigneury.
Dr. Asselin acquired his classical education in Joliette College, and in further preparation for the profession which he had determined to make his life work, he studied for two and a half years in hospitals for children, in Paris, under the direction of such eminent men as Parrot, Bouchert, Simon and Descroizilles. Since entering upon active practice in Montreal his advancement has not only been continuous but rapid, winning speedy recognition for his ability. He has served as a director of the town dispensary of the Sisters of Providence, Montreal, an institution in which many thousands of children have been treated each year. He has also been physician of the Orphelinat St. Alexis at the corner of Mignonne and St. Denis Streets, Montreal.
On the 10th of October, 1883, Dr. Asselin was married to Miss Albina Laurier, daughter of Dr. Louis Laurier, and their family numbers five children. Dr. Asselin is a conservative in politics and in religious faith a Roman Catholic. He holds membership with the Independent Order of Foresters, but his chief interest is that of his profession. He gives untiringly of his service for the benefit of mankind and is highly esteemed not only by his colleagues but by the community generally.
In a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit, talent and ability Louis Theophile Marechal has attained distinguished rank. Firmly entrenched in the principles of jurisprudence, he adds to his forensic knowledge and ability the rare gift of eloquence, which has been an effective force in winning for him a high position in his profession. He represents one of the [505] old and distinguished French families in the Montreal district. His birth occurred at St. Henri, near Montreal, on the 13th of March, 1864, and in the pursuit of his education he spent some time as a student in Montreal College and in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College. He afterward entered Laval University, where he pursued his law course until graduated with the class of 1889. The same year he was called to the bar and has since practiced as an advocate of Montreal. He was made a king’s counsel in 1903 and was appointed a councillor of the Montreal bar for the year 1908-9. His advancement in his profession has been continuous. He accurately applies law principles, being seldom, if ever, at fault in the citation of a fact or legal precedent. He speaks French and English with equal fluency and has been gifted with oratorical power that enables him to sway his hearers with the force of his eloquence. Moreover, his statements are convincing, and his legal utterances are always based upon a thorough understanding of the legal principles involved.
Mr. Marechal was united in marriage to Marie, the only daughter of Hon. C. B. de Boucherville, but lost his wife in death in 1902. His recognition of the duties and obligations of citizenship is manifest in many tangible ways. In politics he is a conservative of the pronounced type. He unsuccessfully contested St. Mary’s (Montreal) for the house of commons in the general election of 1904 and was again a candidate for the same seat in 1908. It is a recognized fact that he is a leader in party ranks and has done much to mold public thought and action. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. The spirit of progress dominates him in all things, especially in his professional and public relations, and his position of leadership is one to which his ability, public spirit and eloquence have brought him.
Specializing in the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, Dr. Badeaux has won a merited place in his particular branch of the medical profession. A native of Three Rivers, Quebec, he is descended from a very old and prominent family, the ancestry being traced back to 1630, when Jacques Badeaux, who was one of the first notaries in Canada, settled at Beauport. In the direct line from Jacques Badeaux to the subject of this review, there were four notaries. The great-great-grandfather, Jean Baptiste Badeaux, who resided at Three Rivers, was also an author and journalist and among his literary productions was a journal relating to the American Invasion in 1775. His son, Joseph Badeaux, also a notary, was a member of the legislature from Three Rivers at Quebec during the Revolution of 1837.
Dr. Georges Badeaux, his son, and grandfather of Dr. L. Georges Badeaux, was a widely known physician of Three Rivers, where he engaged in practice for fifty-five years, or until the time of his death. He was the father of two sons and several daughters. One of his sons, Joseph Badeaux, was a physician at Three Rivers, but is now deceased. His only son is Dr. Joseph M. Badeaux, now engaged in the practice of medicine as successor to his father and grandfather.
Louis Badeaux, father of Dr. Badeaux, of this review, has always resided at Three Rivers, where for more than a quarter of a century he was engaged in the wholesale dry-goods business. He is now living retired.
Dr. L. Georges Badeaux was born March 21, 1886, in Three Rivers and acquired his classical education in St. Joseph’s College in his native place. In 1906 he began the study of medicine at Laval University, Quebec, and after spending two years there he entered Laval University at Montreal, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1910.
He then began to make special study of the eye, ear, nose and throat at the Hotel Dieu, being assistant there in the treatment of the diseases of those organs. For the past three years Dr. Badeaux has been an assistant in practice to Dr. Albert Lassalle, the noted eye and ear specialist. For two years Dr. Badeaux was a professor in the demonstration of anatomy at Laval and he is a member of La Société Médicale de Montreal.
On the 28th of April, 1913, Dr. Badeaux was married in Montreal to Anita Fellay, a daughter of Ernest Fellay, of this city, and they have one child, Louis Jacques.
Dr. James Chalmers Cameron, medical practitioner and educator of Montreal, was for thirty-eight years actively connected with the profession in this city, enjoying not only the respect of all with whom he came in contact but also the love and affectionate regard of those to whom he ministered in his professional capacity by reason of his ready sympathy and thorough understanding as well as his medical and surgical skill. Kindness and helpfulness might be termed the keynote of his character and those qualities constantly found expression in all the relations of his life. Ontario was proud to number him among her native sons, for as he developed his latent powers and energies he gained a wide reputation. He was born at Aultsville, Ontario, January 18, 1852, being the eldest son of Rev. James Y. Cameron, of the Presbyterian church, who after receiving his education in Edinburgh, under Dr. Thomas Chalmers, was actively connected with the ministry in Canada for a number of years, but later withdrew from that field to devote his energies to teaching. He conducted a private academy in Lundy’s Lane for several years and was later in turn principal of the Drummondville (Ont.) high school, the Williamstown (Ont.) high school and for a couple of years lecturer in classics and mathematics at the Presbyterian College, Montreal. Rev. J. Y. Cameron married Charlotte Ann Ault in 1851. Both husband and wife were descended from United Empire Loyalist families, who had sacrificed their homes in the American colonies to remain true to the British flag and settled in Glengarry.
Dr. Cameron began studying in the old Upper Canada College, Toronto, and by reason of his aptitude and close application became head boy of the school in 1870. He next entered McGill, where in four years he became first prize man in medicine, graduating in 1874. The succeeding three years were spent in connection with the General Hospital in Montreal, but in 1877 he severed his connection [507] with that institution and in April of the same year sailed for Dublin, Ireland. He pursued post-graduate courses in medicine and surgery in Berlin, Paris and Vienna and thus he added greatly to his knowledge through acquaintance with the methods of practice of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of the old world. The chair of obstetrics at Bishop’s College was offered to Dr. Cameron when he returned from his first post-graduate course at the Rotunda and was at once accepted. He remained there until the chair at McGill was offered him, thus giving him wider opportunities. He became professor of obstetrics and infants’ diseases at his alma mater, holding that chair for twenty-six years and contributing in large measure to the success of the medical department. He believed always in raising the standards of medical education because of his clear recognition of the responsibilities devolving upon the practitioner and his labors and teachings were an inspiration to all who came under his instruction. While professor at McGill Dr. Cameron became associated with the old University Lying-in Hospital, which later became the Montreal Maternity Hospital, and Dr. Cameron’s work in behalf of that institution resulted largely in bringing it to its present standard of modern excellence. It was not only as practitioner and educator that Dr. Cameron became widely known but also as a contributor to various text-books on medicine, this gaining him a wide reputation. His treatises were written in English, French and German. He was well known in the United States and was elected an honorary fellow of the American Gynecological Society, besides being a member of many other leading societies connected with the medical profession. He was a member of the British Medical Association and the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society. For many years he was chief medical examiner for the Equitable Life Assurance Society in Montreal. He gained eminence as a lecturer on subjects of literary interest, his addresses on Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns being especially well received.
Dr. Cameron was married in 1880 to Miss Elizabeth Jane Dakers, daughter of James Dakers, who was for thirty-five years secretary and manager of the Montreal Telegraph Company. Mrs. Cameron survives with one son, Dakers Cameron, of Montreal. Dr. Cameron is also survived by his mother and two brothers, Dr. John W. Cameron, of Buffalo, New York, and Wellington Ault Cameron, barrister, of Toronto.
The remarkable energy of Dr. Cameron found expression along other lines. He was for a time assistant surgeon of the Sixth Fusiliers. His name was on the membership role of the St. James and University Clubs and in 1874 he was initiated into Royal Albert Lodge, A. F. & A. M. Subsequently he became the principal mover in establishing the University Lodge, A. F. & A. M., which has rapidly grown in influence and includes many university graduates and students of McGill. He was the first worshipful master of this lodge and also an officer of the grand lodge of Quebec. In Masonry he attained the thirty-second degree. As specially appointed medical examiner for the German army, Dr. Cameron held a position unique in Canadian history, an honor which he valued very highly. He was also a member of the Teutonia Club. Dr. Cameron died suddenly on March 16, 1912. The funeral services were conducted according to Masonic rites, the religious ceremony taking place at St. Paul’s Presbyterian church, of which he was a member. One of the local papers said: “His every patient became his friend and his death is a loss to thousands.” The news of his demise, indeed, carried a sense [508] of personal bereavement into many homes where his eminent skill and kindly ministrations had made him loved and honored. In all of his professional relations he approached the ideal because of his comprehensive knowledge and still more because of his deep human interest and sympathy. He regarded it as a sacred privilege and obligation to discharge the duties of his profession and his life embodied the thought of the philosopher who has said: “Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success.”
On the list of architects who have had to do with the building of Montreal appears the name of Joseph Venne, senior member of the well known firm of Venne & Labelle, and those who are to any extent familiar with the building operations that have been carried on here in the last third of a century know that he has figured prominently as one whose work combines the indispensable qualities of utility, comfort, convenience and adornment. He was born in Montreal, June 14, 1859, was educated in the Christian Brothers school of this city and, being a diligent student, creditably passed his examinations.
After putting aside his text-books he entered the office of Perrault & Mesnard, architects, and for many years was their head clerk. The high regard entertained for him by his employers is indicated in the advancement that came to him from time to time and his eventual admission to the firm under the style of Perrault, Mesnard & Venne, which partnership continued for several years when it was dissolved. Since 1912 he has been associated with Louis Labelle.
In 1882 Mr. Venne was united in marriage to Miss P. Boucher, a daughter of S. Boucher, Esq., of Montreal. A Roman Catholic in religious faith, he belongs to the St. Jean Baptiste Society and has been president of the Sacred Heart section. In politics he is a liberal. Along professional lines his connection is with the provincial Association of Architects, and through his identification with that organization he keeps in touch with the advanced work and progressive ideas of representative men of the profession and also contributes from his experience and wisdom to its discussions and conferences.
The name of Niel H. Asselin has become a familiar one in commercial circles in Montreal, where he occupies the important and responsible position of general agent of the Singer Sewing Machine Company for eastern Canada. He was born in 1845 at St. Michel, Bellechase county, in the province of Quebec, and supplemented his preliminary education by study in the St. Michel Commercial College. He reached what may be termed his métier by a somewhat circuitous course. He started with the Grand Trunk Railway in the position of operator and stationmaster at Hadlow in 1863 and left that position to accept one in the [511] office of the prothonotary for the Quebec district, in which capacity he served for six years. He then resigned to travel in the boot and shoe trade, and in 1874 came into active connection with the sewing machine business as representative of the Howe Sewing Machine Company. When this went into liquidation he made his way to the United States and joined the sales force of the Wheeler & Wilson & Domestic Sewing Machine Company.
Upon returning to Canada in 1884, Mr. Asselin entered the employ of the White Sewing Machine Company as its representative in Quebec, the maritime provinces and Newfoundland. In 1891 he joined the Singer Sewing Machine Company at Quebec as its manager for half of the province and a part of New Brunswick. In 1903 he was advanced to the position of superintendent and in 1905 became general agent for all eastern Canada, comprising Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, with headquarters in the Board of Trade building in Montreal. Here with an office staff of fifteen under his control and twenty-eight regular shops, thirty-two contract shops and four hundred outside employes under his jurisdiction, he may well be said to hold the blue ribbon position in sewing machine circles in Canada.
Mr. Asselin has a fluent command of both English and French and is a cultured, genial gentleman, whose popularity arises from attractive social qualities as well as pronounced business ability.
Robert T. Mullin, one of the able and successful advocates in Montreal, is a representative of a well known Canadian family whose members settled in the Dominion about 1810. He was born in 1870 at Bryson, province of Quebec, and after completing his preliminary education, entered McGill University at Montreal. He was graduated from the law department in 1896, with first rank honors, and he was also a gold medallist in Roman law in his graduating year. While at McGill, Mr. Mullin was a member of the Literary and Debating Society and was also editor in chief of the “McGill Fortnightly.” He was called to the bar in 1900, beginning the practice of his profession in this city in partnership with Colonel J. P. Cooke, who later became registrar, the firm name being Cooke & Mullin. This connection was productive of mutually beneficial results and was maintained until 1910 when it was dissolved. Mr. Mullin later was a member of the firm of De Boucherville, Mullin & Mathieu, but since 1912 he has been alone in practice. Mr. Mullin is at all times a strong and forceful practitioner, well versed in underlying legal principles and possessed of the insight, keenness of perception and powers of deduction necessary to make his knowledge effective. He controls a large and important clientage and is very successful in its conduct, standing today in the front ranks of reliable and competent advocates in Montreal.
At the inception of the Cobalt mining activities, Mr. Mullin became interested in various mining properties, and he has had considerable success along this line of industry and has played a conspicuous part in the development of various mining properties. His operations have been so successful that his judgment has been profitably followed by others in the mining world.
Mr. Mullin is connected with the Masonic fraternity and with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is active in the affairs of the local branches of both organizations. Mr. Mullin has done valiant service in the ranks of the liberal party. He has always been an enthusiastic supporter of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and ready to respond to his party’s call at any time. In the city where practically his entire active life has been passed his signal ability has gained him the respect of his professional brethren, while his constant courtesy and sterling qualities of character command everywhere high honor and regard.
J. A. St. Julien, K. C., was a member of the prominent and well known law firm of St. Julien & Theberge, having offices at No. 60 Notre Dame Street East. During the years of his connection with the Montreal bar he attained an enviable place in the practice of his profession.
Mr. St. Julien was a native son of Montreal, born in 1855. Liberal educational opportunities qualified him for important professional service. His early studies were supplemented by a course in the Montreal College, Laval University and in McGill University and from the last named institution he was graduated with the degree of B. C. L. He entered upon the active practice of his chosen profession in 1882 and was continuously before the courts from that time until his death. His ability was pronounced for he was ever a careful and discriminating student of the principles of law and was accurate in the application thereof. His devotion to his clients’ interests was proverbial, yet he never forgot that he owed a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law, and neither the zeal of an advocate nor the pleasure of success permitted him to disregard this. His political allegiance was given to the liberal party, but he was never an aspirant for office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional interests and perform his public service as a private citizen. His death occurred May 4, 1914, and was deeply regretted by all who knew him. In his demise Montreal lost one of her foremost representatives of the legal profession and a citizen who was always loyal to his city.
Hon. Charles Laurendeau, chief city attorney, the head of the city’s legal department, is one of the able members of the legal profession in Montreal. The Hon. Mr. Laurendeau belongs to one of the oldest families in the province of Quebec. He was born at St. Barthelemy, in 1865, and was educated at L’Assomption College and Laval University. In the latter institution he pursued the study of law and was graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1892.
In the same year he began practice as an advocate, and rapidly won a foremost position among his colleagues until his ability and power to successfully cope with the intricate and involved problems of jurisprudence became widely known.
He was at one time associated in practice with Justice Fortin, subsequently becoming the head of the law firm of Laurendeau, Pelletier & Pelletier. He was created king’s counsel in 1906, and on July 6, 1910, was honored with the appointment of puisne judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec.
Advancement at the bar is proverbially slow and yet he has progressed step by step, putting his knowledge to the practical test in his application of legal principles to the points at issue, in which connection he is seldom at fault.
Judge Laurendeau resigned his position on the bench, to accept the far more arduous one of city attorney, to which he was appointed October 26, 1913.
Judge Laurendeau is married to Miss Georgina Beaudet, the eldest daughter of G. J. Beaudet, of Coteau-du-Lac, P. Q. Judge and Mrs. Laurendeau hold membership in the Catholic church. The hospitality of their attractive home is enjoyed by many friends, and Judge Laurendeau is well known and honored among his professional colleagues by reason of his strict conformity to the highest ethics of the law.
Will. H. Whyte, prominent and successful in the insurance profession and an eminent representative of Masonry in Canada, was born in Montreal, March 15, 1850, the eldest son of the late James Whyte of “The Greenlaw,” Paisley, Scotland, and Annie Gray (Shanks) Whyte, whose girlhood home was at Berwick on Tweed.
Will. H. Whyte became a student at the Montreal Collegiate school and entered business circles in connection with the wholesale dry-goods house of Ogilvy & Company. The steps in his orderly progression are easily discernible and his course has been marked by a continuous advance along lines of constantly broadening activity and usefulness. For six years he was business manager of the Montreal Herald when the Hon. Peter Mitchell was the principal owner and president. Since 1897 his attention has been given to the insurance business, and his constantly expanding powers have brought him into prominent relations with the profession. He is now secretary-treasurer and underwriter of the Royal Marine Insurance Company of Montreal.
His business connections alone would entitle him to distinction, yet he has, perhaps, an even wider acquaintance through his Masonic associations. Indeed, few Canadian Masons are better known throughout the Masonic world. He was initiated in Prince Consort Lodge, No. 52, and was installed worshipful master in December, 1876. He was elected to a number of important offices in the grand lodge and became grand secretary of the grand lodge of Quebec in January, 1902. He has passed through the various branches of Royal Arch Masonry and was grand first principal Z. of the grand chapter of Quebec, holding the office for the years 1888-9. He has held the office of grand scribe E. from 1893. He received the Cryptic degrees and has been illustrious grand master of the grand council of the maritime provinces. He was knighted as a Knight Templar in 1882 and was supreme grand master in 1895 and 1896 of the sovereign great priory of Canada and has been grand chancellor since 1897. He was the second Knight Templar to be elected an honorary member of the grand encampment, [514] K. T., of the United States at the triennial conclave in Chicago in 1910. He is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine and of the Royal Order of Scotland. The many important offices he has held, as well as his reviews and historical sketches have brought him very prominently before the Masonic craft for many years.
In former years Mr. Whyte was an active athlete and supporter of amateur athletics. He was one of the founders and is the historian of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He has also served as one of its directors. He was likewise president of the Montreal Lacrosse Club in 1885-6; was vice president and secretary for six years of the Montreal Snowshoe Club; is one of the oldest members of the Dominion Commercial Travelers’ Association; is a life member of the Caledonian Society; a member of St. Andrew’s Society; and of the Board of Trade of Montreal.
On the 3d of January, 1882, Mr. Whyte married Almeda Garratt, a daughter of the late Captain Robert Nelson Garratt of Kingston, Ontario, a representative of one of the families longest connected with the history of the city of Kingston. They are members of the American Presbyterian church, and they delight in dispensing the hospitality of their home at No. 4290 Western Avenue, Westmount.
James Paton, a well known citizen of Montreal, died November 17, 1905. He was born in this city in 1853, a son of Laird Paton, a distinguished citizen of Montreal, who was at the head of the firm of Laird Paton & Sons, contractors.
It was to that business that James Paton turned his attention, when his school days were over, joining his father and acquainting himself with every phase of the business in which he was destined to win substantial success. The firm of Laird Paton & Sons took high rank among the contractors of the city and erected many of Montreal’s best buildings. James Paton was capable of watching and directing the slightest detail as well as the most important features of his business and could turn with equal energy and enthusiasm to sporting events. In a word, he had the power of concentrating his entire energy upon the interest of the moment and it was this that gained him prominence along each line. Whenever the name of James Paton was seen in connection with any sport, it was a guarantee that it was clean and honest and he rendered great service to the city in the promotion of amateur sports. He belonged to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and was one of the moving spirits in the development of that organization and in the efforts which eventually lead to the securing of the present handsome quarters of the organization on Peel Street. He was also instrumental in securing the establishment of its swimming-pool and he belonged to the Montreal and Caledonian Curling Clubs, was always ready to take an active part in the water carnivals, and was a favorite of the membership in the different organizations with which he was identified. He found pleasure and manifested marked proficiency in ice-boating and tobogganing. He loved sailing and seemed a born sailor, displaying great ability in managing his craft and taking part in many sailing contests of note.
Mr. Paton married Miss Annie M. Thompson of Ottawa and they had four children. He was but fifty-two years of age at the time of his death. He possessed in a large measure the quality of camaraderie and his friends were legion so that his death was deeply regretted outside the immediate family circle.
Richemont Le Moyne de Martigny, for many years engaged in the real-estate business in Montreal, was born at Varennes, Quebec, September 25, 1852, and is descended from a distinguished French family that was founded in Canada in 1654. Of the three brothers who first crossed the Atlantic to the new world Charles became governor of Montreal, Jacques established himself at Varennes and was a farmer and active participant in the early Indian wars, while Pierre proceeded westward to what is now Detroit.
Prime de Martigny, father of Richemont Le Moyne de Martigny, was a farmer at Varennes, well known in both military and official connections, serving as colonel of the militia and mayor of Varennes. He married Charlotte Perreault, of Quebec, and their sons were: Prime, a physician of Omaha, Nebraska; Richemont Le Moyne; and Alexander, chief engineer of the Ottawa River Navigation Company.
The second son was educated at L’Assomption College and studied law with La Coste & Globesky, of Montreal. In 1881 he was admitted to the bar and practiced his profession until 1885, when he devoted himself to the real-estate business, in which he has since been successfully engaged. It is generally conceded that he is one of the best informed men on real estate in the entire province. He is an expert valuator of property, and his knowledge of the real-estate market embraces every important piece of property that is offered for sale. A spirit of enterprise characterizes all of his business dealings and, guiding his activities, has brought him to a position of distinction and success.
In 1880 Mr. de Martigny was married, in L’Assomption, to Marie Louise Levesque, and they have one daughter, Jacqueline. Mr. de Martigny is a conservative in politics and in religious faith is a Roman Catholic. He has ever been fond of outdoor life, is an enthusiastic fisherman and spends much of his leisure in engaging in that sport.
Hon. Napoleon Charbonneau, K. C., and a puisne judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec since 1903, was admitted to the bar in 1879 and in the intervening period has made continuous progress in his profession until he is today one of the leaders of the provincial bar. He was born at Cote des Neiges, Quebec, on the 12th of February, 1853, his parents being Augustin and Julienne (Dufort) Charbonneau. In the acquirement of his education he attended Montreal College and after thorough preparation for the bar was admitted to practice [518] in 1879 and entered upon the active work of the profession in Montreal. At one time he was a partner of the late Senator Trudel and of the Hon. L. O. Taillon. He has successfully pleaded before the judicial committee of the privy council, and on the 11th of March, 1903, he was made a puisne judge, remaining continuously upon the bench to the present time. The Montreal Standard speaks of him as “a judge of uncommon perspicacity, thoroughly sound in his law and swift in his perception of relevant facts and issues; there are not two opinions as to his ability.”
Judge Charbonneau’s public activity aside from his service on the bench has been partially in connection with political affairs. He unsuccessfully contested Jacques Cartier for the house of commons in the liberal interest at the general election in 1887 and in 1895 was elected at the by-election. He was appointed a royal commissioner for the province to inquire into the charges against the Hon. A. Turgeon in 1907. His attention, however, has largely been confined to his professional duties, and he has gained eminence in a calling where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit. Endowed by nature with strong intellectual power, he has so directed his reading and his activities as to have won place among the eminent judges of the province.
The present wife of Judge Charbonneau was Mlle. Lemieux. His religious belief is that of the Roman Catholic church. He maintains his residence in Montreal at No. 36 Simpson Street. His summer outing affords him opportunity for cruising, and he and his family are enthusiastic over this form of recreation. His launch, the Mouette, is much enjoyed. His circle of friends is select rather than large, and he is often found in those gatherings where intelligent men are met in the discussion of vital and significant themes and problems.
Foremost in his profession in Montreal is Georges Alphonse Monette, architect, whose skill finds tangible expression in some of the most beautiful and substantial structures of the city. A native of Montreal, he is a son of Georges and Domithilde (Beauchamp) Monette. The father, now deceased, was a contractor. The mother is still a resident of this city.
G. A. Monette acquired his early education in the Christian Brothers school and began the study of architecture in the office of A. F. Dunlop, a well known architect, with whom he remained for five years. He received a diploma from the Associate Architects of the Province of Quebec in 1892 and soon afterward went to Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied in the offices of a number of the leading architects of that city. He then returned to Montreal and entered the office of Perrault & Mesnard, architects, subsequently engaging in business for himself about a score of years ago. While he has a large general practice, he specializes in public buildings work and substantial evidence of his ability may be seen in the La Patrie building, the large block of H. P. Labelle & Company, Ltd., the dental department building of Laval University, the St. Leo Catholic church of Westmount and a number of school and convent buildings. [519] That he ranks notably high in his profession is indicated by the fact that he has been admitted to membership in various important organizations, including the Province of Quebec Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, while of the Architectural League of New York he is an associate member.
Mr. Monette was married in Montreal to Maria Versailles, a daughter of Nazaire Versailles of Montreal, and they have the following children: Antonio, Cecile, Gertrude, Marcal, Adrienne, Eugene and Hector. Mr. Monette is a member of the Club St. Denis and has attractive social qualities, which have won him popularity and prominence in a friendship circle that is extensive. His interests, however, have been concentrated upon his profession with the result that his position is now one of recognized leadership.
There is probably no other line of business that is a factor in a city’s growth and development equal to the real-estate business, when conducted by men who are reliable and who aim to develop only properties of merit and value. Included among such men is Maxime Daoust, president and founder of the Daoust Realty, Limited.
Mr. Daoust was born in St. Clet, P. Q., November 10, 1873, son of Leon and Olive Daoust. When he was six years of age his parents removed to Labelle county and there Mr. Daoust received his education. In 1893 he went to the United States and was employed in various places in New England until February, 1898, when he enlisted as a volunteer in the United States marines for service in the Spanish-American war, which then seemed imminent.
He was among the first troops landed on Cuban soil at Guantanamo, June 10, 1898, participating in the fight at that place. He remained in Cuba until August, when he was detailed as one of the guard to accompany the Spanish prisoners, survivors of Cervera’s fleet, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Mr. Daoust remained in the United States service until the expiration of his enlistment, after which he returned to Canada in 1900 and for some time was employed at the trade of brass molder in Montreal. He then entered the fire and life insurance field as an agent, at which he achieved success so that in 1904 he had accumulated capital sufficient to engage in the real-estate business in a small way. He formed a partnership with the late Joseph Charrau under firm name of Charrau & Daoust, and the first subdivision handled by them was Frontenac Park, owned by the estate of Henry Hogan, the land being then an open field. This tract comprised twenty-five hundred lots, and today this property is populated by over five hundred families and its location is now the geographical center of Montreal. The firm quickly won a reputation for straight and honorable dealings so that when their subsequent subdivisions, Estate Viau and Christian Brothers, were placed on the market, it was not the merits of the properties alone that made them in demand.
Mr. Daoust later purchased the interest of Mr. Charrau and in 1908 the Daoust Realty, Limited, was formed with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Daoust becoming president and manager. Up to that time he had financed his own properties, but he realized that to carry out his huge land schemes he would require more capital, hence his company. Since then the Daoust Realty, Limited, has done some of the largest real-estate business in the city. In June, 1913, the capital of the company was increased to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
They are sole agents for Mount Lasalle Park, Mount Lasalle Annex Park and Champlain Park in Rosemount ward; Bernard Terrace, Bernard Plateau and Alliance Park in Longue-Pointe ward; St. Helen’s Park and Coteau Rouge Park, near town of Montreal South; St. Lambert Heights, near town of St. Lambert; Chambly Basin Park, Chambly, P. Q.; and Montreal East Extension, Pointe-aux-Trembles, these properties representing a carrying value of over three million dollars. Mr. Daoust is vice president of the Mackay Realty, Limited, a member of the Board of Trade and the Chambre de Commerce.
In politics he is a liberal and in religion a Roman Catholic. He is fond of athletic sports and is president of the National Sporting Club, Limited. Mr. Daoust was one of the first men in Canada to become interested in aviation and has spent thousands for furthering that science. He has built four machines, the designing and building being done in this district. The first two were failures, but notwithstanding the large expense he persevered until his courage and enthusiasm were rewarded by his machines making successful flights.
On June 20, 1905, Mr. Daoust was married to Amelia Clement, daughter of Samuel Clement of Pointe Claire, Quebec, and they have two children, Farnand and Jule-Berthe.
Mr. Daoust is a self-made man in the fullest sense of that term. He possesses many admirable qualities and a character of sterling worth. He is devoted to his home and family, is faithful in friendship and loyal to every interest to which he gives his support. He possesses marked business enterprise with ability to recognize opportunities that others pass heedlessly by and early grasped the eternal truth that industry wins, making industry the beacon light of his life, and has thereby entered into most important business relations. He has accomplished important and far-reaching results and has contributed in no small degree to the expansion and material growth of the community.
François George Crépeau, a representative of the notarial profession in active practice in Montreal since 1890, was born at St. Henri de Mascouche, Quebec, on the 25th of May, 1865, a son of Charles and Mathilde (Magnan) Crépeau. The ancestry of the family can be traced back to Paul Crépeau of Laverdure. The next in the line of descendants was T. Maurice Crépeau, major of militia, who married Marie Andet of St. Jean, isle of Orleans. Their son, Charles Crépeau, wedded Agnes Chartrand and their son, Charles Crépeau was married in 1765 to Françoise Gravel near Quebec. They were the parents of Joseph Crépeau, grandfather of [523] François George Crépeau. He married Madeleine Allard, and they were parents of Charles Crépeau, father of our subject. The family were largely agriculturists and the old homestead which has been occupied by the family for over one hundred and fifty years, is now owned by Octave Crépeau, a brother of François George Crépeau. The father’s family numbered fifteen children, four of whom passed away, while six sons and five daughters are yet living and all are well and strong.
After the ordinary school training François George Crépeau attended an academy and followed his academical course by study in l’Assomption College. He won his degree at the College of Montreal and Laval University, being graduated LL. B. in 1890. Having studied law and prepared for the notarial profession, he entered upon active practice, in which he has since continued, his ability bringing him to his present position as a prominent representative of his chosen calling. His practice is very extensive and in addition he has other business investments, being a director of the Funeral Expense Society and of La Cie Mutuelle d’Immeubles, Ltee.
On the 25th of May, 1891, Mr. Crépeau was married to Miss Marie Louise Lecours, a daughter of Théophile and Marie (Prefontaine) Lecours, representatives of one of the old French families of the province. The children of this marriage are: George Henry, a photographer, who married Juliette Robillard; Joseph Roumald; M. Jeanne; M. Juliette; M. Emérentienne; and J. C. Bernard. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Crépeau holds membership with the Canadian Order of Foresters, and the Independent Order of Foresters. He also belongs to the Société Des Artisans, to the Knights of Columbus, to l’Union St. Pierre and l’Alliance Nationale.
Comprehensive knowledge of the science of dentistry, skill in its mechanical phases and close adherence at all times to the highest standards of the profession has made Dr. Arsene S. Brosseau one of the leading and best known dentists of Montreal. Moreover, he is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in length of practice in the city. He was born January 22, 1861, in L’Acadie, P. Q., a son of Jacques and Catherine (Demerce) Brosseau. The parents were for many years highly esteemed residents of Montreal, but both are now deceased.
Dr. Brosseau acquired his early education in the Christian Brothers school in Montreal and then took up the study of dentistry at Laval University, being graduated in 1883. He began practice in the office of Dr. John C. Nichols, with whom he remained for five years, and later he spent three years in the office of Dr. Edmund Mathieu. Later he began practice on his own account and has since continued alone. He has continuously promoted his knowledge through broad reading and investigation, keeping in touch with the advanced thought of the profession. His practice comes to him from the best class of Montreal citizens and is very extensive. Splendidly equipped is his office, showing all the latest appliances known to modern dentistry, and back of all his success is the sound judgment which enables him to understand the specific needs of each case [524] and to apply the necessary corrective. Reputation has placed him in a foremost position in the ranks of the dental fraternity in this city.
Dr. Brosseau was married in Montreal, in 1883, to Miss Fannie Robert, a daughter of Julien Robert, and they had two children: Lotta, who died in early life; and Leo. In club circles Dr. Brosseau is known as a popular member of the Club St. Denis and Club Canadien. He belongs to the Roman Catholic church and is a liberal in politics. In matters of moment to the individual and to the community he maintains the same spirit of progress which characterizes him in his professional activity, yet he has always made his profession his chief interest and has obtained a splendid practice. He has ever attended strictly to the duties incumbent upon him in that connection, being possessed of excellent business qualifications and a most attractive personality, which has been a large asset in his success. His is a splendid type of manhood and citizenship, and his record is a credit to the profession.
Joseph Augustin Odilon La Badie, one of the best known notaries of Montreal, was born May 12, 1852, at the family home on St. James Street, between Roy Street and David Lane. His grandfather, Joseph Augustin La Badie, also a native of Montreal, studied with Jean Marie Cadieux, a notary, and for many years had his office and also his home in the building which stood at the corner of St. Lambert Hill and St. James Street, now the corner of St. Laurence boulevard and St. James Street. He was devoted to his profession, spending the hours from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. in his office. He was asked to become mayor of Montreal but declined the honor. He served as colonel of a volunteer regiment and was a warden of Notre Dame Cathedral. He married Louise Grenier, who was also of an old Montreal family, and to them were born eighteen children. Joseph A. La Badie passed away in 1885, at the advanced age of eighty years.
Joseph Evariste Odilon La Badie, father of J. A. O. La Badie of this review, was born in the old home at the corner of St. Lambert Hill and St. James Street. He attended Montreal College and in his father’s office prepared for the practice of the notarial profession. In the home in which he was born he continued to practice with his father until 1864, when the old building was razed and a new one erected on the same site. In the latter he continued to practice his profession until his death, which occurred in August, 1908, when he was eighty years of age. He was chief warden of Notre Dame Cathedral and was a prominent and influential citizen. He married Sophie Jeannotte, a native of Montreal, and they lived to celebrate their golden wedding. Mrs. La Badie passed away April 13, 1906. They had a family of seven children: Joseph Augustin Odilon; Adolphe, a notary of Montreal; Felix, a practicing physician of Montreal; Joseph Esdras, a real estate dealer of New York city; Flora, who died in childhood; Sophie, the deceased wife of Louis Belanger, a lawyer; and Alphonse, a broker, who died in Montreal in 1908.
Joseph Augustin Odilon La Badie pursued his education in the normal school and in the Jesuit College, from which he was graduated. In 1874 he won the [525] degree of B. C. L. from McGill University and on the 8th of May, of that year, he was made a notary at Laval University in Quebec. He then began practice with his father and grandfather and has ever maintained high standing in his profession.
Mr. La Badie has been an extensive traveler. As a young man he engaged in ranching in Colorado and during his sojourn in the west learned much of that section of the United States. He has also made many trips abroad. He is a great lover of nature and a student of botany. The library which he has collected contains more than six thousand volumes, many of which are rare editions. This is an indication of his cultured taste and wide interest in literary matters. His summer home for the past twenty-one years has been at Upper St. Lambert, where he has two fine farms and makes a specialty of cheese making. Mr. La Badie is very fond of hunting, a recreation in which he indulges every year.
Though over three score years of age, Mr. La Badie is of magnificent physique, his muscles as hard as iron, and he has the appearance of a man twenty years his junior. In his office is a long table, four feet wide, over which he can jump without touching it with his hands and he can lift a weight of one hundred and eighty-seven pounds with one hand. His interests have largely covered those things which are essential and valuable elements in life. He has been a student of many questions of public moment and has filled some offices, being now a commissioner of the superior court and a justice of the peace. For one hundred and ten years the La Badies of four generations have been notaries at the present location. The great-grandfather of Joseph A. O. La Badie died at the home where Joseph E. O. La Badie was born. The family is, indeed, one of the oldest and most prominent in Montreal.
Mr. La Badie is not a club man. His interest centers in his home and his family, which he prefers to club life. On the 7th of October, 1877, he married Aurelia de Lompré, of an old Montreal family, and to them have been born seventeen children: Raoul, a civic employe; Odilon, who is in his father’s office; Paul, a notary; Florida, deceased; Jeanne; Germaine; Marie Antoinette; Camile; Alice; Leo; Amanda; Adolphe; Alice; Emile; Pauline; Gabriel; and Cecile.
Arthur Gibeault, a Laval man, active in the practice of law since January, 1902, has been retained as counsel for the defense or prosecution in many notable cases heard in the Montreal courts. He was born on the 26th of February, 1880, a son of Arthur Alphonse and Elizabeth Emma (Morrissette) Gibeault. The father was for seven years provincial chief ranger of the Catholic Order of Foresters. The son was a student in Montreal College for eight years, from September, 1890, until July, 1898. In September of the latter year he entered Laval University, where he remained until December 21, 1901, winning the Bachelor of Arts and LL. L. degrees. He was admitted as a lawyer and barrister to the bar of Quebec on the 17th of January, 1902, and has since been [526] actively connected with the profession, in which he has made steady advancement, already having won a place of equal rank with many an older representative of the bar. He was attorney and counsel for the school commissioners of Hochelaga for many years and as counsel tried many immigration cases. He was especially prominent in the case of Gaetanetta Imparato, who was deported to Italy and subsequently returned to Canada pursuant to an appeal made by Mr. Gibeault in her favor. He represented Sarah Kositzky in her appeal before the department of immigration of the United States and obtained a commission of three medical men to examine her. The decision of the first board was afterward reversed by this commission. Mr. Gibeault’s name appears in connection with other important cases which have attracted widespread interest not only in Canada but also in the United States.
Mr. Gibeault is a conservative and was prime minister of the mock parliament of Laval in 1899 and head of the conservative ministry, while the leader of the opposition was J. W. Pilon, a well known lawyer of Montreal. That Mr. Gibeault possesses marked histrionic as well as legal talent is indicated in the fact that during the year 1904-5 the Greek drama of Antigone by Sophocles was played in Greek, on which occasion he took the role of Ismene and the role of Antigone was taken by D. Lalonde, now Father Lalonde, P. S. S., one of the directors of Montreal College, while the role of Creon was played by J. F. St. Cyr, now district magistrate of St. Johns, Iberville. The production of the play in Greek created a tremendous sensation at the time because it was an achievement unheard of before.
On the 26th of June, 1905, Mr. Gibeault was married to Marie Jeanne Phaneuf, daughter of L. A. Phaneuf, notary public of Rigaud, and Marie Joseph Adam. Mrs. Gibeault is a niece of the Rt. Rev. Canon F. L. T. Adam, of Montreal, and Father J. Adam, S. J. Mr. and Mrs. Gibeault have three children, Yves, Marc and Madeleine. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and Mr. Gibeault is a leading member of the Independent Order of Foresters. Possessed of natural oratorical ability, his power in that direction, supplementing the analytical trend of his mind and added to his broad knowledge of the law, has gained him distinction as one of the younger members of the Montreal bar.
Dioscore Alfred Benoit, M. D., prominent in the field of medical practice, making a specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, was born in Montreal on the 26th of July, 1880, a son of Lucien and Albina (Bourdon) Benoit, the former a native of Contrecoeur and the latter of Lavaltrie, Quebec. The paternal grandfather, Isaac Benoit, was born in Geneva, Switzerland, a member of an old French family of rank established in Switzerland at the time that Louis XIV issued the revocation of the edict of Nantes. Some years after his arrival in Canada Isaac Benoit embraced the Catholic religion.
Dr. Benoit pursued a commercial course in a Catholic school and his classical course in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College. Having determined upon the practice of [529] medicine as his life work he entered Laval University wherein he completed the medical course with the class of 1906. During the succeeding year he was interne in Notre Dame Hospital and then went abroad to continue his medical studies in Paris, where he remained for two years, making a specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. Upon his return he was made demonstrator of anatomy in Laval University which position he occupied for a year. He next became adjoint professor in obstetrics and medicine to Laval University and adjoint professor to the Catholic Maternity Hospital. He is a member of the Medical Society of Montreal and the profession as well as the public recognize the high position which he has attained in the field in which he specializes. His reading and investigations have been deep and broad, and his opinions are largely accepted as authority upon points in question concerning the obstetrical practice. In politics Dr. Benoit is a conservative according to the views of Macdonald and Cartier with tendencies toward the nationalist. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. His entire life has been passed in Montreal, save for the period spent in study abroad. He there came under the instruction of some of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of Paris, returning well equipped for the arduous and responsible duties of a profession in which he has made continuous advancement. Dr. Benoit’s office is at 945a, St. Denis Street.
J. Louis Michaud, district engineer of public works of Canada for the district of Montreal, was born November 27, 1851, at Rimouski, province of Quebec. He is descended from an old family of St. Denis, county of Kamouraska. His father was Tobie Michaud, a contractor and builder, and his mother was Felicitée Fournier.
J. Louis Michaud was educated at the Classical Seminary at Rimouski and studied engineering with Charles Baillarge, an eminent engineer of Quebec, for two years, and then for two years was connected with the engineering department of the Intercolonial Railway. On the 19th of April, 1878, he was admitted to practice as a licensed land surveyor at Quebec and the recognition of his skill and ability came to him in April, 1882, when he was made Dominion land surveyor at Ottawa. In 1883 he came to Montreal to reside, but his work for the Dominion in surveying the Canadian northwest continued until 1889. From that year until 1896 he was engaged in private practice in Montreal and an extensive clientage was accorded him. He is recognized as one of the best versed men in the science of his profession as well as in all the practical phases of the business. In 1896 he was appointed district engineer of public works for the district of Montreal and has since conscientiously and capably discharged the duties of that position.
In 1880 Mr. Michaud was married, at Matane, Rimouski county, Quebec, to Henriette Bradley, who died in 1910. They had eleven children, three of whom died in childhood. Two of the number, Albert, aged seventeen years, and René, aged fifteen, met death by drowning at Ste. Anne de Bellevue. The [530] surviving six are: Alexander, who is with the Canadian Light & Power Company; Edouard, a missionary priest in central Africa; Juliette; Adolph; Grazielle; and Gabrielle. In a review of the life work of J. Louis Michaud it is self-evident that his advancement has come through the development of his powers resulting from broad study and active practice in the profession. He holds to the highest standards, and his progression has been continuous. He is a member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and is a member of the Corporation of Land Surveyors in Quebec.
J. Augustine Mann, one of the best known members of the Montreal bar, was born May 24, 1876, in the city where he still maintains his home, his parents being Eric and Agnes McWhirter (Bailey) Mann. For thirty-eight years Eric Mann was an engineer and architect of Montreal and in 1901 retired from business and returned to his native city of Edinburgh, Scotland, to live. Mr. and Mrs. Mann had two children: J. Augustine; and Mrs. Quincy Tucker, now a resident of Boston, Massachusetts.
The former was educated in Montreal, completing a course in McGill University with the class of 1901, at which time the B. C. L. degree was conferred upon him. While in McGill he was also a student in the office of Foster, Martin & Girouard. Upon his admission to the bar in 1901 this firm became Foster, Martin, Girouard & Mann and is now Foster, Martin, Mann, MacKinnon & Hackett. Mr. Mann was created a king’s counsel in 1911. His practice has been extensive, and his high reputation has been well won. Aside from his practice, he is now in business connections as a Canadian director of the N. K. Fairbanks Company.
Mr. Mann is a member of the Montreal Art Association, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Club, the Montreal Jockey Club, the Montreal Curling Club and the Beaconsfield Golf Club. These associations indicate much of the nature of his interests and indicate him to be a broad-minded, cultured gentleman and also one of social nature.
Mr. Mann was married in Montreal to Miss Evelyn Gertrude Mann, and they are parents of two children: Dorothy and Audrey. The family residence is at No. 822 University Street and their summer home, Dornal Hall, is at Beaurepaire, Quebec.
Joseph Wilfrid Michaud, senior member of the firm of Michaud & Des Rosiers, public accountants at 55 St. Francis Xavier Street in Montreal, is a native of the province of Quebec, his birth having occurred at St. Barthelemi on the 2d of August, 1872, his parents being Olivier and Stephenie (Paquin) Michaud. He was educated in the schools of his native town and in St. Viateur [531] Academy. He began his business career as an accountant for the Western Loan & Trust Company, Ltd., and later became associated with Mr. A. W. Wilks as a member of a firm of public accountants under the style of Wilks & Michaud. For a number of years this firm occupied a prominent place in professional circles in Montreal. In 1911, following the dissolution of the partnership, Mr. Michaud joined Mr. Des Rosiers in forming the firm of Michaud & Des Rosiers. Their clientage is now extensive, and the volume of their business is justified by the capability of the members of the firm. Mr. Michaud is a director of the National Loan & Trust Company, Ltd., and also of the Sapho Manufacturing Company and thus along several lines has become closely associated with the business interests of the city.
In 1897 occurred the marriage of Mr. Michaud and Miss Rose Lafreniere, a daughter of Joseph Lafreniere. They have four children, Yvonne, Gerard, Paul and Lionel. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Michaud holds membership in Club St. Denis. Identified with the interests of Montreal throughout the entire period of his business career, he has become well known, and enterprise and laudable ambition have brought him to his present enviable position.
One of the distinguished members of the legal profession in Montreal, whose years of active practice extend through more than one third of a century, is Joseph Ulric Emard. Well versed in the science of his profession, a deep thinker, logical reasoner, he has long since occupied a foremost place among the strong and forceful Montreal bar.
Mr. Emard comes from one of the old and prominent families of the province of Quebec. His father, Medard Emard, was one of the best known and successful educators of his day, while his mother, previous to her marriage, was Mathilde Beaudin. His brother, Monseigneur J. M. Emard, now bishop of Valleyfield, was for years prominent in church work in Montreal and was attached to Archbishop Fabre’s personal staff at the Palace.
Joseph Ulric Emard was born March 27, 1855, at St. Constant, Laprairie county, Quebec. Reared in a home where education was valued at its true worth, he attended St. Hubert grammar school, then conducted by his father, and was afterward a student in a private school conducted by Abbé Villeneuve.
His entrance into business life was first as a clerk, but after a short time he entered Laval University, where he pursued his law course and was graduated LL. B. in 1881. He was called to the bar that same year, and at once entered upon active practice as an advocate, which he has followed ever since, with brilliant success. Mr. Emard has been connected with a number of important cases, among them being the famous Lachine Bridge case, which he won after a notable legal battle, making it the cause celebre of the day. He was appointed king’s counsel in 1903.
For some years Mr. Emard was associated in practice with Hon. J. Ald Ouimet, [532] who is, at present, counsel in the firm of Emard & Emard, composed of Joseph U. Emard and son, Charles.
Mr. Emard’s interests, aside from the law, are diversified and extensive. Through the splendid use of his talents, as well as his sound business judgment and foresight, he has been very successful, not only as to the accumulation of worldly possessions, but also in the way of important and valuable work done which has given a decided impetus to the city’s progress and improvement. He was the founder of the town of Boulevard St. Paul, now Emard ward, and capably served as its mayor. After annexation he twice represented this ward on the city council as alderman.
Mr. Emard has a prominent connection with business affairs; his interests include mining, real-estate, industrial and financial companies, in a number of which he is a member of the directorate. His connection with corporations has brought him an intimate knowledge concerning corporation law. To some extent he has specialized in that field of practice, and his knowledge thereof is comprehensive and exact.
He is a member of the St. James Club, the Canadian Club and Club St. Denis. Of the last named he was president for a number of years. In 1903 he had been the chief promoter of Club Jacques Cartier. In 1884 he had been president of St. Jean Baptiste Society of the St. Vincent de Paul section. Mr. Emard’s political allegiance is given to the conservative party.
He was married to Miss Exilda Stuart of Montreal, and they belong to the Catholic church.
A man of fine personal appearance and keen intellectuality, his mind has been well trained, enabling him to readily meet any emergency with the consciousness that comes from a right perception of things and a strong regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.
Based upon an excellent professional education, Emilien Gadbois-Van dan Daigue has already made his mark in the legal profession in Montreal, where he practices as a member of the firm of La Mothe, Gadbois & Nantel. The first member of the Van dan Daigue family came to Canada in 1671 from Brussels, Belgium. Pierre Van dan Daigue Gadbois, of the Gadbois family, was born in 1574 and died on October 20, 1667, at Montreal. Joseph Van dan Daigue was born in 1653 at Meunisier and at Quebec, on April 18, 1678, married Louise Chalifour. He died on the 11th of June, 1725, at Charlesbourg. The records of the family continue to the fourth generation up to 1750 in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire Généalogique.
Emilien Gadbois-Van dan Daigue was born October 30, 1884, a son of Emile Gadbois, a well known horticulturist of Longemont, Rouville county, province of Quebec. His mother before her marriage was Priscillia Bernard, a sister of Monseigneur A. X. Bernard, bishop of St. Hyacinthe. Emilien Gadbois was educated at Montreal College, on Sherbrooke Street, and Laval University. On the 1st of July, 1907, he received the degree of B. A. with distinction and in the [535] same year won the first prize in French literature in Laval University. In 1910 he was made by that institution LL. M. and on July 8th, of the same year he received his commission as a lawyer and has since practiced with ever increasing success in Montreal, having formed a partnership with L. E. Bernard, K. C., with whom he was associated until May, 1914, when he became a member of the firm of La Mothe, Gadbois & Nantel with offices in the Quebec Bank building. He has all the faculties of which a lawyer may be proud, skill in the presentation of his evidence, marked ability in cross examination, perseverance before the jury, and a strong grasp of every feature of the case. It is therefore but natural that he readily received recognition and is today connected with much important litigation in the local courts.
In his political views Mr. Gadbois is a conservative, stanchly upholding the principles of his party, although he has not yet become connected with public life. As a member of the Canadian Club he can be found in the ranks of those men who have at heart the development and progress of the Dominion, and he is ever loyal to his city. His faith is that of the Catholic church. On the threshold of a successful career, he has ever moved in the right direction toward fame, and a distinguished future may be prophesied for him, a future which will bring new luster to the old family name which he bears.
Joseph H. Rainville, a member of parliament and deeply interested in questions concerning the government, province and Dominion, is today recognized as one of the younger leaders of the conservative party. He chose as a profession the practice of law, and it is a notable fact that members of the bar are more apt to become prominent figures in political circles than any other class of men. The reason for this is obvious, as the training which qualifies them for the onerous and difficult work of the courts also prepares them to solve the intricate and complex problems of local or general government.
Quebec numbers Mr. Rainville among her native sons, his birth having occurred at Ste. Angele, Rouville county, on the 8th of March, 1875. In the attainment of his education he attended successively Monnoir College, Marieville, and Laval University, where he won the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He entered upon the active practice of his profession with L. E. Beauregard of Montreal in 1901. No dreary novitiate awaited him. His capability won almost immediate recognition. He is an effective speaker, earnest in his appeals before the court, zealous in support of his cause, and at all times loyal to the interests of his clients.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Joseph H. Rainville has been a stalwart conservative, and in 1908 he unsuccessfully contested Vercheres county at the provincial election, being defeated by a majority of ninety-eight. When the tide of popular favor turned against the liberal government of the Dominion in September, 1911, he became a member for Chambly-Vercheres, so that he is now occupying a seat in the house. He frankly and fearlessly [536] expresses his opinion, but also possesses the tact of the successful politician who seeks to conciliate rather than antagonize.
Mr. Rainville married Miss Gendreau, daughter of Dr. J. G. A. Gendreau of Montreal. Mr. Rainville is a lieutenant in the Eighty-fifth Regiment and is a member of the Montreal Gun Club. His friends speak of him as always a courteous, polished gentleman, both forceful and resourceful when occasion demands.
Edouard Fabre Surveyer, who throughout his professional career has been a representative of the Montreal bar and equally well known as an educator and author in the field of his profession, was born in this city in 1875. His father, L. J. A. Surveyer, is a Montreal merchant and a past vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. He married Hectorine Fabre, a daughter of the late E. R. Fabre and a sister of the late Archbishop Fabre, the late Hon. Hector Fabre, C. M. G., and of the late Lady Cartier.
E. Fabre Surveyer was a student in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, where he made an excellent record, winning the Angers bronze medal for letters in 1890, the Mercier gold medal for rhetoric in 1891 and the alumni gold medal for philosophy in 1893. He took up his law course in Laval University and was graduated LL. L. with first class honors in 1896. The same year he won his B. C. L. degree with first class honors from McGill University, but not content with the preparation that he had already made for active practice at the bar, he went abroad and completed his law course in Paris and took part in the first International Congress of Lawyers at Brussels in 1897. He was a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904 and is correspondent for several Canadian, American, French and Belgian law reviews.
It was in 1897 that Mr. Surveyer entered upon active practice in Montreal in connection with McGibbon, Casgrain, Ryan & Mitchell. He has not only obtained success in practice but has also gained recognition for his ability in other professional connections. He has been the editor of the Quebec Practice Reports since their establishment in 1897 and since 1905 has been a lecturer in practice and pleading in McGill University. He was made a king’s counsel by the government of Quebec in 1909. On withdrawal from the firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Mitchell & Surveyer in 1909 he entered into a partnership with H. A. Lovett, K. C., a connection that was continued until the following year. Since September, 1913, Mr. Surveyer has been the senior member of the firm of Surveyer, Ogden & Mariotti. Mr. Surveyer also has an office in New York city in connection with the firm of Daly, Hoyt & Mason, attorneys at law. He has published a pamphlet, The Bench and Bar of Montreal, and there are few who are more familiar with the history of the courts of this city than Mr. Surveyer. In 1903 he was president of the Junior Bar Association of Montreal, while in 1914 he became the secretary of the newly formed Canadian Bar [537] Association. A fluent speaker, forceful and earnest, Mr. Surveyer has as ready a command of English as he has of French.
Aside from his professional duties and interests Mr. Surveyer is connected with various business enterprises which feature in the material development and prosperity of the city. He is vice president of the Union Land Corporation, Ltd., and the Lachine Land Company, Ltd.; is a director of the Capital Trust Corporation (Ottawa), of the Franco-Canadian Land & Development Company, Ltd., and of the Rothesay Realty Company, Ltd. In all business affairs his judgment is sound and his discrimination keen, and he falters not until his purpose has been accomplished and success has rewarded his efforts.
In October, 1906, Mr. Surveyer was married to Miss Elodie Barnard, a daughter of the late Edmund Barnard, K. C., of Montreal. In religious faith Mr. Surveyer is a Catholic and in political belief a conservative. He is regarded as one of the prominent members of the party among its younger representatives, and of him the Windsor Record (liberal) said: “He has a splendid platform presence, speaks English fluently, and has the appearance of an all round campaigner.” Mr. Surveyer’s social connections are with the University Club, Club Lafontaine and Canadian Club of Montreal; the Albany Club, of Toronto; and the Colonial Club, of London, England. He has been president of the Canadian Club, as well as vice president of the Federation of Canadian Clubs and is a member of the executive board of the University Club and a director and honorary solicitor of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Among Mr. Surveyer’s other connections, he is vice president of L’Alliance Française and a member of the board of the Federation de L’Alliance Française aux Etats Unis et au Canada.
He is a member of the executive committee of the Liberal-Conservative Association, and thus in a number of the organizations with which he is allied he has been honored with office. He regards the practice of law, however, as his real life work, and he has at times been heard by the judicial committee of the privy council of England. He has been throughout life a student, and since his admission to the bar has remained a close and discriminating student of law principles, thoroughly qualifying himself for the conduct of all legal business intrusted to his care.
As vice president and general manager of the Canadian Steel Foundries, Ltd., William Forrest Angus represents one of the foremost industries of the Dominion. He was born in Montreal, October 28, 1873, a son of Richard Bladworth Angus, the eminent financier and railway promoter.
William F. Angus was educated privately in preparation for his university course and entered for that purpose McGill, from which he graduated as B. A. Sc. in 1895, completing his university work with a post-graduate course in 1896. He then entered the employ of the Dominion Bridge Company and subsequently was with the Laurie Engine Company, which is now defunct. His next position was with the Canada Switch and Spring Company, which was merged into the [538] Montreal Steel Works. He remained with this concern, rapidly rising to more and more important positions until he was made manager and managing director. When this company was bought out by the Canadian Steel Foundries, Ltd., about two years ago he was elected vice president and managing director of this vast enterprise.
In November, 1904, Mr. Angus was united in marriage to Miss Grace N., eldest daughter of Sergeant P. Stearns of Montreal. They reside at No. 364 Peel Street. In his religious faith Mr. Angus is a Presbyterian. He is prominent in club life, being a member of the St. James Club, the Mount Royal, the Canada, the Forest and Stream, the Montreal Hunt, the University, the Montreal Curling, the Montreal Racquet and the St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs. His name is also on the roster of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
Highly trained in his profession, careful in judgment, shrewd, energetic and a man of rare executive force, Mr. Angus ably administers the affairs of a vast industrial enterprise, and his career bids fair to rival that of his distinguished father. He is deeply interested in all that pertains to progress and trade expansion and can always be found among those men who are the most forceful exponents of advanced measures inaugurated to exploit the vast resources of the Dominion. He bends his genius to create new markets and increase trade facilities and gives of the best of his ability so that the Dominion of Canada may march in the van of the great industrial nations of the world. Realizing that the natural resources lie but dormant, awaiting the magic wand of man, he has linked himself with such men as will guide the Dominion to the industrial position in the world which is its due.
The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a man’s modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments but rather to leave the perpetual record establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his fellowmen, and any history of Montreal introducing biographies of her citizens whose activities and influence have been for the city’s growth and betterment, would be incomplete without reference to Thomas Gauthier.
His life has been so varied in activity, so honorable in its purposes, so far-reaching and beneficial in its effects that it has become an integral part of the history of the city and also left an impress upon the annals of the province. His business interests are extensive and important, but by no means cover the scope of his activities, as he has been identified with various movements and projects having to do with the public welfare along material, political, social and moral lines.
Mr. Gauthier was born in Montreal in 1844 and attended the Lachine Commercial School, but is largely a self-educated as well as a self-made man. He has ever been a reader and thinker and in the school of experience has learned many valuable lessons. At times he has acquired with labor and difficulty the knowledge which he has been so anxious should be given others, his efforts in behalf of education being well known. He began his active business career in Montreal in 1869, and for many years he conducted the Place Chaboillez establishment [541] with conspicuous success. During this time, having become widely and favorably known, he was elected president of the old Society of Mutual Assistance—the Union St. Joseph.
In 1881 the Association of Retail Grocers, of which he was one of the founders, appointed him president and through his active exertions the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal was established. Along these and various other lines he has promoted the business activity of Montreal, pushing forward the wheels of progress in such a way that the entire city has benefited thereby.
His public service in connection with municipal affairs has been equally notable and commendable. He was one of Montreal’s aldermen from 1890 to 1893, and his labors were effective and beneficial as a member of the committees of police and hygiene. He was largely instrumental in establishing the mutual benefit fund among the members of the police force and also in establishing the first public bath in Hochelaga ward. All this, however, does not cover the scope of his activities, for in various other fields of usefulness his labors proved resultant. In the year 1883-4 he was general treasurer of the St. Jean Baptiste Society and was treasurer of the Montreal Exposition Company, in 1891, the only year in which it showed a surplus. He was a member of the finance committee of the National Association for a number of years, being also one of the promoters of the building of the Monument National, and in 1909 he was elected vice president and in 1911 became president, serving until April, 1913.
One of the most important of Mr. Gauthier’s public services has been in behalf of education. It was largely through the missionary work done by him and the assistance he received from the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trade and the Builders’ Exchange that the government was induced to take up the establishment of technical schools in Montreal and Quebec. In this connection Mr. Gauthier has done a noble and patriotic work, the value of which cannot be estimated. He has been president of the Council of Arts and Manufactures continuously since 1897, and more than three thousand scholars are now participating in these classes.
He has ever believed in that special training which will enable the individual to develop his native talents and thus qualify for the business life to which he is best adapted. Mr. Gauthier was associated with Dr. Adami in the general presidency of the Child’s Welfare movement.
In the various movements and projects with which Mr. Gauthier has been associated, whether financial, educational, philanthropic or commercial, he has shown the same intelligent and careful interest as in his own private business affairs.
In connection with the affairs of La Caisse Nationale d’Economie, of which he was one of the founders in 1899, he has taken a very active and prominent part. Ever since its organization he has been chairman of the finance committee, also chairman of the committee of administration, and has been no small factor in the splendid success of this association.
He is an extensive holder of stock in the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, as well as in the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, and is president of the Amherst Park Land Company.
Mr. Gauthier is an exceptionally well preserved gentleman for one of his years, and among his extensive acquaintance he is spoken of in terms of admiration and respect.
He has continuously been a student of the signs of the times, of existing conditions and keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age in his knowledge of political, economical and social questions affecting the welfare and progress of the race.
The position of William Douw Lighthall has for many years been one of leadership. He has exerted wide and beneficial influence on public thought and action and as lawyer, author and the promoter of various prominent societies his name has become known throughout the length and breadth of the land. He has been termed “a living example of good citizenship ... a man of high culture, refined tastes and exceptional literary ability.” His efforts along all the lines in which his activities have been put forth have been productive of far-reaching and beneficial results. He was born at Hamilton, Ontario, December 27, 1857, a son of William Francis Lighthall, who is the doyen of the Montreal notarial profession, and is descended from the Schuyler, Van Renssalaer and Van Cortlandt families, three of the most prominent Knickerbocker families of New York. The mother, Mrs. Margaret Lighthall, was the eldest daughter of Captain Henry Wright, of Chateauguay, who was a son of Major James Wright (McIntyre), the commander of the British settlers of the district in the War of 1812.
After being dux of the high school of Montreal William D. Lighthall pursued a classical course in McGill University, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree and the Shakespeare gold medal in English literature in 1879. He then entered upon the study of law at McGill, which conferred upon him the B. C. L. degree in 1881, and he took the honorary degree of M. A. in 1885. With the completion of his law course he was called to the bar and began practice as an advocate. Nature endowed him with keen mentality, and the thoroughness with which he prepared his cases and the earnestness with which he presented his causes before the courts won him success and advancement. He was created king’s counsel in 1906. For a long period he has been accounted one of the distinguished representatives of the Montreal bar, practicing as senior member of the law firm of Lighthall & Harwood.
What he has accomplished as a member of the legal profession would alone entitle W. D. Lighthall to mention among the representative men of Montreal, yet he has gained equal prominence as an author, as a promoter of various societies, as an antiquarian greatly interested in historical and antiquarian research, and as a public-spirited citizen who takes cognizance of the needs of the hour and employs practical methods in working for high ideals for the benefit of city, province and Dominion. He was the founder of the Society of Canadian Literature, the Canadian National League, the Westmount Liberal Club, the Montreal Tourist Association, and originated and, in connection with De Lery Macdonald, established the Chateau de Ramezay Historical Museum. He was also the founder of the Union of Canadian Municipalities. He was one of those largely instrumental in securing the erection of the Maisonneuve monument at [543] Montreal and was the discoverer of the Indian burying ground at Westmount. He is interested in all that pertains to the history of the country from prehistoric times down to the present, and his researches and investigations have been carried far and wide, bringing to light many interesting points bearing upon the travel history of the North American Indians as well as upon the period of the early colonists and the development of Canada. He is a member of the Scotch Society of Literature and Art; a vice president of the National Municipal League of America; a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; an honorary member of the Women’s Historical Society of Canada and of the Chateauguay Literary and Historical Society; life corresponding member of the Quebec Literary and Historical Society; president of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society; a governor of the Congregational College of Canada and of the Joint Board of Theological Colleges of McGill University; and has been a representative fellow of the University. In 1910 he was appointed a member of the Metropolitan Parks Commission.
In all these years, retiring to the quiet of his study, he has devoted hours to writing, and his authorship has gained him equal renown with his efforts in other directions. His first published volume, Thoughts, Moods and Ideals (verse), came from the press in 1887 and was followed in 1888 by The Young Seigneur. Then came The Battle of Chateauguay, in 1889; Montreal After 250 Years, in 1892; The False Chevalier, in 1898; a Prehistoric Hochelaga Burying-ground, in 1898; A Link in Iroquois History, in 1899; The Glorious Enterprise, in 1901; Hiawatha the Great, in 1901; and Westmount: a Municipal Illustration, in 1902. This last book followed his three years of service as mayor of Westmount, so that he was qualified to discuss the subjects of which the volume treated. The same year he brought forth a volume entitled To the Boers: A Friend’s Appeal from Canada. In 1904 he published Canada, a Modern Nation, and Thomas Pownall: His Part in the Conquest of Canada. In 1908 he added to the list of his publications A Romance of Prehistoric Montreal and The Master of Life; and in 1910, The Governance of Empire and Sights and Shrines of Montreal. He also published Songs of the Great Dominion (Windsor series) in 1889, and Canadian Poems and Lays (Canterbury Poets series) in 1891.
There are few men in possession in so eminent a degree of the habits, tastes and ability of the scholar and at the same time in so large a measure the practical qualities which find expression in successful professional service and in public-spirited citizenship. Mr. Lighthall has studied as closely the signs of the times and the questions of the hour as he has the history of the past. His deep interest in the cause of education was manifest in his service as chairman of the board of school commissioners of Westmount, to which office he was appointed in 1909. He is an imperialist in principle and at the same time a strong believer in the necessity and advantage of organizing the intellectual and higher interests of Canadian nationality and retaining state ownership and control of forests, railways, land tenure, coal mines and other public resources.
In October, 1890, Mr. Lighthall was married to Miss Cybel Charlotte Wilkes, a daughter of John Wilkes and a granddaughter of the late Rev. Dr. Henry Wilkes. Mrs. Lighthall is vice president of the local branch of the Zenana Bible [544] and Medical Mission, and is also a vice president of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. Something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that Mr. Lighthall belongs to Lac Tremblant Fishing Club, of which he was elected president in 1909, and in the same year he was admitted an Iroquois Indian chief with the name of Ticonderoga in recognition of services to that race. He furthermore belongs to the University, Canada, Reform, Montreal, Country and Canadian Clubs of Montreal and the Royal Societies Club of London, England. His winter residence, Chateauclair, is at No. 14 Murray Avenue, Westmount, while his summer home, Camp Beartracks, is at Lac Tremblant. In the review of his history it seems that his constantly expanding powers are opening to him a still broader field of usefulness and establishing him more firmly in the position of prominence which he today occupies.
Joseph Drouin, a member of the Montreal bar, was born at Two Mountains, in the province of Quebec, on the 15th of November, 1875, a son of Firmin and Mathilde (Lafrance) Drouin, sturdy French Canadian farmers. He is of the eighth generation in descent from Robert Drouin, of Pin au Perche, France, who became the founder of the family in the new world, establishing himself at Quebec in 1635. The principal branch of the family remains in Quebec and Orleans, but in 1751 one branch detached itself from the main Quebec stem and was transplanted to Montreal, where representatives of the name have since been found in the city and surrounding districts.
Joseph Drouin pursued a classical course in the seminary of Ste. Thérèse and won his B. C. L. degree upon graduation from McGill University in April, 1904. He engaged in the practice of law, winning a liberal clientage that connected him with the important work of the courts. Of late Mr. Drouin has devoted his attention to the management of his own private interests.
Mr. Drouin is a Roman Catholic in religious faith. He was married in Montreal on the 22d of November, 1904, to Marie Orpha Leduc, a daughter of Augustin and Philomène (Lefebvre) Leduc, who were farming people at St. Benoit, Deux Montagnes, province of Quebec. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Drouin have been born five children: Cécile, Thérèse, René, Marguerite and Gabriel.
Among contemporary Canadian statesmen a foremost place must be assigned to the late Hon. Honore Mercier, premier of the province of Quebec. He was not only distinguished by reason of his position at the head of the government of one of the foremost provinces of the Canadian federation but attained distinction along various other lines having to do with the progress and upbuilding of the country and the upholding of its political, legal and moral status. A native of the province of Quebec, he was born at Iberville, October 15, 1840. He came of [547] a family of unpretentious farmers, or habitants, as they are styled in Lower Canada, the ancestors originally from Old France, although several generations have been represented in the county of Montmagny below the city of Quebec. His father had to provide for the needs of a large household, but he was a man of energy and foresight and counted no personal sacrifice too great if he could thereby equip his children for the later responsibilities and duties that fall to the lot of every individual. The maiden name of the mother was Marie Catherine Laflamme.
When fourteen years of age Honore Mercier became a student in the Jesuit College in Montreal, where he completed his education, making an excellent record. Some time afterward he determined upon the practice of law as his life work and became a student in the office of Laflamboise & Papineau, who directed his reading until he was admitted to practice in 1865. While a law student he turned his attention to journalism and in 1862 became editor in chief of the Courier de St. Hyacinthe, winning distinction because of his able political editorials, his support being given to the Macdonald-Sicotte liberal administration.
Following his admission to the bar Mr. Mercier retired from the profession of journalism to concentrate his energies upon his law practice. His thorough training, his natural powers and his ambition soon brought him a prominent position at the bar and from that time forward his advancement was continuous as a factor in those affairs and events which have shaped the history of province and Dominion.
In 1871 he appeared in the political arena at Bagot as a supporter of M. Langelier, the liberal candidate. The following year, upon the earnest solicitation of his friends, he became a candidate for Rouville in the house of commons and was elected. Following the downfall of the conservative government in 1873, he yielded his seat to Mr. Cheval in 1874, to avoid dividing the vote of the liberal party in the case of the redoubtable conservative candidate, Mr. Gigault. Following his retirement to private life he entered upon a partnership with Mr. Bourgeois of St. Hyacinthe. He was made the candidate of the liberal party in 1878, standing for St. Hyacinthe, but lost the election by six votes. The following year a majority of three hundred and seven votes elected him to the legislative assembly to represent St. Hyacinthe and he became solicitor-general of the Joly administration, filling out the unexpired term of Hon. P. Bachand, deceased. Mr. Mercier continued in the office until the administration went out in the same year.
In 1881, following his removal from St. Hyacinthe to Montreal, Mr. Mercier became a law partner of Messrs. Beausoleil & Martineau and was again called into the field of political activity when in December, 1881, at the general provincial election he was chosen by acclamation for his old constituency, St. Hyacinthe. In the beginning of the session of 1883 Hon. Mr. Joly resigned the direction of the provincial liberal party and Mr. Mercier was unanimously chosen his successor, on motion of Mr. Joly, as the leader of the opposition. Here his dominant qualities found fitting scope, his ability and qualities of leadership placing him within a brief period among the foremost French-Canadian statesmen. Within the short space of three years he demonstrated what could be accomplished by an able and intrepid leader with the support of a small but disciplined and trusty band of parliamentary followers to retrieve the fallen fortunes of [548] his party and to defend and lead to victory a popular cause the moment circumstances placed it in his hands.
As the accepted leader of the new national party formed by a combination of liberals and conservative bolters, Mr. Mercier not only directed the whole movement but personally traversed the province of Quebec almost from end to end, addressing as many as one hundred and sixty meetings and leaving the impress of his influence as a factor in the promotion of his cause. The election of October, 1886, resulted in a victory for the nationals. After the struggle, which ensued in the final overthrow of the Ross administration, Mr. Mercier was called upon by the lieutenant governor to form a new cabinet and in less than twenty-four hours, as a result of his quick decisions and promptness in action, he had made choice of his colleagues, announcing the result to the legislature and the country, both receiving it with marked satisfaction.
The close of the first session found him more popular and more firmly established in the good graces of the people than ever, a position that was augmented later by the marvelous success of his administration as evidenced in the settlement of the long pending dispute with Ontario respecting the division of the common school fund and the unusually advantageous negotiation of the new provincial loan of three and a half millions. His adversaries attributed these and other valuable results to good luck, but a real student of politics knows that good management and thorough understanding of the situation lay back of them. Mr. Mercier remained in power until December, 1891, when he was dismissed by Lieutenant Governor Angers as a result of an investigation held by a royal commission on what then became known as the Baie des Chaleurs Scandal.
On March 8, 1892, at the general elections, though Mr. Mercier was returned for Bonaventure, which he had represented since the general elections of 1890, his party was annihilated and he ceased to be a factor in provincial politics.
Following his retirement to private life he joined his son-in-law, Sir Lomer Gouin, and Mr. R. Lemieux in a law partnership, but he rarely appeared in court. However, he won the highest professional honors. He was actually the attorney-general as well as the premier of Quebec. He was twice batonnier of the bar of the Montreal district, and the respect entertained for him by his legal colleagues was so great that they unanimously elevated him to the still more distinguished eminence of batonnier-general of the bar of the province. Of him it has been written: “Heralded to the world as the apostle of an advanced radicalism which in reality had no representative in this country, he not only preached but practiced a different gospel and in office proved himself unusually moderate and conciliatory as well as a man of broad and generous views, free from sectionalism and exceedingly anxious to do justice to all races, classes and creeds, yet fully determined to work out the regeneration of his native province on the great lines of reform which he ever regarded as essential to that desirable end.”
Mr. Mercier held to the religious faith of the French-Canadians—that of the Roman Catholic church and his loyal adherence thereto increased with the passing years. There was a time, however, when, on account of his political liberalism and alliances, his orthodoxy was more than once seriously questioned by his political foes to his personal and party detriment. This, however, passed by and the Papal authority conceded that a man may be a liberal in politics and yet a good Catholic, while the clergy of Lower Canada came to know that he was not only [549] a devoted churchman in theory and practice, but also that the interests of Catholicism were as safe in his hands as in those of its self-constituted champions who proclaimed their zeal for the faith from the housetops. There was in him nothing of narrow-minded bigotry and perhaps no prominent statesman or political leader of his day has shown himself so free from religious or sectional bias in the conduct of affairs relating to the entire community. A French-Canadian in heart and soul and a thorough son of the soil, still, “strict and impartial justice to all classes, races and creeds and undue favor to none,” seems to have been the motto upon which Honore Mercier always acted. In 1893 he undertook a campaign in favor of the independence of Canada and advocated this both here and in the United States, but with no tangible results. Though received enthusiastically in the eastern states, he met with a rebuff in Chicago, and abandoned the campaign to resume his practice in Montreal.
Two notable features in his life history were the torchlight procession in his honor in Montreal following his return from Europe, and the reception he tendered the ex-Papal zouaves at his country seat at Ste. Anne de la Perade, when he distributed the medals awarded them by the pope. On that occasion Mr. Mercier appeared in the gorgeous uniform of commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great—the first time it had been seen in Canada. The wide recognition given his ability is attested by a partial list of the honors conferred upon him. Not only did he receive the grand cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great from the pope but His Holiness also raised him to the rank of count. He was in addition to these honors officer of the Legion of Honor; commander of the Order of Leopold I, King of the Belgians; and chevalier of the Order of St. Sepulcher. He was made queen’s counsel and received the degree of Doctor of Laws from Laval University, the University of Fordham, New York, and the University of Georgetown.
A man of his ability and eminence could not fail to have enemies, but he had also hosts of friends. He possessed that quality which, for want of a better term, has been called magnetism. He was most generous and ever had a helping hand out-reaching to those who needed assistance. His residence both in Montreal and in Quebec was always filled with his admirers. It has been said repeatedly that his so-called friends were largely responsible for any errors that he may have committed. He was particularly helpful to young men, many of whom have reason to remember him with gratitude. It was his delight to assist a struggling youth in his law studies or in other ways.
Mr. Mercier was twice married. On the 29th of May, 1866, he wedded Leopoldine Boivin of St. Hyacinthe, who died leaving a daughter who subsequently married Sir Lomer Gouin and who is now deceased. On the 9th of May, 1871, Honore Mercier married Virginie St. Denis, also of St. Hyacinthe, and they had two sons and one daughter to reach adult age, Honore, Paul-Emile and Héva. The elder son is a member of the Gouin cabinet and a sketch of his life appears elsewhere in this work. The younger son is a civil and consulting engineer and is mentioned elsewhere in this history. Héva married Dr. Homère Fauteux and resides in Beauceville.
The death of Hon. Honore Mercier occurred October 30, 1894, on which occasion the Montreal Daily Star said editorially: “The career of the late Hon. Honore Mercier is one that will long live on the lips of those who delight in [550] political reminiscences of this historic province. He played a conspicuous role in the political drama; and, while he was on the stage, pretty well absorbed the attention of the multitude. That he was a man of rare ability in many ways, his swift attainment of the highest positions in Quebec amply attests.
“It is too late in the day for those who contributed to his overthrow in ’92 to make mawkish pretension of blindness to his faults, but it may truly be said that he gained striking success in spite of his faults, and, further, that it was his own hand that turned the current of destiny against him. Like all strong characters, he made many warm personal friends, and there will be more sincere mourning at his bier than falls to the lot of most mortals.”
Senator L. O. David, an intimate and lifelong friend of Mr. Mercier, in making a parallel between the three most popular men of our time, Laurier, Chapleau and Mercier, has written of the latter: “Mercier is the heaviest of the three, the strongest built and the most muscular; he is tall, with black eyes and hair and a heavy mustache—a veritable type of musketeer—the personification of strength and energy. He walks heavily with the assurance of a man who believes that the earth belongs to him. Mercier is the most solid, the most vigorous and the most penetrating. Penetrating is, indeed, the word which best describes his eloquence. See his movements; they resemble those of the axeman who strikes the tree at the root and at each blow removes a chip. Mercier is a parliamentary orator, a lawyer, a tribune. He is the strongest, cleverest, and most indefatigable speaker whom I have heard in the house or on the hustings. While I write these words I learn that he is dead. Is it possible that so much of life and intellect are gone forever? What a loss! How little we mortals are! Alas; had he struggled to preserve his health as he fought to regain it, he would not have died so young. Yes, so young, because he was built to live thirty or forty years more. Death has seldom met a more valiant fighter; it has vanquished him, but he died almost standing, as he often said he would.
“Before the grave, which opens to receive his mortal remains, criticism will disarm, no doubt, to render homage to the splendor and power of his intelligence, his political genius, to the energy of his character and the sincerity of his patriotism. Through all the vicissitudes of a stormy life, in spite of his faults and weaknesses, he preserved until the last moment all the fervor of the religious and patriotic sentiments of his youth. Of all the political men I have known, he is the one who, in all things and under all circumstances, was most given to consider questions from a national standpoint. He was frankly, sincerely, profoundly patriotic and without fanaticism. Few men have had more devoted friends, enthusiastic admirers, and secured more brilliant triumphs and undergone such crushing defeats. He was stronger in defeat than in victory. Much will be forgiven him because he suffered much.”
The subject of this short biographical sketch was born at Ste. Madeleine de Rigaud, during a short stay of his parents in that parish, on the 13th day of September 1842, but was brought up at Isle Bizard, on the Lake of Two Mountains, near Montreal. His father, a farmer, was Joseph Berryer-Saint-Pierre of Isle [553] Bizard, and his mother, Demitilde Denis dit Saint-Denis, who had been born at Pointe Claire. Young Henri received his classical and literary education at the old Montreal College on Collège Street near McGill Street. On leaving college he was sent up to Kingston, Ontario, where he began his law course, the object in sending him up there being to give him an opportunity of improving his knowledge of the English language. Having passed the required examinations for his admission to the study of the law, he availed himself of the permission which had been granted him to go and visit Niagara falls and the city of Buffalo. The great battle of Gettysburg had just been fought and won by the northern army, and on his arrival at Buffalo, he found the people delirious with the news of the recent victory. Our young student, who had inherited from his ancestors a marked taste for the military career (a career by the way for which there were but few openings for a young French Canadian in those days, in Canada), was altogether carried away by the enthusiastic demonstrations which he then witnessed and made up his mind to give up the doleful study of Blackstone to enter the American army. A short time later, the runaway student was a member of Company F in the Seventy-sixth New York Volunteers. At the battle of Mine Run which was fought on the 27th November, 1863, he was wounded and reported as dead at the regiment. The same report having been reproduced in the Montreal papers, the usual service for the dead was celebrated for him at the Montreal College and at Isle Bizard where his widowed mother was living. He was picked up from the field however by the southern cavalry and sent to the military prison of Belle Island in the city of Richmond from which he was later on transferred to Andersonville in Georgia. After the capture of Atlanta, he was removed with the other prisoners first to Savannah, and then to Florence and finally to Charleston’s race ground in South Carolina, where he regained his liberty in the spring of 1865 on the city being evacuated by the southern troops. On his return to Montreal after the war, he resumed his legal studies first in the office of Sir George Etienne Cartier, for whom he, for a time, acted as private secretary, and later on in that of the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott who some years afterward became premier of Canada.
He was admitted to the bar in June, 1870. His career at the Montreal bar was a most successful and brilliant one, and he soon became one of the leading lawyers in the province of Quebec, being particularly noted for his success as a criminal lawyer. His record as such was never surpassed at least in his province and but seldom equalled anywhere. It is said that he pleaded not less than thirty-three cases of murder, securing complete acquittals in most of them. Not one of those he defended was ever found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged, except Shortis who had killed two men at Valleyfield and wounded dangerously a third one. In this last case, the plea of impulsive insanity was urged for the first time in the province of Quebec as a ground of defense and proved successful in the end in spite of the verdict of the jury. Shortis is today detained in the penitentiary of Kingston as “a dangerous lunatic.” Judge Saint-Pierre frequently associated in the defence of persons accused of serious crimes with Donald MacMaster, K. C., now a member of the English parliament, who was his intimate friend.
In 1889, he was created a queen’s counsel by the Earl of Aberdeen. Judge Saint-Pierre never showed any great inclination for politics but confined his labor and efforts more particularly to secure the highest position in his profession as a [554] lawyer. Being a liberal, he consented however to be the nominee of the liberal party in the county of Jacques-Cartier, for the local seat in 1878 against the old member, but was defeated by a small majority.
He was married in 1874 to Marie Albina Lesieur, daughter of Adolphe Lesieur, a merchant of Terrebonne. She died on the 19th December, 1908, leaving five children, three boys and two girls who are all married and settled. In 1902 on the occasion of his being raised to the bench, he was made an officer of the order of the Crown of Italy upon a petition presented to the King of Italy by the Italian colony at Montreal supported by the Italian consul.
Judge Saint-Pierre has been the organizer of the Canadian Veterans as a body and has been their honorary president ever since their organization some fourteen years ago.
His eminent ability as a legist led eventually to his appointment to the bench. He was first named for the district of Beauharnois on the retirement of Hon. Mr. Justice Belanger in June, 1902, and was transferred to Montreal in March, 1909, so that he is now presiding over the district of Montreal. His decisions are strictly fair and impartial and render him the peer of the ablest men who have presided over Montreal’s courts.
The Judge is a Roman Catholic of the broad liberal school. He is known to be a great admirer of British institutions though much attached to the French civil law which he holds to be superior to the common law of England.
The press has united in passing high encomiums upon him. The Montreal Herald styled him “a man of great vigor.” The Montreal Star spoke of him as broad-minded and public-spirited. The Toronto Star said “Judge Berryer-Saint-Pierre is gifted with fine powers of eloquence and is broad-minded and tolerant.” Perhaps his lofty patriotism is best indicated in his own utterance: “Be English, be Scotch, be French, be Irish, if you will,” he often said in his public utterance, “but above and before all, let us all be Canadians.” Judge Saint-Pierre’s residence is at 2330 Park Avenue, Montreal.
Successfully operating in mercantile circles, Donald Forbes Angus has also extended his efforts along those lines whereby are promoted aesthetic culture and humanitarian interests, thus rendering his life a serviceable factor in the world’s work. A son of Richard Bladworth Angus, he was educated in England and Germany and in February, 1894, was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ethel Henshaw, the daughter of the late F. W. Henshaw.
In his business connections Mr. Angus has so directed his efforts that substantial results have accrued, and he is today a prominent figure in commercial circles as director of the Intercolonial Coal Company and of the Paton Manufacturing Company, both of which are important forces in the business progress of the city. He is also director of the Bank of Montreal; director of the Standard Life Assurance Company; and vice president of the Guardian Accident & Guarantee Company. In these connections Mr. Angus bends his efforts to executive administration and control, and his ability to correctly judge between the [555] essential and the nonessential, utilizing the one and discarding the other, and his power to coordinate seemingly diverse elements into a harmonious whole have been strong features in his growing success.
Mr. Angus is a popular member of several of the leading clubs of Montreal, including St. James, Mount Royal and the Montreal Jockey Clubs—associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests and the source of his recreation. He is also a life member of the Art Association and is a friend and patron of art. He is likewise a governor and a member of the executive committee of the Fraser Institute of Montreal.
Not only is Henry Holgate one of the foremost civil engineers of Montreal, but he is also an author of no mean talents on professional and other subjects. He is now engaged in private practice after a long and strenuous career with various large organizations and of late has designed and built several large hydraulic power plants for transmission of electric power. He is a member of several arbitration committees, a past vice president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a councillor of the American Institute of Consulting Engineers.
Mr. Holgate is of English ancestry and was born at Milton, Ontario, September 14, 1863, the seventh son of John and Jane (Browne) Holgate, the former of whom was in charge of the division court at Milton. Judge Holgate passed away in 1896 and his wife in 1902.
Henry Holgate was educated in the Toronto public schools and after having completed his studies served an apprenticeship with the Northern Railway of Canada, which lasted for five years. He continued with them for three years and became their chief engineer in 1884, so continuing until 1893, when he took charge of the Central Bridge Company’s works at Peterboro, Ontario. During this time, in 1887, he became a member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, contributing a paper to its transactions for which he was awarded the Gzowski medal. He remained with the Central Bridge Company for about a year and then joined the Royal Electrical Company in Montreal as engineer in charge of the steel plants and general construction. The years 1896, 1897 and 1898 were spent that way, and he then became engineer of the Montreal Park & Island Company, constructing and managing all their lines. He then went as manager and engineer to Kingston, Jamaica, and constructed all of the works of the Western Electric Company there, returning to Canada in 1900. He established himself in a private engineering practice in that year and in 1902 formed a partnership with Mr. Ross, under the firm name of Ross & Holgate, consulting engineers. This partnership was dissolved in 1911.
Mr. Holgate has on various occasions been retained by the federal and provincial governments for special engineering inquiries and reports. He was so retained in regard to the reorganization of the Trent Valley Canal works and was appointed chairman of the royal commission to report on the collapse of the Quebec bridge in September, 1907. He is widely recognized as one of the [556] able men along his line and has had charge in late years of the building of several large hydraulic power plants.
Occasionally Mr. Holgate contributes interesting articles to technical works. He is the author of an exhaustive paper on Northeast Canada, which was published in 1908, and he has lectured extensively, one of his subjects being “Some Facts Regarding the Upper St. Lawrence.”
Mr. Holgate is independent in his political views and nonsectarian in his religious belief. He is a patriotic Canadian and has always at heart the interests of the Dominion. He believes in a Canada for Canadians and for any others who will become good citizens, recognizing the value of desirable immigration.
On September 19, 1888, Mr. Holgate was married to Miss Bessie Bell Headley, a daughter of Edward Headley, of Milford, Delaware. They have two sons, Henry Watson and Edwin Headley. The family residence is at No. 44 Rosemount Avenue, Westmount. He is a member of the Engineers Club of Montreal.
Dr. Légléus Antoine Gagnier is widely and favorably known to the public as a general medical practitioner and more specifically in connection with the special work which he does in treating nervous diseases by electrical methods. He is a man who has never ceased to be a student and still frequently makes trips to Europe in order to attend the clinics conducted by the most eminent specialists in the profession. There is no new phase brought out in the world of medicine with which he is not thoroughly acquainted and which he does not thoroughly understand, and his complete knowledge has naturally resulted in a large and lucrative practice. Freeing himself from many of the old medical prejudices he applies modern thought in his treatments and more closely follows his own logical conclusions than book prescriptions. He believes that in numerous cases massage treatments, X-Rays, light baths and general hydrotherapy will achieve more beneficial and lasting results than the older treatment of giving medicaments internally. His well equipped offices, modernly appointed and filled with all the appliances necessary to follow out his methods, are located at No. 256 St. Denis Street, Montreal, and there ever can be found a long line of patients, rich and poor, old and young, waiting to be admitted for treatment.
Although the family of Gagnier is not among the very earliest Canadian settlers, it is an old one. There were variations in the name of Gagnier and extensive records show the name as Gagné and Gagnesse in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire Généalogique.
Légléus Antoine Gagnier was born at Ste. Martine, in the county of Chateauguay, on October 4, 1871, a son of François and Sophie (Perras) Gagnier, both deceased. The doctor received his classical education at Ste. Thérèse and St. Hyacinthe Seminaries and graduated in medicine from Laval University in 1895. He pursued special studies in Paris and has ever since continued to attend clinics in that and other European cities. Capable, earnest and conscientious, he has not [559] only a reputation for ability but enjoys the utmost confidence of his patients, to whom he is more than a doctor, as they see in him their best and truest friend. He is physician for a number of French and English mutual associations and president of the Medical Board of Union St. Pierre of Montreal.
On September 28, 1897, Dr. Gagnier was united in marriage to Miss Delia Collerette, a daughter of O. Collerette, and they have the following children, Yvonne, Légléus Adolphe, Gaston, Gabrielle, Marie Régine, Germaine and Paul Emile.
The religious faith of Dr. Gagnier is that of the Roman Catholic church. For many years he was a conservative in politics but of late has allied himself with the nationalist movement, a party which in scope of progressiveness stands foremost of the three political organizations of the Dominion and has for its intention the improvement of general conditions not only political and governmental but also sociological. In the material growth of Montreal Dr. Gagnier is interested as a director of the Greater Montreal Land Investment Company, Limited. He has an interesting military record to his credit and has been in command of the Sixty-fourth Regiment of Chateauguay and Beauharnois for three or four years and since January 23, 1901, he has been on the officers reserve as lieutenant colonel. His deep love for mankind finds expression in his public-spirited actions, and he is never called upon in vain to give his support to any enterprise which will benefit the people of his city or country. Careful of his own interests, he is more minutely careful of those of others and influenced at all times by the thought of the broader effect which his work has upon his community, exemplifying in his conduct the lofty ideals of his nation and of a noble calling. He honors his profession by paying it honor and by his adherence to the solid virtues and enlightened principles underlying it.
A native of Montreal, George Stephen Cantlie was born May 2, 1867, a son of James Alexander and Eleanor Simpson (Stephen) Cantlie. The father is a prominent merchant of Montreal and a son of the late Francis Cantlie, a native of Mortlach, Banffshire, Scotland, who married Mary Stuart. James Alexander Cantlie was born June 5, 1836, and married in May, 1866, the second daughter of the late William Stephen, of Montreal. J. A. Cantlie came to Canada in 1863. He was for years head of the well known wholesale dry-goods house of J. A. Cantlie & Company, which was founded in 1868. He is connected with a number of important commercial enterprises and is one of the foremost men in business circles in Montreal.
George S. Cantlie received private tuition and attended the Montreal high school and McGill University in the acquirement of an education. In 1885 he entered the service of the Canadian Pacific Railway as clerk in the audit department. He became consecutively clerk in the comptroller’s office, chief clerk to the assistant general manager, to the assistant president and to the vice president. He was then made general baggage agent, general stationary agent and superintendent [560] of car service. Since November, 1908, Mr. Cantlie has been at the head of the car service as general superintendent.
Colonel Cantlie has for a number of years been connected with the volunteer service. He has been lieutenant colonel in command of the Fifth Regiment, Royal Highlanders of Canada, since May 11, 1905. He commanded this regiment at the Quebec Tercentenary celebration in 1908 and at the Lake Champlain celebration at Plattsburg, New York, in 1909, when he received high commendation from President Taft on the splendid appearance of his men. In 1908 he was awarded the long service decoration.
In November, 1896, Mr. Cantlie was married to Miss Beatrice Campbell, a daughter of the late W. D. Campbell, queen’s notary, of Quebec. Mr. and Mrs. Cantlie make their home at No. 502 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal. He is a member of the Mount Royal, St. James, Montreal Hunt, Forest and Stream, Back River Polo, Auto and Montreal Jockey Clubs. He also is enrolled in the York Club of Toronto and is a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.
One of the best known men in his line of business in Canada was the late Charles Lyman, wholesale druggist, who died November 17, 1909, after a successful business career of nearly two score years, all of which was spent in his native city. He was born in Montreal, April 3, 1849, a son of Benjamin Lyman and Delia A. Wells. These parents, both natives of the state of Vermont, whose ancestry in the United States dated back almost to the landing of the Mayflower, might account for the strong interest in the affairs of that country which was one of the pronounced characteristics of Mr. Lyman. He was educated in the Montreal high school, the Hopkins grammar school of New Haven, Connecticut, and Yale University, from which he graduated in the class of 1871.
In his senior year at college he was elected a member of the Scroll and Key Society, then as now one of the most coveted distinctions outside of the purely academic sphere. He always retained a very absorbing interest in the affairs of Yale, returning almost annually to his class reunions.
After leaving college he entered his father’s business, Lyman, Clare & Company, in which he shortly became a partner. This business in 1879 was styled Lyman, Sons & Company, under which name it was known until 1908, becoming incorporated then as Lymans, Limited.
In 1887 Mr. Lyman together with James W. Knox and F. Gold Lyman established the business of Lyman, Knox & Company, which continued under this style until in 1906 it became part of the National Drug & Chemical Company, Limited, of which corporation Charles Lyman was secretary from its inception until he retired from business in 1908. Mr. Lyman was of a studious disposition, and his chief interest was perhaps centered in his family life. He was known for his broad culture and was a close follower of the public affairs of both the United States and Canada. Together with the late Goldwin [561] Smith he was a firm believer in the eventual unity of political interest of these countries.
Mr. Lyman was married October 1, 1874, at Stelton, New Jersey, to Kate Dean, daughter of the late Henry Dean of New York, who survives him, together with their three children: C. Philip Lyman and Frank D. Lyman, both of Montreal; and Ruth Delia, the wife of William G. MacNaughton of Port Edwards, Wisconsin.
Mr. Lyman was a member of The University Club, of which he was one of the founders and The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He was a member of the American Presbyterian church, the corner stone of the present edifice having been laid by his father, Benjamin Lyman. The higher, better elements of life always made strong appeal to him, and the principles which governed his conduct make his example as a man and citizen one well worthy of emulation.
Frederic Orr-Lewis was born at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the second son of the late William Thomas Lewis and Mary (Graham) Lewis, and a grandson of the late William Lewis, sheriff of Glamorganshire, Wales. The father was a shipowner in Canadian Inland Lakes. William Thomas Lewis came to Canada from Swansea, Wales, in 1852, locating at Hamilton. He became a prominent figure on the inland lakes between Chicago and Kingston and was a large shipowner. He retired from active business in 1890 and moved to Montreal, where he departed this life in 1908. For more than two decades he had survived his wife, who passed away in 1886.
Frederic Orr-Lewis was educated in Kingston, Ontario, and on leaving school went with J. Muckleston & Company, wholesale hardware merchants of the same city. He resigned from that position to establish his own business in Kingston in 1888 and removed the establishment to Montreal in 1889, associated with his brothers James Graham Lewis and Thomas Graham Lewis. The firm was then Lewis Brothers, which was later formed into the limited liability company of Lewis Brothers, Limited, of which he is still the president. From the beginning their trade has extended to such an extent that they now occupy the entire eight-story building which covers Nos. 20 to 42 inclusive on Bleury Street, Montreal, with sales offices in Ottawa, Toronto and other western cities. They have been recognized as one of the leading hardware establishments of the Dominion.
Frederic Orr-Lewis is also a director of the Merchants’ Bank of Canada and director of the Montreal Cotton Company and president of Canadian Vickers, Limited, which is associated with the English firm of Vickers, Sons & Maxim. In 1903 he was elected to the presidency of the Dominion Wholesale Hardware Merchants’ Association.
On the 18th of June, 1896, at Christ church, Montreal, was celebrated the marriage of F. Orr-Lewis and Maude Mary Helen Booth, daughter of William Booth of London, Ontario. They now have three children, a son and two daughters, [562] John Duncan, Helen Merryday and Mary-Graham. The religious faith of the family is that of the Presbyterian church, Mr. and Mrs. Orr-Lewis holding membership therein.
He is widely and popularly known in club circles, holding membership in the leading organizations of that character in Montreal, including the St. James, Canada, Forest and Stream, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey, Mount Royal, Montreal Royal Golf and Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs. He is likewise a member of the Rideau Club of Ottawa, Ontario; and the Canada, the Wellington and Junior Carlton Clubs of London, England.
Eugène-Réal Angers, a well known barrister and solicitor in Montreal, was born in that city, October 1, 1883, a son of Réal and Joséphine (Trudel) Angers, and a grandson of François-Réal Angers, K. C., one of the leaders of the Quebec bar. The father, Réal Angers, was born in Quebec and for many years was a member of the wholesale hardware firm of Frothingham & Workman in Montreal. He died December 22, 1901, and his widow passed away in 1908. They were the parents of two sons and a daughter: Eugène-R.; Charles, who is with Frothingham & Workman, Limited, of Montreal; and Joséphine, the wife of Robert La Roque de Roquebrune, of Beloeil, Quebec.
Eugène-Réal Angers was educated in Montreal, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree upon the completion of a classical course in St. Mary’s College. He was graduated from Laval University with the degree of LL. L. in June, 1907. In July of that year he was admitted to the bar at Quebec and soon after formed a partnership for the practice of law in Montreal with Ernest Guimont under the firm name of Guimont & Angers. A year later the senior partner removed to St. Hyacinthe and Mr. Angers entered into other partnership relations, leading to the adoption of the firm style of Brosseau, Brosseau, Tansey & Angers. In September, 1913, he joined with Howard Salter Ross, K. C., in forming the law firm of Ross & Angers. They now have offices in the Transportation building, where they care for the interests of a growing clientele. Broad reading and study have constantly augmented Mr. Angers’ ability to handle complex and intricate problems of law, and he is becoming recognized as one of the ablest of the younger representatives of the Montreal bar.
On the 15th of September, 1909, Mr. Angers was married to Germaine Tousignant and they have one son, Pierre.
Rev. Thomas F. Heffernan is now in the sixth year of his able service as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas’ church in Montreal, a parish which he has built up through his energy, zeal and well directed enterprise into one of the most popular and well managed in the city. He was born December 22, 1869, [565] on Colborne Street, in St. Anne’s parish, Montreal, a son of the late Thomas and Ellen (Murray) Heffernan. In his infancy the parents moved to the east end of the city, where the father purchased several properties, some of these on Craig, Lagauchetiere and Dorion Streets.
As a child Father Heffernan attended St. Bridget’s school, taught by the Christian Brothers, and when he was twelve years of age he entered St. Mary’s College. After one year and a half he enrolled in St. Lawrence College, conducted by the Fathers of the Holy Cross. Here success attended his efforts and in due time he became professor. He afterward took a four years’ course in the Grand Seminary and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood December 22, 1894, when he was twenty-five years of age. His first appointment was with the Rev. William O’Meara, pastor of St. Gabriel’s, with whom he remained for three years. At the end of that time, at the request of His Grace Archbishop Bruchesi he was appointed in September, 1898, professor extreme at Montreal College and did excellent work in this field for two years. Resigning at the end of that time, he was appointed assistant to Rev. J. E. Donnelly, pastor of St. Anthony’s, and he retained this connection for eight years, severing it in order to accept the appointment to the newly-founded parish of St. Thomas Aquinas. This was established for the English-speaking people of the west end who were living within the district bounded on the east by Atwater Avenue, on the west by the middle of Cote St. Paul Road, on the south by the canal and on the north by the Canadian Pacific Railroad track. There were about three hundred families; about one hundred residing between Atwater and Rose de Lima Streets, who belonged to St. Anthony’s parish; and two hundred attached to St. Henry’s. For a number of years previous there had been dissatisfaction among the St. Henry’s portion inasmuch as it was difficult for the Rev. Canon Decary to meet their needs satisfactorily. Accordingly a new parish was formed and placed in charge of Father Heffernan, who has since made St. Thomas Aquinas one of the most important Catholic congregations in the diocese. He has accomplished during the period of his incumbency a great deal of remarkable work. He had no money and he required fifteen thousand dollars to pay for the ground. He secured thirty thousand dollars from the Travelers Insurance Company and fifteen thousand dollars from Molson’s Bank and erected a thirty-five thousand dollar building now used as a church. The structure is two stories in height and so constructed that an additional two stories may be added if necessary. Father Heffernan also erected an attractive residence and has now a property valued at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars and a debt of only thirty thousand dollars. During the year of 1914 he is to build a new church of Florentine style of architecture, on Convent Street. When asked to explain how this work was accomplished Father Heffernan said: “God has visited his people and this people received him. My people work from conviction, illumined by the light of faith. I have no sick, no infirm, no needy. Health, wealth and blessings are ours. But you must leave here. Never, until they sing my Mass of Requiem. I attribute the whole success to the prayers of the children and to the good work of my Reverend assistant, Father Polan.”
Father Heffernan gives all of his time and attention to the affairs of his parish, working zealously and conscientiously in the promotion of the spiritual [566] and material interests of his congregation. He has indeed accomplished a wonderful work at St. Thomas Aquinas and has the love of his people in large measure as well as the high regard and warm confidence of people of all denominations.
Thomas Busby, an old time Montreal merchant and in his day well known in connection with the retail hardware trade, was born in Montreal, a grandson of Thomas Busby, who was the founder of the family in Canada.
This first Thomas Busby came from Ireland and had charge of landscape gardening for the Baroness of Longueuil. He became a man of considerable property for those days. His daughter married Dr. Digby of Brantford, Ontario, and their daughter became the wife of Dr. Henwood of Brantford. Thomas Busby had a son Thomas, who married Mary Lacasse, and they were the parents of Thomas Busby of this review.
Thomas Busby, the third, was educated in the schools of Montreal and when a young man began to learn the hardware business in this city. He later lived for a few years in what was then called Upper Canada but in 1857 returned to Montreal and established himself in the hardware business, which he successfully conducted until his death, which occurred April 20, 1862.
Mr. Busby was married in Montreal in June, 1853, to Miss E. C. Greene, a daughter of Thomas J. Greene, who came to this city in early life from Saratoga, New York. He was a furrier and was for years at the head of the firm of Thomas Greene & Son, while later the sons continued the business under the style of Greene & Sons. Mr. and Mrs. Busby became the parents of four children, but the only one now living is Fred Busby, a resident of Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Busby still makes her home in Montreal, where she has now resided for more than six decades, witnessing therefore much of the development and modern progress of the city, and she is one of the highly esteemed of Montreal’s older residents.
Through individual effort and ability Georges Mayrand has attained to a position of prominence as a representative of the notarial profession in Montreal, being now senior partner in the firm of Mayrand, Loranger, Ecrement & Melancon. A native of Port Neuf county, he was born at Grondines, on the 21st of August, 1876, and was educated under Jesuit instruction, attending St. Mary’s College of Montreal and afterward Laval University, in which he pursued the study of law, winning his B. L. degree on the completion of his law course in 1900. Having determined to concentrate his energies upon practice as a notary public, he opened an office in Montreal in September following his graduation and has created and developed an important business at No. 99 St. James Street. He has been joined [567] by others as his clientage has grown until he is now head of the firm of Mayrand, Loranger, Ecrement & Melancon. He has also taken an active and helpful part in promoting the growth and progress of the city and is associated with several land companies, including the Greater Montreal Land Company, the Summerlea Realty Company and the Sault au Recollet Island Company. He has become thoroughly conversant with property values, readily recognizes a possible rise or diminution in realty prices and accordingly makes his investments so that he has secured good returns from his property holdings.
Mr. Mayrand’s public service has also included prompt and faithful discharge of the duties of alderman, he being elected to that position from the Delorimier ward and his efficiency was rewarded by reelection in April, 1914. He has likewise filled the office of school commissioner and coming prominently before the public in these positions has made an excellent record, creditable to himself and satisfactory to his supporters. In politics he is a liberal and in addition to the local offices he has filled he is representing Dorion county in the provincial legislature. He is now vice president and secretary of the Club Delorimier, is a member of the National Amateur Athletic Association and takes an exceedingly active interest in outdoor sports. He is a typical man of the times, alert and energetic in action, progressive in purpose and thoroughly alive to the opportunities which are presented for business advancement and public improvement.
The Roman Catholic church numbers among its most distinguished representatives in Canada Rev. Gerald Francis Joseph McShane, pastor of St. Patrick’s church in Montreal and one of the best known lecturers and preachers in this province. He has been identified with religious activity in this city since 1900 and has since that time accomplished a great deal of constructive work here, his lectures, his eloquent preaching, his organizing and administrative activities constituting forces in the later development in Montreal of the doctrines in which he believes.
He was born in this city, December 5, 1872, and is a son of Michael and Margaret (Loftus) McShane, of Irish origin. In the acquirement of an education he attended Belmont school, the Archbishop’s Academy and Montreal College and later the Grand Seminary in that city, supplementing this by a four years’ course of study in Paris and Rome, receiving in the latter city degrees in philosophy and divinity. In 1896 he joined the Sulpician Order of this city and the same year left to complete his studies at St. Sulpice in Paris. In 1897 he was ordained priest, and three years later, in 1900, returned to Canada as curate of St. Patrick’s church, Montreal. For three years he did able work in that capacity and was then transferred to Notre Dame church in this city, where his sermons delivered in both French and English attracted much attention, they first bringing him into prominence as an orator. He has since that time become one of the most eloquent and widely known speakers in the city and is in great demand for lectures, sermons or orations of any kind. Since December, 1907, [568] he has been pastor of St. Patrick’s church in Montreal and his address at his inaugural was regarded as more than an ordinary piece of tact and eloquence. Since that time he has carried forward a great deal of earnest and consecrated work in the management of his parish, which, being an important one, requires at its head a man of wide attainments, broad knowledge and discriminating business ability—qualities which Father McShane possesses in an unusual degree. He has been one of the greatest individual forces in the development of Catholic institutions in Montreal, having founded the Columbian Club, a social organization for Catholic students of McGill University. He is also a director and trustee of St. Patrick’s Orphanage. His congregation is one of the largest and most important in Montreal and its prestige is continually increasing as Father McShane’s ability as a pastor, a business man, an organizer and an orator becomes more widely recognized.
One of the city’s most brilliant, sincere and earnest Christian gentlemen, he occupies an enviable place in the regard of his parishioners and, indeed, of all who know him. The late Judge Curran, speaking of him, called him “a man of scholarly attainments, of fine tastes, of patriotic impulses and of considerable gifts as a speaker,” and this opinion is almost uniformly held throughout Montreal, where Father McShane has always made his home.
Thibaudeau Rinfret, a prominent and successful advocate of Montreal, brought to the outset of his career certain rare gifts, a strong individuality, laudable ambition and the indefatigable energy without which success and honors are seldom won by representatives of the bar. His advancement has been continuous and his energies have been largely concentrated upon his professional duties.
He was born in Montreal June 22, 1879, a son of F. O. R. and Alvina R. (Pominville) Rinfret, the former an advocate of Montreal, while the latter was a daughter of the late F. P. Pominville, Q. C., and a law partner of the late Sir G. E. Cartier, baronet. Having attended St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, from which he was graduated on completion of the arts course with the B. A. degree in 1897, Mr. Rinfret afterward entered McGill University and won his B. C. L. degree in 1900. He was created king’s counsel in 1912, a fact indicative of the success which he has achieved in his law practice. He entered upon the active work of the profession in 1901 and successfully followed law practice at St. Jerome in partnership with Hon. Jean Prevost until 1910. Upon the appointment of Charles Archer, K. C., to the bench he joined the firm headed by J. L. Perron, K. C. The firm is now Perron, Taschereau, Rinfret, Genest, Billette & Plimsoll, and Mr. Rinfret has been connected with it since 1910. He carefully prepares his cases and is seldom at fault in the application of a legal principle, while his analytical ability enables him to readily understand the relation of cause and effect. Since 1902 he has been attorney for County Terrebonne for the inland revenue department, and he contested Terrebonne in the liberal interests at the federal general election of 1908 against the Hon. W. B. Nantel, now minister of inland revenue. Though his [571] party was in the minority, he failed to secure the seat by only seventy-nine votes. Mr. Rinfret has rendered valuable service to the liberal party of whose principles he is a strong supporter.
The zeal with which he has devoted his energies to his profession, the careful regard evinced for the interests of his clients and an unrelaxing attention to all the details of his cases, have won him an enviable and well merited reputation. His acquaintance is wide, and he has a host of friends whose high regard he has gained through his professional ability, his deference to the opinions of others, his genial manner and unfailing courtesy.
Mr. Rinfret was married to Miss Georgine Rolland, a daughter of J. B. Rolland, of Montreal, where they make their home. Mr. Rinfret holds membership in the Catholic church.
The great industrial undertakings which have led to the substantial development and upbuilding of Canada have found a prominent representative in Clarence I. de Sola, today regarded as one of the foremost men engaged in public works and in shipbuilding in Canada. Moreover, he is prominent in the consular service and is a recognized leader in various movements for the improvement of the economic condition of the Hebrew people, some of his work in that direction being of world-wide significance. Montreal numbers him among her worthy and honored native sons, his birth having occurred here on the 15th of August, 1858. He is a member of an ancient and illustrious Jewish family that long resided in Spain, where it produced many distinguished men. He is the third son of the late Rev. Abraham de Sola, LL. D., who was one of the most eminent and scholarly exponents of orthodox Judaism in America and an author of international repute.
Liberal educational opportunities were accorded the subject of this sketch, and his life has been one of steadily expanding and increasing usefulness. Step by step he has advanced in business connections, and in 1887 he was made managing director of the Comptoir Belgo-Canadien, a syndicate of the leading Belgian manufacturers of steel and other structural material and builders of bridges, railroads and canal locks. The syndicate includes the famous Cockerill Works, of Seraing, employing eighteen thousand hands. His duties and responsibilities in this direction are most important. He secured and executed contracts in the building of the Soulanges and Trent canals, in re-laying large portions of the track of the Inter-Colonial Railway and the Prince Edward Island Railway, and in the construction of many of our largest public bridges. He was associated with the engineers Lafontaine and Lemoine in the construction of the Brock Street tunnel. It was largely due to his efforts that hydraulic lift locks were first used in American or Canadian canals.
It was in recognition of the ability he had shown in developing commercial relations between Belgium and Canada that Mr. de Sola was appointed, in 1904, vice consul for Belgium at Montreal, and his work in helping to negotiate the arrangement between the Belgian and Canadian governments, whereby the benefits [572] of the intermediate Canadian customs tariff was secured for Belgian manufacturers, was rewarded by his advancement, in 1911 to the full rank of consul.
Extensive as have been Mr. de Sola’s efforts in connection with Belgian trade, he has also employed his energies in other fields, for he is the managing director of the Canadian office of Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Ltd., the great shipbuilders of Wallsend-on-Tyne, and he has undertaken and executed many contracts for the building of a large number of ships for traffic on the Canadian Great Lakes, the River St. Lawrence and the Atlantic oceans, amounting in all to quite a large fleet. The Canadian government has also had several ships built for its service by contracts awarded to Mr. de Sola, including some very fine vessels for hydrographic survey work, that have made their way through the ice-bound waters of Hudson’s Bay in dangerous seasons. The first ship ever seen in American waters, or that ever crossed the Atlantic ocean propelled by oil combustion engines, was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson for Mr. de Sola as consignee. It was the ship Toiler, and it was run by Mr. de Sola on the St. Lawrence and lake route until sold by him to James Playfair. An improvement on the Toiler, the ship Calgary, was built during the following year and these were the first Diesel oil combustion engined vessels to run in Canadian waters.
Clarence de Sola is a director of the Reid-Donald Steamship Company, of which he is the Canadian manager, and he is also a director of the Farrar Transportation Company.
Mr. de Sola has become widely known as a leading factor in the world-embracing Zionist Movement, for the settlement in Palestine of the persecuted Jews emigrating from Russia and other eastern European countries and for the restoration of the Holy Land as the national home of the Hebrew race. He was for a long period on the Actions Committee, which is the supreme governing council of the Zionist Movement, and for many years has been president of the Federation of Zionist Societies of Canada. This federation is a huge organization having branch societies in about sixty different cities and towns throughout the Dominion, and is the most representative Jewish body in Canada. It was through his initiative and foresight that the Zionists of Canada, at their eleventh convention, established a special fund for purchasing land in Palestine on which to settle Jewish colonists and two Jewish colonies in the Holy Land owe their existence entirely to this measure. The Canadian Century has aptly styled him “the head and shoulders of the Zionist Movement in Canada.” He has also figured prominently in the Zionist International Congresses.
Mr. de Sola is a recognized authority on Jewish history, more especially the early records of the Jews of this country, to which he has given years of research. A number of his articles on this subject have appeared in print. He is an honorary corresponding member of the American-Jewish Historical Society and member of the Anglo-Jewish Historical Society. When Funk & Wagnalls published the Jewish Encyclopedia Mr. de Sola was selected to be one of the writers of the articles on Jewish history and his contributions are to be found in most of the twelve volumes. One of his most salient characteristics is his loyalty to any cause which he espouses. Men have learned to know that what he promises he will do, that what he undertakes he will execute, and to all his work he brings the correct principles of business; accomplishing with dispatch, with accuracy and decision [573] that which he sets out to do. He does not confine his efforts to institutions for the benefit of those of his own race. In fact his work has always been broad and nonsectarian in character and any call for humanity’s sake has met with ready response from him. He is a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and an officer of numerous philanthropic societies. He is the presiding warden (Parnas) of the Corporation of Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Montreal, the handsome design of whose synagogue building is due to the architectural taste of Mr. de Sola, a taste which also made itself felt in the striking beauty and individuality of his own home.
In 1901 Mr. de Sola was married to Miss Belle Maud Goldsmith, daughter of Leopold Goldsmith, a prominent citizen of Cleveland, Ohio. She completed a collegiate course with the Bachelor of Arts degree, and is an active officer of various organizations, including among nonsectarian ones the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Royal Edward Institute, the Needlework Guild and many others. Among Jewish societies she is founder of the Daughters of Zion in Canada and of the Women’s League for Cultural Work in Palestine. She also was one of those who organized the Friendly League of Jewish Women, of which she was the first president. She has written several absorbingly interesting literary articles, among them being “The Higher Education of Women,” “The Origin of the French Salon,” and “The Jew—Imaginary and Real.”
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence de Sola’s home, on Pine Avenue, is one of the most beautiful in Montreal. It is a splendid example of Saracenic architecture, such as is seen in southern Spain. In both its general outlines and in its rich ornamental details it is an exquisite specimen of the highest form of Andalusian art. It is a home that is additionally attractive by reason of a gracious and cordial hospitality.
There is probably no other line of business that is equal as a factor in a city’s growth and development to the real-estate business when conducted by men who are reliable and who aim to develop only properties of merit and value. Included among such men in Montreal is Edouard Gohier, senior member of Edouard Gohier & Company. Mr. Gohier has been connected with a number of the largest high-class suburban property deals that have taken place around Montreal in recent years. His long experience in that line of business, as well as his straightforward business methods, has secured for him a high position in real-estate and financial circles.
Mr. Gohier comes from one of the oldest families in the province of Quebec and was born April 29, 1861, at St. Martin, Laval county, his parents being Benjamin and Celina (Crevier) Gohier. Mr. Gohier’s early life was spent on a farm, but when about twenty-two years old he entered business circles in connection with the dry-goods trade at St. Laurent and was thus engaged about seven years. He then turned his attention to the real-estate business in that town and Cartierville, later opening an office in Montreal. For sixteen years he served as mayor of St. Laurent and has always taken a deep interest in public affairs in that town. [574] Among the larger deals negotiated by Edouard Gohier & Company of late years have been La Cie des Boulevards de l’Ile de Montreal and the sale to the Canadian Northern Land Company of the land for the Model City, a suburb of Montreal, transactions that have been profitable to the principals and valuable acquisitions to the city. Mr. Gohier is managing director of the Northmount Land Company as well as one of the original promoters of the company. His connection with public interests has been of value in various lines and always marked by the same careful consideration given his own business affairs. He is a director of Notre Dame Hospital and of Le Devoir, while in March, 1914, he was appointed by the federal government as a member of the Georgian Bay Canal Commission. In political matters he is a supporter of the conservative party, while his religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church.
Mr. Gohier married at St. Laurent Phomela Gosselin, a daughter of Narcise Gosselin, and to them have been born thirteen children, eight of whom are living. Horace, a graduate of St. Lawrence College, later attended Notre Dame University of South Bend, Indiana. Aside from his connection with the firm of Edouard Gohier & Company he is a member of the firm of Gohier & Bigras, who handle city properties, Laval on the Lake and the properties of the Montreal Extension Land Company. He is likewise a director of the Montreal Turnpike Trust. Politically he is a conservative and is an alderman of the town of St. Laurent. His wife bore the maiden name of Rosa Jasmin. The other children of Edouard and Phomela (Gosselin) Gohier are as follows: Joseph, a farmer of St. Laurent, who married Alice Valois; Ernest, a graduate of McGill University, who married Berthe Mont Briant of Montreal and who is a civil engineer and a partner of F. C. Laberge of Montreal; Edouard, a graduate of St. Lawrence College, who has taken post-graduate work in Notre Dame University at South Bend, Indiana, and is now a lumber merchant of St. Laurent; Amanda, who married J. Bruno Nantel; Yvonne; Lorette; and Leo.
Mr. Gohier has always resided in St. Laurent, while his summer home is in Cartierville. Among his individual holdings of real estate in St. Laurent is a valuable stock farm of five hundred acres. He is a successful business man whose career has been marked by honorable methods and whose progressive ideas in educational and civic matters have long since caused him to be numbered among the valued and respected citizens of his town.
Joseph Emery-Coderre, a well known notary of Montreal, was born April 14, 1880, at Ste. Anne de Stukely, in Shefford county, Quebec, and is descended from an old family of St. Antoine on the Richelieu river. He is a grandnephew of Dr. J. Emery-Coderre, who was a professor at Victoria and Laval Universities in Montreal.
J. Emery-Coderre, father of him whose name introduces this review, removed to Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, 1882 and to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in 1886 and there the son was educated in the parochial school, while from 1892 until 1897 he attended the Brothers of Mary school at Waterloo, Quebec, and [577] from September, 1897, to January, 1898, the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe. In April, 1898, he returned to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and for two years was employed in the Globe Cotton Mills, old Braid Shop, and by the American Wringer Company. In 1900 he left the mills to continue his education at the Séminaire of St. Marie de Monnoir at Marieville, Quebec, remaining there for six years. In 1906 he won his Bachelor of Arts degree from Laval University and during the ensuing two years he clerked in the office of Boisseau & Bazinet, notaries at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. During the succeeding two years he studied at Laval University and clerked in the office of Biron & Savignac, notaries. Thus alternating business activity with the acquirement of an education, he at length reached a position that enabled him to pass the examination before the board of notaries on the 10th of July, 1910. Immediately afterward he became a member of the firm of Biron & Savignac, notaries, with offices at 99 St. James Street, Montreal, the said firm having now another member and being known as Biron, Savignac, Coderre & Poirier.
J. Emery-Coderre is secretary and treasurer of the corporation of Montreal East and is a member of the Montreal East Land Company. At the same time the firm with which he is connected is accorded an extensive clientage, and thus his professional and business interests are important. He has made wise use of time, talents and opportunities, and his ability has advanced him to an enviable position.
On the 12th of October, 1910, J. Emery-Coderre was married at St. Hyacinthe to Bertha Tetrault, a daughter of François Xavier Tetrault, and they have become parents of two children, François Xavier and Maurice. J. Emery-Coderre is a member of the Club Champetre Canadien. A young man, he has won popularity in both professional and social circles, and he now has a wide and favorable acquaintance in Montreal.
“One of the most powerful men in financial circles in Canada; he can make and unmake and has seldom been beaten in a financial battle.” Thus wrote the Canadian Courier concerning one of the foremost French-Canadian citizens of Montreal—Colonel Joseph David Rodolphe Forget, better known as Sir Rodolphe Forget, banker, broker and legislator. He was born at Terrebonne, Province of Quebec, December 10, 1861, and while spending his youthful days in the home of his parents, David and Angele (Limoges) Forget, he attended Masson College. In early manhood he established a home of his own through his marriage in October, 1885, to Mlle. Alexandra Tourville. Subsequent to her death he was married, in April, 1894, to Miss Blanche, youngest daughter of the late A. R. McDonold, a stock broker of Quebec. Lady Forget is prominent in charitable and benevolent circles, being a director of the Montreal Day Nursery and the Notre Dame Hospital, while in 1909 she was elected vice president of the Women’s Canadian Club.
Sir Rodolphe Forget’s active connection with financial affairs began in 1890, when he joined the Montreal Stock Exchange, of which he was chosen chairman [578] in 1908, continuing in that position until 1911, when he resigned. He was for a time connected with the business of L. J. Forget & Company, the senior partner being the late Hon. L. J. Forget. In 1909 a branch house was established in Paris and as banker and broker Sir Rodolphe Forget has attained prominence equal to that which has come to him in connection with public affairs. Many of the extensive and important corporation interests of Canada have been quickened and stimulated through his cooperation, while his sound judgment has constituted a controlling force in their management. He is president of the Quebec and Saguenay Railway, the Quebec Railway Light, Heat & Power Company; vice president of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company; and director of the Toronto Railway Company, the Quebec Gas Company, the Sterling Coal Company, Limited, the Canadian General Electric Company, and the St. Lawrence Flour Mills Company. He was formerly president of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, the Eastern Canada Steel & Iron Works, Limited, the Royal Electric Company, and the Mount Royal Assurance Company; and vice president of the Canadian Securities Corporation and La Société d’Administration Générale; and director of the Duluth Street Railway Company, the Montreal-London Securities Corporation, the Black Lake Consolidated Asbestos Company, the Union Brewery Company, the Murray-Bay Lumber & Pulp Company, the City Central Real Estate Company, the Montreal Smelting & Reduction Company, the Prudential Trust Company, the Wayagamack Pulp & Paper Company, the Crown Life Insurance Company, the Canada Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, the Payne Consolidated Mining Company, La Banque Provinciale and Le Journal. In 1911 he founded La Banque Internationale du Canada. He was rated as a millionaire by the Montreal Star in 1907, which in itself is a testimonial of his power as a financier. In 1911 he headed the navigation merger. He has also been connected with the Canada Car Foundry Company, the Industrial Development Company, the Butte Central Copper Company, and the Montmorency Cotton Mills Company. All these indicate something of the wonderful scope of his business interests and activity and yet by no means give a complete record of his interest and his efforts, which have been equally strong forces in the control, development and upbuilding of organizations having to do with the public welfare. In 1911 he made a gift of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Notre Dame Hospital, of which he is a director. He is also president of the Province of Quebec Rifle Association, and he was appointed honorary lieutenant colonel of the Sixty-fifth Carabiniers, “Mount Royal” of Montreal in 1907, and was promoted to honorary colonel in March, 1914. He is a director of the Canadian National Bureau of Breeding and is a life governor of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. He was vice president of Credit Foncier Franco-Canadien. He has been a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild of Montreal, holding the office in 1908.
In politics an independent-conservative, Sir Rodolphe Forget has sat for Charlevoix in the house of commons since 1904. In 1911 he was elected for Charlevoix and Montmorency—said to be the first occasion in the history of the Dominion in which a member in opposition was elected for two constituencies. He was offered a portfolio when Premier Borden formed his cabinet, but declined. He believes in a direct contribution from Canada for the imperial navy [579] and opposed the Taft-Fielding reciprocity pact. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. In club circles he is well known as a member of the Mount Royal, the St. James, Club Lafontaine, Club Canadien, Club St. Denis, Canada, Montreal, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Hunt, Canadian, Forest and Stream, Montreal Curling, Montreal Military Institute, Royal Montreal Golf, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs, of Montreal, and the Garrison Club of Quebec, in many of which he has held official positions. He has been termed “the young Napoleon of St. François Xavier Street.” He has manifested Napoleonic powers in other connections and his strength, power and resource have given him the position of honor and distinction which he now occupies. His residence is at No. 71 Ontario Avenue, and his summer home is “Gil Mont,” St. Irenee les Bains, Quebec.
One of the best known citizens of Montreal whose reputation in business is international is Fitz-James E. Browne, president of the famous and highly successful firm known as “The House of Browne, Limited,” real-estate experts, auctioneers, architects and fire insurance agents. He was born in Montreal on the 22d of September, 1871, a son of the late John James and Agnes Dunlop (Hay) Browne, and comes of Irish and Scotch ancestry. He acquired his early education at the McTavish school and afterward attended Lincoln College at Sorel, province of Quebec.
After leaving school Mr. Browne became associated in the architectural profession with his father and soon after the death of the latter, in 1893, Fitz-James E. Browne engaged in the real-estate business, continuing the firm name of John James Browne until 1894, when the present title of “The House of Browne, Limited” was assumed, and no real-estate firm in the Dominion is as widely known. Mr. Browne’s advertising measures are both progressive and aggressive as well as unique. He has been a pioneer in methods that others attempt to imitate. As a real-estate auctioneer it is doubtful if he has an equal. He has officiated at the biggest sales on record in Canada and holds the proud honor of having sold the highest priced property per foot in Montreal. He possesses a comprehensive and accurate knowledge of values as well as a thorough and practical understanding of all the intricacies of the real-estate business in the city, and his upright business methods have won him the esteem and confidence of all. His knowledge of architecture from both the scientific and practical standpoint is broad, and as a real-estate expert he stands in the front rank. He is frequently called upon to address meetings of real-estate dealers and deliver lectures upon real-estate selling in both Canada and the United States.
Mr. Browne was married in August, 1896, to Miss Sarsie Geraldine Nagle of Montreal. Her tragic death, resulting from injuries sustained in being struck by a tram car, occurred on November 15, 1913. She is survived by two sons: John James Ethelbert and Henry Shewbridge Bashford.
Like the majority of progressive business men of the day, Mr. Browne keeps well informed on leading questions and issues, but does not seek nor desire the [580] honors and emoluments of office, preferring to concentrate his attention upon his business affairs. In his younger days he devoted much time to amateur sport, in which he still retains deep interest. As a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association he was foremost in opposition to the introduction of professionalism into the organization. He was a prime factor in the organization of the St. Patrick’s Amateur Athletic Association and has since been its leading spirit. Mr. Browne is a very public-spirited man and any movement for the advancement of the city, province or Dominion finds in him a most hearty supporter.
Prominent in real-estate circles of Montreal is Paul Brisset des Nos, whose activities in that field have had an important bearing upon the growth of the city. He has successfully handled important deals and has been connected with some of the largest transactions consummated in real estate. At present he is manager of the L’Alliance Immobilière, Incorporated, which he established in 1912 and which is capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars. He is among the successful Parisians who have selected Montreal as their field of labor, and yet he often visits the land of his birth. Having had all the advantages of an excellent education, he understands mankind and judges conditions correctly, and these features are largely the corner stone of his success. He was born in Paris, November 17, 1873, and comes of a distinguished family, his father being André Brisset des Nos, for many years manager for La Foncière, Paris, and his mother Clémentine Hébert de la Rousselière.
Paul Brisset des Nos enjoyed the advantages of a classical course, attending the College of the Jesuits in his native city, located at the rue de Madrid, and also the school of the same order at the rue Bleury at Montreal. He made his first step into the business world as partner of his father, who was engaged in the wholesale wine and liquor business at 23 Gosford Street, Montreal, the business being conducted under the name of André Brisset & Fils. He was connected with this firm for six years but in 1906 he opened a real-estate office. For about seven years he was located at Pointe-aux-Trembles but subsequently gave much of his time to two tracts of land which he had acquired in the district of the Rivière des Prairies, which he subdivided into eighteen hundred lots, all of which have been disposed of today. Among other enterprises he was concerned in the building of four butter factories near Montreal. In 1912 he established and incorporated the L’Alliance Immobilière, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, and has since been manager thereof. He is a number of the Montreal Real Estate Exchange.
On the 11th of February, 1901, at Montreal, Mr. Brisset des Nos was united in marriage to Miss Yvonne Lareau, a daughter of the late Edmond Lareau, deputy of Rouville. Mr. and Mrs. Brisset des Nos have the following children: Paul, ten years of age; Aliette, aged eight; Yves six; and Madeleine, three.
It is conceded on all sides that realty activities largely contribute to the growth of a community and in that way Mr. Brisset des Nos has participated in [583] the development and commercial expansion of Montreal. He is public-spirited and takes a deep interest in any forward movement promoted in the cause of the general welfare. Although he has been connected with real-estate transactions for a comparatively short time, he has made his influence felt in that field to such an extent that his opinions and advice are often sought by investors. L’Alliance Immobilière, founded upon a solid basis, may well look toward a prosperous future under the able management of Mr. Brisset des Nos, whose wide experience and sound judgment are among the most important assets of the corporation.
Hon. Sir Lomer Gouin, a distinguished representative of the Montreal bar and a statesman whose grasp of affairs has made him largely master of situations affecting government interests, was born at Grondines, P. Q., March 19, 1861, a son of Dr. J. N. and Victorie Seraphine (Fugere) Gouin. The family has long been established in this province. Sir Lomer Gouin in the attainment of his education attended successfully Sorel College, Levis College and the Laval University. He won his LL. B. degree in 1884 and in 1902 the honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him while McGill also created him an LL. D. in 1911. He pursued his law studies under the direction of the late Sir John Abbot and the late Hon. R. Laflamme, two of the most eminent members of the bar of Montreal. Passing the required examinations, Sir Lomer Gouin was admitted to practice as an advocate in 1884, and his advancement in his profession has brought him to a position of leadership at the provincial bar. He was at one time a law partner of Judge Pagnuelo and afterward of the late Hon. H. Mercier. His knowledge of the law is comprehensive and exact and in the application of its principles he has proven himself one of the ablest representatives of the bar in Montreal. He was elected batonnier-general of the provincial bar in 1910, was appointed an officer of de l’Institut Public of France in 1902 and also of the Legion of Honor in 1907. Aside from his profession, he is known in financial circles as a director of the Royal Trust Company, of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank and of the Mount Royal Assurance Company. The Venerable Archdeacon Kerr characterized him as “a straightforward business man,” and in all his career he has never deviated from high standards of manhood and citizenship.
In 1908 he was knighted by King George at the Quebec Tercentenary celebration. His public service has been of an important character and is of wide scope, and in 1898 he was appointed a member of the council of public instruction, P. Q., and in 1910 was elected president of the North American Fish and Game Protective Association. He has likewise been president of the Canadian Camp. In 1900 he was chosen an alderman of Montreal and exercises his official prerogatives in support of various measures for the general good. Mr. Gouin is a liberal in politics and for some years has been active in the party. He unsuccessfully contested Richelieu for the House of Commons at the general election in 1891, and he sat for Montreal, St. James division, in the local house in 1897-1908. [584] Since then he has sat for Port Neuf. He is regarded as an administrator of breadth of view, great knowledge and ability and unimpeachable probity. From 1900 until 1904 Sir Lomer Gouin was commissioner of public works under the Parent administration, and since March 23, 1905, has been premier and attorney-general for the province of Quebec. An eminent statesmen has characterized him as “the greatest prime minister the province has ever known.” His comprehensive knowledge of the law and his ready grasp of affairs, combined with his unfaltering loyalty to the best interests of government, classes him with the most prominent Canadian statesmen. In 1906 he was chairman of the Ottawa Inter-Provincial Conference and was a delegate thereto in 1910. He has edited a special edition of the Quebec Municipal Code, and he seems familiar with all the various phases of the important municipal, provincial and national problems which are now engaging public attention.
Sir Lomer Gouin was married in May, 1888, to Miss Eliza Mercier, a daughter of the late Hon. Honore Mercier, prime minister of Quebec. Lady Gouin passed away in September, 1904, and in September, 1911, he wedded Alice, daughter of the late Auguste Amos of Montreal. Sir Lomer Gouin was present by invitation at the coronation of King George and Queen Mary in Westminster Abbey in June, 1911. He is well known in club circles as a member of the Garrison Club of Quebec; the Club St. Denis, the Montreal Reform Club, and the Mount Royal Club of Montreal. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic church.
The enterprise which has brought the western world to a par with the old world in all that touches business activity and progress finds exemplification in the life record of Isaac Gouverneur Ogden, now vice president of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. It would be a partial view, however, if one were to consider his life record only from the standpoint of business advancement, as his labors have been directed with equal efficiency along lines which touch the general interests of society or have their root in a broad humanitarian spirit.
Born across the border, Mr. Ogden is a native of New York, the date of his birth being October 10, 1844. His parents were Isaac Gouverneur and Elizabeth Katherine (Williamson) Ogden, representatives of old and distinguished families of the Empire state. His education was acquired in local public schools, while his early business training came to him in a mercantile house in his native state where he secured employment in 1860. He early recognized the eternal principle that industry wins, and industry became the beacon light of his life. He turned from merchandising to banking, entering the house of Fisk & Hatch with which he remained until March, 1871, when he made his initial step in railway service as paymaster and accountant for the Chicago & Pacific Railway Company. The duties of the dual position were promptly and capably discharged until 1876, when he was made auditor, serving in that capacity for five years under a receiver.
In 1881 he became auditor for the western division of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, was advanced to the position of auditor for the Canadian Pacific in 1883 and so remained until 1887. For fourteen years thereafter he was comptroller for the Canadian Pacific and since December, 1901 has been vice president of the most important railway that crosses the Dominion. Long experience has made him familiar with various phases of railway operation and management, and thus he came well equipped to his present position, ready for administrative direction and executive control.
In early manhood Mr. Ogden wedded Miss Julia M. Baker and they reside at No. 457 Mackay Street. Home and business interests, however, by no means comprise the extent of his activities which reach out into the fields of religious and philanthropic work and also prominently into club life. He is an Anglican, is president of the Montreal College of Homeopathic Physicians and Surgeons; and is a life governor of the Montreal Homeopathic Hospital. In 1901 he was elected president of the Association of American Railway Accounting Officers and in 1905 was a delegate to the International Railway Congress. He brings to bear upon public questions the same keen discrimination and sound judgment that have characterized his activities in railway circles. His social nature finds expression in his membership in the St. James, Mount Royal, Forest and Stream, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht and Montreal Hunt Clubs of Montreal; the Lotus and Transportation Clubs of New York, and the Manitoba Club of Winnipeg.
It cannot be denied that members of the bar have been more prominent actors in public affairs than any other class of the community. This is but the natural result of causes which are manifest and require no explanation. The ability and training which qualify one to practice law also qualify him in many respects for duties which lie outside the strict path of his profession and which touch the general interests of society. Holding marked precedence among the members of the bar and recognized also as an influential factor in political circles, Charles Hazlitt Cahan is a well known and honored resident of Montreal. He comes of a family of Irish origin and was born at Hebron, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, October 31, 1861, his parents being the late Charles and Theresa Cahan, of Yarmouth. He supplemented his early educational training by study at Yarmouth Seminary and in Dalhousie University, winning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886 and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1890. He began practice as a barrister of Nova Scotia in 1893 and was created king’s counsellor there in 1907. In the same year he entered upon the practice of law in the province of Quebec and was made king’s counsellor in this province in 1909. While a resident of Halifax he was a member of the law firm of Harris, Henry & Cahan but since 1909 has been in practice in Montreal. He has always specialized in corporation law, in which department he has had wide and varied experience in North and South America and in Europe.
There was an interval between the completion of his course and his active connection with the bar in which he devoted his time and energies to journalistic [586] interests, being connected with the Halifax Evening Mail and Herald, resigning, however, to devote his attention to law and politics in 1894, and he has made for himself a prominent name and position in the latter as well as in the former connection. He contested Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in the conservative interest and following the election sat in the Nova Scotia legislature from 1890 until 1894, during which period he was the recognized leader of the opposition. In 1896 he unsuccessfully contested Shelburne and Queen’s for the house of commons, and also Cumberland at the general election in 1900. He declined a nomination for the St. Lawrence division of Montreal at the general election of 1911, and he also refused political honors when he decided not to accept the portfolio offered him in the Dominion cabinet in 1896. Public activity has ever been with him a matter of public duty, as he has ever placed the general good before partisanship or self-aggrandizement. He was for several years honorary secretary of the Halifax branch of the Imperial Federation League and honorary secretary of the Liberal-Conservative Association in Nova Scotia. With all the duties that have been imposed upon him in his political and professional connections, he has found time and opportunity to cooperate in the management of various successful business corporations and interests. He is now the president of the Western Canada Power Company and of the Corporation Agencies, Ltd., and a director of several other important financial and industrial companies. He has closely studied vital public problems, and he took a decided stand against the Taft-Fielding reciprocity compact, against which he delivered various addresses during the political campaign of 1911. He has been termed a courageous, ready and powerful speaker. He presents his arguments with clearness and force, and their logic is convincing.
On March 1, 1887, Mr. Cahan was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary J. Hetherington of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and they now reside at No. 740 University Street, Montreal, with a summer residence at “Belmont,” Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mr. Cahan’s club relationship is with the Mount Royal and Montreal Clubs, Montreal; the Halifax Club, Halifax; and the Jockey Club of Mexico. He filled the presidency of the Dalhousie University Alumni Association in 1893-4. One of the elements of his success is found in his ability to entirely concentrate his thought and efforts upon the question or work in hand and then turn with equal enthusiasm and capability to his next duty or undertaking. The trend of his mind is analytical, logical and inductive, and as a corporation lawyer he stands among the foremost representatives of the profession in Montreal.
Leandre Bélanger, for forty years or more one of the most prominent notaries of the province of Quebec, was born March 29, 1848, at St. François de Sales, Laval county. His father, Leandre Bélanger, was a carriage maker by trade and married Marie Nadon. His grandfather, François Bélanger, was a farmer of Laval county.
In his native village Leandre Bélanger, Jr., spent his boyhood and was educated at Terrebonne College. For five years he studied law in the office of [589] Melasippe Prevost in Terrebonne and on the 11th of June, 1871, was commissioned a licensed notary in Quebec. For a year thereafter he engaged in practice at St. François de Sales, but, seeking a more extensive field, he located in Montreal on the 1st of May, 1872, and in this city soon built up a large and lucrative practice. Until 1909 he was alone in practice, but in that year formed a partnership with his son Adrien under the name of Bélanger & Bélanger, with offices at No. 30 St. James Street. For twenty-five years Mr. Bélanger has been a member of the board of notaries of the province of Quebec and for three years served as president of that board. For eight years he was president of the Montreal Association of Notaries and his contemporaries in the profession accord him a high position in their ranks. He has been a member of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society for many years, and he is also a member of the Chambre de Commerce.
Mr. Bélanger is a member of the Catholic church and of L’Union Catholique and has served as a director and vice president of the latter. In politics he has ever remained independent. In 1870 he was married at St. François de Sales, to Claire Viger, and they became parents of two children: Joseph, a resident of St. Hyacinthe; and Maria, the wife of Dr. Archambault, of Fall River, Massachusetts. In 1879 Mr. Bélanger was married, in Montreal, to Miss Laura Viau and they have seven children: Leandre, an electrician in Montreal; Adrien, who is in partnership with his father; Armand; Laura; Evelina; Antoinette; and Alice. The family home is on St. Catherine road in Outremont.
Hon. Louis Onesime Loranger, whose name is prominently associated with the history of Montreal’s judiciary, retired from the bench in May, 1910, but has never ceased to feel a deep interest in his profession or in the great and vital problems which are most closely connected with the welfare and progress of the country.
He was born at Yamachiche in the province of Quebec on the 7th of April, 1837, a son of the late Joseph and Marie Louise (Dugal) Loranger. In the acquirement of his education he attended Montreal College and St. Mary’s College, the latter a Jesuit school of Montreal, and in preparation for the bar, having determined to make the practice of law his life work, he began a thorough course of reading and on the 3d of May, 1858, was admitted to practice at Montreal. He then joined his brothers, Hon. T. J. I. Loranger, late judge of the superior court and the late J. M. Loranger, K. C. They acquired an extensive practice and, in fact, were accorded a large share of the most important law work in the city during the greater part of the later half of the nineteenth century. Mr. Louis O. Loranger was created a king’s counsel by the Marquis of Lorne in 1881 and the honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him by Laval University in 1901. He continued in the active profession of law until appointed judge of the superior court for the district of Montreal in 1882, and remained upon the bench for twenty-seven years, or until May, 1910, when he entered into the enjoyment of a full pension.
Judge Loranger’s public service aside from his connection with the judiciary has been extensive and of an important character. He was alderman of Montreal from 1868 until 1879, covering a period of eleven years, and he sat for Laval in the local legislature for a period of seven years, or from 1875 until 1882. He was attorney general in the Chapleau administration from 1879 until 1882. It was upon his retirement from that position that he was made puisne judge, continuing upon the bench for twenty-seven years thereafter. His public service also covers incumbency in the office of president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society in 1895-6. In 1906 he was elected governor of Laval University and the same year was made president of Notre Dame Hospital.
Judge Loranger was twice married. In 1867 he married Marie Anne Rosalie Lafranboise, a daughter of the late Hon. Mr. Justice Lafranboise. To them were born seven children: Louise, the deceased wife of Henry Masson; Louis J., a prominent advocate of Montreal, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; Adele, now Mrs. H. Prefontaine; Caroline, now Mrs. Hubert Desjardins; Joseph, a well known advocate of Montreal; Maurice, a well known attorney of this city; and Rosalie, now Mrs. Emile Chaput, of Montreal. The mother of these children died in May, 1883, and Judge Loranger was again married in May, 1888, his second wife being Mrs. Antonette (Valois) Verin, a daughter of the late S. Valois.
Hon. L. O. Loranger is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church. He belongs to Club Lafontaine and is an advocate to conservative principles. He enjoys high reputation as a lawyer and as a debater and still takes an exceedingly active interest in political affairs. He has long since passed the Psalmist’s span of three score years and ten, having now reached the age of seventy-seven, but in spirit and interest seems yet in his prime. Old age need not necessarily suggest inactivity; on the contrary, there is an old age which grows stronger and better mentally and morally as the years go by and gives out of the rich store of its experience for the benefit of others. Such is the record of Hon. Louis Onesime Loranger, whose opinions carry weight in many councils and are always worthy of an interested hearing.
Edouard O. Champagne, superintendent of the department of boiler inspection for the city of Montreal, has been connected with that department of the city government for thirty-five years, during which time he has established a reputation for capability and efficiency in his line that is probably unsurpassed on the continent. Thoroughly progressive and up-to-date, he has kept fully abreast of the advancement made in all lines of manufacture and usage affecting his department.
Mr. Champagne comes from one of the old and prominent families of the province, a family whose members for nearly two hundred and fifty years have been identified with provincial history and have been regarded as of the highest type of French-Canadian citizenship. Edouard O. Champagne was born at Sorel, Quebec, in 1848. His education was acquired at the Christian Brothers College, [593] where he excelled in mechanical drawing and civil engineering and also at the John Allan Model and Classical school of Sorel. He served his apprenticeship as a machinist in the St. Lawrence engine works, after which he was for fourteen years employed on steamboats on the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers and Lakes Champlain, Erie and Ontario in his professional capacity.
His splendid record as an engineer of various boats induced the harbor commissioners of Montreal to engage him to run the St. Peter, their best boat, which was never outdistanced during the four years in which he was in charge. In 1872 he obtained a first class certificate from the federal government as a mechanical engineer, being the first French-Canadian to whom was accorded that distinction. In 1879 he was appointed boiler inspector for the city of Montreal by a council, the majority of whose members were English-speaking. His experience has enabled him to solve many of the difficult and intricate problems that arise in connection with the operation of engines, pumps, steam plants, elevators and water and gas plants. In a word, he has expert scientific knowledge and practical mechanical ability and is splendidly qualified for the onerous and important duties which devolve upon him in this connection. As an example of his capability, as well as the value of his services to the city, mention might be made of the heating apparatus of the public baths. In July, 1913, when the question of heating water for the public baths was being considered by the city officials, various types of expensive and complicated apparatus were shown and inspected. The expense of installation, as well as that of fuel and maintenance, represented a large sum if any of those systems had been adopted. Mr. Champagne had given the matter some thought and, with a system of entirely his own planning, offered to install an efficient and economical apparatus for that purpose. How well he succeeded may be inferred from the fact that at an expense of ten dollars he secured the same result, in less than one-half the time, that a system costing ten thousand dollars would have accomplished. Three such equipments were supplied by him, representing a first cost saving of thirty thousand dollars to the city. Being in the city’s employ, he waived all claims to remuneration as an inventor. The city’s requirements in the future will call for a number of such installations, each one of which will mean a saving of an additional ten thousand dollars.
At their annual meeting in 1880 the various members of the Association of Boiler Inspectors of the United States and Canada were invited to submit designs from which the organization’s official seal was to be selected. Mr. Champagne, through illness in his family, was unable to attend this meeting. However, he submitted the design he had planned, and it was adopted. This has ever since been in use as the official seal of the association. The first impression made from the seal, together with a small photogravure of the original drawing, were sent to Mr. Champagne by the officials. The design of the seal is unique and highly appropriate, containing accurate drawings of sixteen dangerous types of boilers which form its circular border. Mr. Champagne has frequently been called upon as an expert in determining causes of boiler explosions, and in matters generally pertaining to his line of business there are few, if any, better posted men in the Dominion.
Mr. Champagne is also a noted marksman and one of the best snapshots in the Dominion. He came into permanent possession of several challenge cups [594] as evidence of his skill. Few men would probably display more modesty over achievements of equal importance and significance than he has done.
In 1895 he came into public notice through his heroism at the Longue Pointe Asylum fire, when he and Chief Benoit saved the lives of over ninety inmates. It is characteristic of him that he never considers himself in the presence of imminent danger, and his faithfulness and fidelity in public service have won him the confidence and high regard of all who know aught of his career. As a citizen he represents the best of the French-Canadian type, has reared an excellent family and, with them, is highly esteemed and respected.
Hon. François Xavier Choquet, judge of the juvenile court, Montreal, since January 2, 1912, is uniformly recognized as an eminent legist and jurist, as well as an able member of the judiciary. He occupied for many years a position of distinction at the Montreal bar, where his name figured in connection with the court records of some of the most prominent cases heard in the province.
Judge Choquet was born on the 8th of January, 1851, at Varennes, in the province of Quebec. His father, Jean Baptiste Choquet, was a farmer at Varennes and descended from one of the oldest French families in the province, while the mother of Judge Choquet, Adeline Provost, a daughter of Amable Provost, also belonged to an old and honorable family.
The Choquet family has been identified with the history of the province since 1665, the founders, who originally belonged to Picardie, France, settling in Canada in that year.
Judge Choquet added to the fundamental principles of education the knowledge acquired in attendance at L’Assomption College, the Montreal Seminary and McGill University, being graduated from the last named in 1874 with the B. C. L. degree, having determined to make the practice of law his life work. In the meantime he had studied law under Sir La Jette and Senator Beique, in the firm of Jette & Beique, and after being called to the bar on the 10th of January, 1875, he began the practice of his profession in Montreal as a partner of his former law preceptors, being admitted to the firm of Jette & Beique, where he remained about four years. Subsequently he practiced alone for six years, during which time he acquired a clientele that was not surpassed by any of his contemporaries. He afterwards became partner in the firm of Mercier, Beausoleil & Choquet, so continuing from 1884 until 1892, when the senior partner, the late Hon. Honore Mercier, withdrew, and the firm style of Beausoleil & Choquet was adopted. Judge Choquet was created a king’s counsellor by the Earl of Aberdeen on March 7, 1893.
Many important duties have devolved upon him, either in the direct or indirect path of his profession. He was a royal commissioner to revise the charter of Montreal in September, 1897, and was appointed judge of the session of the peace, police magistrate, and license commissioner of Montreal on the 27th of December, 1898. He was also appointed an extradition commissioner under the extradition act, July 20, 1901. In more strictly professional lines his service as [597] a member of the council of the Montreal bar continued from 1894 until 1897, and he was appointed a delegate to the general council of the bar of the province of Quebec.
He has been a continuous student of his profession, constantly broadening his knowledge by reading, study, research and investigation until today his opinions are largely accepted as authority concerning any vital legal problems.
In the course of his professional career, Judge Choquet successfully handled many important railway and municipal cases. He made a special study of the law relating to transportation matters and also the laws governing municipal affairs, while on the law of elections, the Montreal Herald has referred to him as “the highest authority of the province.”
In June, 1884, Judge Choquet was married to Miss Marie Caroline Barry, a daughter of John E. Barry, of Saguenay and Trois Pistoles. Both Judge and Mrs. Choquet are prominently connected with the Montreal Children’s Aid Society, of which he was president for some time, while Mrs. Choquet has been vice president. He is also president of the Cooperative Funeral Expense Society. Their religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church, and Mrs. Choquet was granted an audience by the pope in 1906. Judge Choquet is vice president of the Shawinigan Fishing Club, holds membership also with the Engineers and Winchester Clubs, and has been president of the latter for ten years. He resides at No. 814 Dorchester Street, West, Montreal, through the winter seasons and has a summer home at Rigaud, P. Q.
On the list of representatives of the judiciary of Montreal appears the name of Hon. Louis Tellier, puisne judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec. A native of Berthier, Quebec, he was born on the 25th of December, 1844, a son of Zephirin Tellier of Ste. Melanie d’Aillebout and Luce Ferland, the latter a daughter of V. Prisque Ferland. After attending Joliette College Louis Tellier was called to the bar in 1866, and thus for almost half a century he has been a representative of the legal profession in the province. For a number of years he held the office of deputy prothonotary of the superior court, also deputy clerk of the circuit court and deputy clerk of the peace and of the crown for the district of St. Hyacinthe. He had studied law under the late Mr. Baby, who became a justice of the court of queen’s bench in the province of Quebec, and afterward under Mr. Chagnon, who became a judge of the superior court for the province of Quebec in the district of Iberville, and had come to the bar well equipped for the honors and responsible duties of the profession. His ability was early manifest in the manner in which he prepared and conducted his cases, and in 1873 he was appointed crown prosecutor for the district of St. Hyacinthe. He also became a recognized leader in political as well as in legal circles, and in 1878 he was elected to the house of commons for the St. Hyacinthe riding at the general election and sat for that district until 1882. He was appointed queen’s counsel in 1882 by the Marquis of Lorne. He resumed the practice of law and was raised to the bench as puisne judge of the superior court of the province [598] of Quebec by the Marquis of Lansdowne on the 12th of November, 1887. He was appointed for the district of St. Hyacinthe, succeeding Justice Sicotte, but in 1903 he was removed to the district of Montreal, where he now presides. His decisions on the bench are models of judicial soundness, showing a comprehensive grasp of the law with ability to accurately apply its principles.
On the 26th of May, 1868, Judge Tellier married Hermine, daughter of the late Dr. A. Malhiot. She died in 1878, and on the 18th of July, 1882, Judge Tellier married Elzire Hamel, daughter of Joseph A. Hamel, collector of customs in St. Hyacinthe division. Her death occurred October 6, 1906. On the 26th of January, 1914, the Judge married Mrs. Jules Richard whose maiden name was Regina Royer and who was the widow of Jules Richard, advocate, practicing his profession at Sherbrooke in the district of St. Francis. Judge Tellier has three sons and five daughters.
He is an administrator of Laval University and is a member of the Catholic church. His mind is naturally analytical, logical and inductive, and his clear reasoning finds expression in judicial opinions from which colleagues and contemporaries seldom take exception.
Henry Johnstone Elliott, senior member of the law firm of Elliott & David, has been a lifelong resident of Montreal, and is a son of the late Hugh Elliott. He received his early education in the schools of his native city and pursued his preparation for the bar at McGill University, from which he was graduated B. C. L. in 1898. The same year he began practice as an advocate, and ten years’ successful work as a representative of the legal profession won him position among the king’s counselors, being created such in 1908. He understands thoroughly the necessity for careful preparation before presenting his cause in the courts, and in the trial of cases it is seen that his knowledge of the law is exact and comprehensive, while in the application of legal principles he is seldom if ever at fault.
Mr. Elliott finds enjoyment in golf, and interest and recreation in various outdoor sports, exercises and athletics. He belongs to the Beaconsfield Golf Club, Outremont Golf Club, Montreal Athletic Association, the Engineers Club and the Temple Club, all of Montreal. His religious belief is that of the Anglican church and he has been a delegate to the synod.
Rev. Malcolm A. Campbell, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Montreal and known in that city as a man of superior attainments and of active religious zeal, was born in Bruce county, Ontario, October 10, 1875. He acquired his education in high school at Port Elain, in his native province, and later attended the Collegiate Institute at Owen Sound. He supplemented this by a [599] course in McGill University and in the Presbyterian College at Montreal, from which he was graduated in April, 1909. He was ordained in the following October and in January, 1910, became minister of the First Presbyterian church of this city, a position which he still retains. This is one of the most important parishes in Montreal, being a combination of St. Gabriel’s and Chalmers Presbyterian churches, the former the first Protestant church in Canada. Rev. Campbell brings to the duties of his responsible position well directed energy, unflagging zeal and a firm belief in the importance of the work in which he is engaged, and the results of his labors are seen in the excellent condition of the parish and its constant growth.
On the 26th of October, 1910, Rev. Campbell was united in marriage to Miss Louise Crippen, of Trout River, New York. He is a member of the Masonic order, being grand chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Quebec province, and he is widely and favorably known in Montreal, where he is recognized as a man sincere in his aims and purposes and one whose honorable and upright life is always in strict conformity with the doctrines which he professes.
In preparation for the onerous and difficult duties and responsibilities of the profession Dr. Arthur Joseph Richer has studied under eminent physicians and surgeons of the old world and the new, and his labors have manifestly been of marked value to his fellowmen, especially in the conduct of the Brehmer Rest, a sanitarium promoting a preventive treatment for tuberculosis.
He was born at Upton, P. Q., November 16, 1868, and is a son of Damase and Celina (Larvie) Richer, of Antonvale, P. Q. His education was acquired at Sabrevois Mission College and in Bishop’s College at Lennoxville, P. Q., where he was accorded the degrees of M. D. and C. M. in 1892. Since that time he has taken post-graduate work in New York and for a year and a half he was connected with the Pasteur Institute of Paris. He was also assistant under Dr. Roux in his private laboratory, and under his guidance and that of Pasteur, Metchkinoff and others, Dr. Richer performed many successful experiments. Later he was assistant at L’Ecole de Pharmacie Superieure at Paris for a short time and was appointed house surgeon at the faculty surgical clinic at Krakow, Austria, in 1895. He next went to Breslau for a winter’s study before returning to Canada. At different times he was a student at Dresden, Leipzig, Halle, Berlin and Hamburg and was an assistant in the laboratory of physiology of the faculty of medicine of Paris.
Dr. Richer returned to Canada in 1897 and located for practice in Montreal. He has since carried on an active crusade against tuberculosis in this country. The scheme of a recuperative home such as Brehmer Rest at Ste. Agathe des Monts was suggested by Dr. Richer. He has been a lifelong worker in fighting the dread disease and in the early spring of 1905 Brehmer Rest was opened as the result of his untiring efforts. In his first annual report concerning the institution he said: “When we select for treatment convalescents from pneumonia, pleurisy, and typhoid fever, as well as those affected with anaemia, chlorosis and [600] debility, we do so with a definite object in view. Nine-tenths of those affected as above will inevitably become victims of tuberculosis.
“If they can be treated and trained before they become a prey to the dread scourge, the saving is evident from every viewpoint. In the pre-tuberculosis stage a patient can be restored to health in eight or ten weeks; when tuberculosis has developed it becomes a matter of as many months. At the last International Congress, held in Paris, October, 1905, one of the delegates present expressed his opinion in very strong terms regarding the treatment of the conditions of disease known as ‘pre-tuberculosis;’ they comprise the group above mentioned. In this respect Brehmer Rest stands out as supplying an actual need, and enjoys the unique distinction of being the first institution in the world devoted to that special class of work. Brehmer Rest has undoubtedly anticipated the movement of the future, particularly when considered in the light of the statements recently made by Von Behring in connection with his method of vaccination against tuberculosis. The new product (Tulase), which this distinguished scientist offers to the world, is a substance extracted from the cultivated germ of the disease (tuberculosis), so modified as to impart resisting power to the human organism without impairing health. It is markedly curative in the first stage of the disease, thus its action is twofold, protective and curative.”
Dr. Richer’s efforts along this line have gained him not only national but international fame and distinction. His name is known on the other side of the Atlantic as well as on this, and he has joined hands with the men of earnest purpose who are using the highest scientific skill and knowledge to blot out the dread disease. His labors have been effective in hundreds of cases and thus his life work has been a valuable contribution to mankind, placing him with the benefactors of the race.
Joseph Tremblay, chief of the Montreal fire brigade, was born at St. Isidore, a little village a few miles from Montreal, where his parents were the proverbially poor but honest French-Canadian small farmers. His education was the usual course of reading, writing and arithmetic gleaned from the village priest. At the age of twelve years he left school and the farm, thinking to find more congenial and profitable occupation in the city. He made his way to Montreal with all his earthly possessions tied in a bundle, after the manner of Dick Whittington of old. At that period he knew no English, but he had little difficulty in finding a position as errand boy with one Beauvais, a merchant tailor of Chaboillez Square. Being an errand boy had small attractions in those days and it did not suit Joe Tremblay to remain one for long. He, therefore, gathered up his bundle, put his money in his sock and departed for the United States. For a while he lingered on that side the border, learning many lessons in the school of experience which have since been of much use to him. Following his return to Montreal he sought to establish himself in the tailoring business, which he had followed during his sojourn in the United States. He located at Ste. Cunegonde, then a separate municipality south of Westmount and north of Point St. Charles. There he [603] hung out two neat brass signs, one of which read Joseph Tremblay, Tailleur, and the other Joseph Tremblay, Tailor, thus soliciting business from both the English and French population. While he was then ready for business, it appeared that business was not ready for him. F. Beecher Edwards, in an article in a Montreal paper, said:
“Fate, wishing to do some good to poor old Montreal for a change, glimpsed one Joseph Tremblay working busily in his little tailoring and men’s furnishing shop on the southwestern borders of the city. Whereupon, things went very badly for the said Joseph Tremblay in his little tailoring and men’s furnishing business. People to whom he owed money camped on his doorstep and people who owed him money left for parts unknown in the dead of night, so Joseph Tremblay put up the shutters on his little tailoring and men’s furnishing shop on the southwestern borders of the city and went into the Ste. Cunegone fire department. Consequently the Montreal fire department is today a thing to be proud of in a city which has little enough reason to be proud of the vast majority of its civic enterprises.
“Fate, it will be observed, may be a trifle circumlocutious in her methods, but she gets there in the end. So we may thank fate that made Joseph Tremblay an unsuccessful tailor and haberdasher, for the fact that during the tragic Christmas week—1913—when through somebody’s outrageous blundering the greater portion of this great Canadian metropolis went inadvertently dry; when the fire menace, ever present, hovered more threateningly over thousands of human lives and millions of dollars worth of property, because of the fact that our strongest barrier of defense was broken down with the collapse of a few feet of unstable concrete somewhere out beyond Point St. Charles, we may thank fate for the fact that we had at the head of the Montreal fire department, deprived from no fault of its own of its heaviest ammunition, a man of the quality, the resource and the ability of Joseph Tremblay, the bad tailor who became one of the greatest, if not the greatest of fire chiefs on the North American continent.
“At the time that Joseph Tremblay became a member of the fire department he was much as he is now, with the exception of recent inclination to embonpoint, a well set up, good looking man of above the average build and as strong as two ordinary men. He had a brain, too, but they did not find that out until he had been in the Ste. Cunegonde force at least a week, when it began to be hinted that there was more to this young man than to the average. Six months after Joe Tremblay joined the Ste. Cunegonde fire brigade the chief of the brigade retired from office; whereupon, to the amazement of one and all, the Ste. Cunegonde council made the new recruit, the man who had been an unsuccessful tailor, chief. This may safely be put forward as the world’s record for rapid promotion.
“In the course of time Ste. Cunegonde was annexed to Montreal and Chief Tremblay became Sub-Chief Tremblay, in charge of the western division. This was in 1906. In 1907 he was made a deputy chief to Chief Benoit and when one year later the veteran retired in his turn Deputy Chief Tremblay became head of the Montreal fire brigade.
“Chief Tremblay is an omnivorous reader of all literature appertaining to fires and fire fighting and he is not above learning from other cities and makes at his own expense at least one trip a year to the principal cities in the States to see what helpful piece of information he can pick up.
“One of his first official acts was to institute an inspection system which was largely instrumental in reducing the rates of fire insurance here. In 1905, 1906 and 1907 the fire loss was around nine dollars per annum per capita. In 1913 it was something like two dollars and thirty-four cents per capita. He was responsible for the introduction of automobile fire apparatus here; he started the firemen’s drill school at Chaboillez Square, and he had the fire headquarters transferred from the City Hall to its present location on Craig Street. The chief is well known by sight to Montrealers. His inspiring figure has bulked large on the horizon of many a panic stricken householder at hundreds of fires during the last few years. He is a big, handsome man, and his very size begets confidence. He works his men hard and he works himself just as hard, for he believes that the citizens should get full value for their money. He has one or two hobbies, all of them connected with fire fighting, a high pressure system for the down town district, a fire tug for the harbor and the placing of the firemen’s benevolent fund on a sound footing. Chief Joseph Tremblay is a man’s size man and if there was any doubt on the subject lingering in anyone’s mind it was banished by the splendidly efficient manner in which he handled the appalling situation during the water famine of December, 1913.”
Paul E. Mercier, one of the best known civil engineers in Montreal and a member of the firm of Baulne & Mercier, has won a position of high standing in his profession. He was born at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, March 15, 1877. His father was the late Hon. Honore Mercier, premier of Quebec, of whom a more extended mention appears elsewhere in this work, while his mother previous to her marriage was Virginie St. Denis.
When four years of age Mr. Mercier was brought to Montreal and in the schools of the city pursued his early education. He afterward attended St. Mary’s College and was graduated with honor from Ecole Polytechnique with the Bachelor of Science degree in 1899. During his holiday periods he was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and following the completion of his college course he went to the Yukon, where he spent a year as assistant engineer of the Dominion public works and two years as district engineer in the Yukon.
Following his return Mr. Mercier was for two years district engineer of Dominion public works for the district of Quebec and from 1904 until 1907 was engineer in charge of work of the National Transcontinental Railway. In the latter year he returned to Montreal and opened an office as consulting engineer, while in 1910 he formed a partnership with S. A. Baulne, with offices in the Shaughnessy Building. Reading between the lines one may see that his progress has been continuous and that he has advanced step by step until he now occupies a commanding position in engineering circles. His ability has increased through experience and continuous study and investigation. He keeps abreast with the leaders of the profession in all that pertains to his chosen life work and his ability has won him wide recognition and well earned reputation. In 1911 he [605] was appointed professor of railway engineering at Ecole Polytechnique and in 1913 was appointed on the board of examiners for the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. On May 16, 1914, he was appointed deputy chief engineer of public works of Montreal. He has important membership relations along professional lines. He has been secretary of the Association des Anciens Elèves de L’Ecole Polytechnique since its organization and he has been professor of transportation and communication at l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal. He is a member of the American Railway Engineering Association, the Quebec Land Surveyors’ Corporation, the Society of Civil Engineers of France and the Association International Congress of Navigation. Mr. Mercier is also well known in military connections. He is captain of the Corps of Guides of the Canadian Volunteer Militia and organized and commands as major the Canadian Officers Training Corps of Laval University.
On the 29th of June, 1901, Mr. Mercier was married, at Whitehorse, Yukon, to Miss Marie Louise Tache, of Ottawa, Ontario, and their children are Simone, Jeanne, Yvonne and Heva.
James Morgan, an influential citizen of Montreal, is perhaps best known as president of Henry Morgan & Company, Limited. His activities, however, have extended to other lines, all of which have proved beneficial to Montreal in its material, civic or moral upbuilding. In the utilization of opportunities that others have passed heedlessly by, he has achieved distinction and honorable success, and yet the acquirement of wealth has been but one phase of his existence, never excluding his active participation in and support of other vital interests which go to make up community and national life. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, a son of the late James Morgan, a native of Saline, Fifeshire, who was associated with his brother, Henry Morgan, in the conduct of the business now carried on by Henry Morgan & Company, Limited.
In early life James Morgan became a resident of Montreal and attended the Montreal high school. He then became connected with the business founded by his uncle and father, and gradually worked his way upward in that connection. Mr. Morgan, moreover, is president of the Colonial Real Estate Company and has been prominently connected with various other business enterprises of far-reaching importance. He aided in promoting the British Columbia Bank Note Company in 1904 and in organizing and developing the Montreal Cement Company in 1905. He was likewise vice president of the Accident & Guarantee Company of Canada, and in all these associations his judgment is sound, while his ability to coordinate and unify seemingly diverse elements has been one of the strong features in his growing success. While he has reached the millionaire class, his business methods have ever been such as will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny, in that there is no esoteric phase in his entire career and what he has accomplished, both for himself and the community at large, represents the fit utilization of the innate powers and talents which are his.
Mr. Morgan was united in marriage to Miss Anna Lyman, a daughter of Frederick Lyman, of Connecticut. They are influential members of the Church of the Messiah (Unitarian) of Montreal, in which Mr. Morgan is serving as trustee. His interests and activities extend to many beneficent projects and to those which spread culture and stimulate intellectual activities. He is a director of the Montreal Horticultural and Fruit Growing Association and one of the principal promoters of the Montreal Citizens Association, of which he is now a director and treasurer. He was likewise one of the promoters of the Montreal Board of Control, but declined election thereto. He is one of the governors of the Montreal General Hospital and is interested in various projects seeking to meet public needs along broad humanitarian lines. He is a councillor of the National Historical Society, belongs to the St. Andrews Society, to the Montreal Art Association and to the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. He is also a member of the Canada and the Reform Clubs. His life has been one of intense and well directed activity, fruitful of good results for the general public as well as for himself.
Anselme Séraphin Deguire enjoys high distinction as a lawyer and has also given much evidence of his public spirit in his position as alderman of the city of Montreal. He comes of an old Canadian French family, the earliest ancestor recorded in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire being François De Guire, who was born in 1641 and who died at Montreal. In 1669 he married Mlle. Rose Colin, born in 1641, and they became the parents of nine children.
Anselme S. Deguire was born at Côte des Neiges on the 25th of November, 1874, a son of Séraphin Deguire and Alphonsine Pilon of Ste. Anne de Bellevue. The father was a gardener by profession. Mr. Deguire of this review studied at Montreal College, from which he was graduated in 1895 with the degree of B. A., and afterwards took a law course at Laval University. He was admitted to practice in 1901. Immediately afterwards he interested himself in municipal affairs and his aptitude along financial lines made him valuable in a number of important positions which he held in the administration of the village of Côte des Neiges. Under his leadership the proceedings to erect the village into a town were successfully completed.
As a lawyer Mr. Deguire soon secured a select clientele, no long novitiate awaiting him in his practice. He is one of a coterie of lawyers, or more correctly, he continues the traditions of a coterie of lawyers who had their origin in Côte des Neiges and several of whom were well known and very prominent. Such were the late Judge Madore and Judges Charbonneau and Demers. Mr. Deguire is universally esteemed by his fellow citizens and since the annexation of Côte des Neiges to the city of Montreal, of which annexation he was an ardent advocate, he has been its representative in the Montreal city hall. He was elected first for the Côte des Neiges ward in 1910 and reelected by acclamation in 1912.
At the Church of St. Louis de France, on the 18th of November, 1902, Mr. Deguire married Mlle. Aloysia Chopin, a daughter of the late Dr. J. Nestor Chopin of Sault au Récollet. Mr. and Mrs. Deguire have one son, René, born January 1, 1904. Mr. Deguire is not only a successful advocate and lawyer, but a patriotic citizen and a splendid example of a loyal French-Canadian. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Royal Arcanum.
When death claimed John J. Arnton on the 13th of November, 1894, he was the oldest real-estate man in Montreal in years of continuous connection with the business in this city. Montreal numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in 1832. He began his business career with the firm of John Leeming & Company and later practically succeeded to the business and good will of the firm. He watched the notable development in real estate methods and, keeping abreast of the progress of the times, met substantial success. He was in business at the time of the real-estate boom of the [610] ‘70s and he gained a patronage as large as he could handle. Realizing fair profit from his real estate negotiations, he was at length able to retire with a comfortable competence. The integrity of his business methods was one of the features of his growing success, and his progressiveness was also an element in his advancement.
Mr. Arnton entered the city council but retired before completing his term. For some years he was a director of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and his name was an honorable one on commercial papers. He was at one time president of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society and was a man of generous spirit, giving freely of his means to the poor and needy and extending a helping hand to the unfortunate. He was survived by six children, when on the 13th of November, 1894, he passed away at the age of sixty-two years, leaving behind the memory of a well spent life, fraught with many good deeds.
Howard Winthrop Pillow is the Montreal manager for the British American Bank Note Company and is vice president and one of the directors of that corporation. His position as one of the younger business men of the city is enviable. He was born in Montreal, May 9, 1883, and is a son of John Alexander and Annie Elizabeth (Hillyer) Pillow. He attended Bishop’s College School at Lennoxville and for two years was a student in McGill University. With liberal education to serve as the foundation, he has gradually worked his way upward, the exercise of effort developing his latent powers and talents. He is now bending his efforts to administrative direction and executive control as the manager at Montreal for the British American Bank Note Company, a position to which he has attained by individual merit. He is the vice president and one of the directors of the company and as such occupies a prominent and enviable position in business circles.
On the 1st of October, 1906, in Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Pillow was married to Miss Lucile E. Fairbank, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Fairbank, and they now have one child, Lucile Marguerite.
Mr. Pillow is a well known club man and much of the nature of his interests and recreation, aside from business, is indicated in the fact that he belongs to the St. James, Montreal and Beaconsfield Golf Clubs, the Automobile Club of Canada, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Jockey Club, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club and the Heather Curling Club.
High on the list of Montreal’s best known surgeons appears the name of Dr. Xavier Arthur Robichon, who is a descendant of one of the old French families of the province of Quebec. His great-grandfather, the first of the family to come to Canada, was in early life a captain of French vessels. After arriving in this country he established an iron foundry near Three Rivers, in the province of Quebec. The Doctor’s grandfather also followed the business of an iron founder at that place and Nicolas Treffle Robichon, the father, was a successful merchant at Three Rivers. He married Trenche Montague, who since his death has resided in Montreal. Their children are: Nicolas Raoul, a civil engineer of Montreal; Xavier Arthur; George Henri, an advocate of Three Rivers; and Mastai, who died at the age of seven years.
Dr. X. A. Robichon was educated in a preparatory school in Three Rivers, and at the Christian Brothers Ste. Ursule school at the same place, followed by a five-years’ classical course at St. Joseph College at Three Rivers, his classical studies being completed in St. Mary’s College in Montreal, where he spent four years and where he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree, receiving the medal of the governor general and the prize of excellency.
Upon the broad foundation of literary learning Dr. Robichon erected the superstructure of professional knowledge. Immediately after the completion of his course at St. Mary’s he began the study of medicine at Laval University, graduating summa cum laude in 1906, with the degree of M. D. The following year he spent as interne in Notre Dame Hospital of Montreal, gaining the broad practical experience which only hospital practice can bring. During the succeeding two years he specialized in the study of surgery in Paris, France, and in the summer of 1909 he entered upon active practice in Montreal as a general surgeon, since which time he has devoted his attention exclusively to professional duties of growing volume and importance. Throughout this entire period he has also been assistant demonstrator of anatomy at Laval University. He is a member of La Société Médicale de Montreal, and he has his office at No. 335 St. Denis Street.
On the 18th of September, 1907, Dr. Robichon was married by the archbishop of Montreal, Monseigneur Paul Bruchesi, to Miss Flora Salvail, daughter of Dr. Salvail, of Helena, Montana, and they are parents of five daughters, [613] Claire, Jeanne, Alice, Lucienne and Estelle. Family and professional interests divide Dr. Robichon’s time. Upon his home and his practice his interest centers, and laudable ambition in the latter connection has brought him to a high position, experience, wide reading and research constantly developing his skill until he is now one of the foremost surgeons of the city.
The name of Duncan McDonald has long figured prominently in connection with transportation interests. He has displayed a spirit of enterprise and initiative in all that he has undertaken, has operated along broad lines and has carefully planned and executed important projects. He is now devoting his attention to the supervision of various interests with which he is identified following his retirement from the management of the Montreal Street Railway Company. His investments largely have to do with transportation interests. He is president of the Montreal Tunnel Company, which has reached a very active stage in its development, and it is Mr. McDonald’s purpose to give special attention to the rapid inauguration and execution of the work. He is also largely concerned in several real-estate companies that are dealing with central Montreal property, as well as large subdivisions in outlying municipalities. He is the president of the Pre-payment Car Sales Company with offices in the Hudson Terminal building at No. 50 Church Street, New York, this being the operating company for all the various “Pay-as-you-enter,” “Pay-within” and other styles of pre-payment cars that are being so rapidly adopted by the cities on this continent. He is also connected with the International F-A-Y-E Tramcar Company, Limited, Broad Street Place, London, E. C.
Mr. McDonald’s operations in real estate have been of a mammoth character. He was the original promoter of Dominion Park, which in its development and sale has netted a splendid income for the investors, and he is at present vice president of that enterprise. He is also a director of several industrial and transportation companies. He belongs to the Institute of Civil Engineers of France and to the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Great Britain, connections which indicate the recognition of his high standing and notable ability in the fields into which he has directed his efforts.
Joseph Philippe Lamarche, a well known notary of Montreal, was born in St. Henri de Mascouche, L’Assomption county, Quebec, January 29, 1866. His grandfather, Louis Lamarche, was a farmer of L’Assomption county. His father, Joseph Olivier Lamarche, now eighty-one years of age, was for many years a notary at St. Henri de Mascouche, where he yet resides. He married Helene Mount, a sister of Dr. Mount, of Montreal, and her death occurred in April, 1874. To them were born three children: Joseph Philippe; George, a resident [614] farmer of St. Henri de Mascouche; and Joseph S., a notary of Montreal. The father has been a lifelong conservative in politics and for many years was secretary and treasurer of the municipality of St. Henri de Mascouche. In fact, he has been a prominent figure in political, official and business circles there and is today one of the honored and venerable citizens.
Joseph Philippe Lamarche was educated in the parochial schools of his native town and in L’Assomption College, which he attended for six years, his course there being supplemented by two years’ study in the Ottawa University. During the succeeding three years he was a student in the office of Coultee & Lamarche, notaries of Montreal. In 1890 he won the degree of Baccalaureatus in Legibus. In 1890 he began the practice of his profession in St. Henri de Mascouche, where he continued until 1903, when he removed to Montreal, where he has since successfully practiced. He is thoroughly versed in the principles of the profession and his ability is attested by his liberal clientage.
Mr. Lamarche was married in St. Henri de Mascouche to Marie Rose Lambert, and to them have come four children, Helene, Lambert, Philippe and Rita. In politics Mr. Lamarche is a conservative and at the present writing he is filling the office of commissioner to the superior court for the district of Montreal, his creditable record commending him to the further support and confidence of the public.
Sir Joseph Hickson, who in 1890 received the honor of knighthood at the hand of Her Majesty in recognition of ability displayed in the management of important and extensive railway interests, is classed with those to whom Canada owes much of her greatness and her prosperity. He was born at Otterburn, Northumberland, England, in 1830, and acquired his education there. Throughout his entire business career he was connected with railway interests, first entering the service of the North Eastern Railway of England and thus gaining his elementary knowledge of railway management and operation. He left that corporation to accept a position with the Maryport & Carlisle Railway, in which capacity he served with credit until 1851, when he went to Manchester and entered the service of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. Promotion rapidly followed in recognition of his capability, indefatigable energy and perseverance, so that after ten years he became assistant to the general manager, in which position his labors engaged the attention of Sir Edward Watkin, chairman of the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada, who proffered him the position of chief accountant of the Grand Trunk in December, 1861.
He left England for the new world in the following January and made his way to Montreal, where he continued to reside until called to his final rest. Here his ability and power soon gained further recognition and he was made secretary and treasurer of the company, in which capacity he continued until the resignation of C. J. Brydges, managing director of the Grand Trunk, in 1874, when Sir Joseph Hickson succeeded as general manager of the road and system. The policy which he inaugurated was soon felt as a dominant power in active management [617] and cooperation. One of his first acts was to sell to the federal government the line between Point Levis and Riviere du Loup and with the proceeds of this transaction he changed the old gauge of the road to the standard gauge of American lines and thus effected connection with Sarnia and Chicago. The wisdom of this move was soon manifest as it opened up a new field of enterprise to the company and marked the beginning of that policy of affiliation and connection which resulted to the benefit of both countries before Sir Joseph Hickson ceased to be an active factor in the control of an immense system embracing five thousand miles of track in the United States and Canada. Sir Joseph served as general manager until 1890, when he retired from his arduous position after receiving, early in that year, knighthood from Her Majesty, the late Queen Victoria, in recognition of the ability which he had displayed in the management of the Grand Trunk Railway System and of the valuable service he had rendered in developing Canada and her resources. Under his management the road had been rapidly and substantially improved and extended, connections with other lines being formed which have proven of great value in later years. Perhaps the most valuable work which he undertook and accomplished was the establishment of the direct line to Chicago wholly under control of the Grand Trunk system. By this master stroke was secured the best paying portion for carrying freight and at the same time gave to Canadian steamship companies a large amount of the freight which they carried across the Atlantic. It was while Sir Joseph Hickson occupied the position of general manager that the length of the road in its main and collateral lines was extended from one thousand three hundred and eighty-three to three thousand four hundred and eighty-seven miles. In railway management he studied each vital question from every possible standpoint and with almost judicial accuracy passed judgment upon the important matters at issue. He was largely instrumental in carrying forward the great engineering undertaking known as the St. Clair tunnel, which was completed in 1890 at a cost of three million dollars. His work elicited attention from one end of the country to the other, and he became one of the foremost representatives of railway interests on the American continent.
On the 17th of June, 1869, Sir Joseph Hickson wedded Catherine, the eldest daughter of the late Andrew Dow of Montreal. Mrs. Hickson is a native of this city and was educated here. She has been prominently identified with the Montreal League for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and was one of the promoters of the Royal Edward Institute in 1909 and an active supporter of various other similar bodies. She is also the vice president of the Montreal branch of the Needlework Guild of Canada and has been termed by one of the city papers “a queenly hostess.” Sir Joseph and Lady Hickson had two sons and a daughter. The eldest, Joseph William Andrew Hickson, was educated at McGill University, winning the B. A. degree on completing the course in mental and moral philosophy in 1893, while in 1896 his alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. He won the Ph. D. degree in 1900 at the universities of Berlin, Freiburg and Halle. He was lecturer and tutor in the philosophical department of McGill University from 1900 until 1905, assistant professor of psychology and lecturer on philosophy at McGill from 1905 until 1909 and has since been assistant professor of metaphysics and logic. He is a contributor to the University and other magazines and reviews, is a councillor to the Economic and [618] Statistical Society, is a member of the University Club and a member of the board of management of the House of Industry and Refuge. He is an enthusiastic mountain climber and a well known clubman, belonging to the Mount Royal, University and Political Economy Clubs of Montreal and the Alpine Club of Banff. The second son, James Claud Hickson, graduated B. A. from McGill in 1895 and, receiving the B. C. L. degree in 1898, is now engaged in active practice as a member of the law firm of Hickson & Campbell. He was created K. C. in 1909 and is a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital. He is well known as a clubman, his membership being in Mount Royal Club, Canada Club, Montreal Hunt Club, Royal Montreal Golf Club, Montreal Curling Club, Lafontaine Club, Montreal Jockey Club, Montreal Racquet Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, University Club, and Constitutional Club of London, England. The daughter, Miss Mary Elizabeth Hickson, is well known as an author, having early contributed tales and sketches to the magazines. She is also the author of two charming stories of French-Canadian life, “Madame Janvier’s Church” and “The Call of God.”
Sir Joseph Hickson served as justice of the peace for Montreal and was interested in several banking, commercial and industrial enterprises which he represented on the directorate. He was appointed by the Dominion government as president of the royal commission on the prohibition of the liquor traffic. He stood for all those interests which are effective forces in the progress and upbuilding of city, province and country, and the position which he filled was one of influence and honor.
Herbert Brown Ames, a deep student of the science of government and avowed in his opposition to misrule in public affairs, has, through his practical efforts, the result of keen insight into situations, been instrumental in bringing about various needed reforms and improvements. His public addresses, too, have aided largely in shaping public opinion on the side of right and order, and thus his value as a citizen can hardly be overestimated.
He was born in Montreal, June 27, 1863, his parents being the late Evan Fisher and Caroline Matilda (Brown) Ames, both of whom were born in the United States. After mastering the elementary branches of learning Herbert B. Ames became a student in Amherst College, of Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1885 with the Bachelor of Arts degree. He afterward studied the French language and literature in France, and made his initial step in business circles as a representative of the wholesale firm of Ames-Holden, Ltd., of Montreal, with which he was actively connected until December, 1893. He is still a representative of that corporation and one of its directors and is likewise a director of the Dominion Guarantee Company, the Great West Life Insurance Company, the Royal Victoria Life Insurance Company, and a number of other prominent business concerns. As a merchant he has established a reputation that places him in a prominent position among the leading and representative business men of the city. His efforts in that direction would [619] alone entitle him to distinctive mention in the history of Montreal, and yet this is but one phase of his activity. He is perhaps even more widely known because of his connection with efforts put forth in opposition to misrule in municipal affairs. He was particularly active in that direction during his service as alderman from 1898 until 1906, during which time he promoted and advocated many reform measures and projects, always working along conservative lines. He was chairman of the municipal board of health from 1900 until 1904, and again his service was of notable value to the city. He had previously filled the position of secretary of the Good Government Association and was president of the Volunteer Election League, which bodies effected many reforms in civic administration. His name is widely known, and in fact he has been heard in many centers as a lecturer on Canadian political history and on problems of municipal government. He has been a frequent contributor to the press, and among his notable articles are: The Machine in Honest Hands, published in 1894; The City Below the Hill, A Sociological Study, published in 1897; The City Problem; What is it?, in 1901; and The Housing of the Working Classes, in 1907. These show wide research and deep insight into existing conditions and point out various practical methods of improvement.
Mr. Ames was appointed a member and protestant secretary of the council of public instruction for the province of Quebec in 1895. The following year he was elected to the presidency of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Montreal, and the extent and importance of his work is further indicated in the fact that he is a governor of the Montreal Dispensary and of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. He delivered an address in London, England, before the chamber of commerce on trade interchange in 1904, and was presented with a silver bowl by the same body in acknowledgment of his personal services in connection with the visit of that organization to Canada in 1904. In 1909 he went as a delegate to the Imperial Commercial Congress at Sidney, New South Wales, and as a member of that body moved for the appointment of an advisory imperial council to consider questions of imperial interest, especially those tending to promote trade between the various parts of the empire.
Since the general election of 1904 he has sat for the St. Antoine division of Montreal in the house of commons in the conservative interests, and in March, 1909, succeeded in securing the appointment of a committee for the revision of the assets of the Dominion. He is a very active worker in support of conservative measures and movements, and his life work indicates his recognition of the fact that education along broad lines and political activity are the sources of a country’s power and the foundation upon which is builded its business. He was appointed one of the representatives of the house of commons at the coronation of King George in London in 1911.
In May, 1900, Mr. Ames was united in marriage to Miss Louise Marion Kennedy, a daughter of John Kennedy, C. E. They occupy an attractive home at No. 26 Ontario Avenue, Montreal. Their religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Ames holds membership in a number of the leading clubs of the city, including Lafontaine, University, Montreal, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht and St. James Clubs. He is a man of indefatigable energy and unquestionably a force to be reckoned with in the public life of Canada. Even [620] those opposed to him politically recognize that he is a man to be trusted, that what he promises he will do. His position is never an equivocal one and in his entire career there is no esoteric phase.
Ernest Nicholson Brown was born in Lower Newcastle, New Brunswick, on the 12th of July, 1867. His father, Robert Brown, went from Dumfries, Scotland, to Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1823, and settled as a young man in Miramichi, New Brunswick, in 1835. He married Ann Noble, of United Empire Loyalist descent. Her grandfather fought on the British side at the battle of Bunker Hill. James Nicholson, an uncle of Robert Brown fought at the battle of Trafalgar and the medal awarded him for his services on that occasion is now in possession of Mr. Brown.
After attending the high school at Chatham, New Brunswick, Ernest N. Brown entered Dalhousie University at Halifax, from which he was graduated in 1889 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He followed that course with post-graduate study at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, after which he was engaged for some years in teaching. In 1902 he won the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law upon the completion of the regular course in law in McGill University. He was admitted to the bar in the province of Quebec in 1902 and for two years was in practice in the office of Duncan McCormick, K. C., while subsequently he became a member of the firm of Patterson & Brown, and in 1908 he became a member of the firm of Brown & Staveley.
Mr. Brown is a liberal in politics, and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In 1904, Mr. Brown married Miss Elizabeth Malcolm Fraser, a daughter of the late John Fraser of Lachine Rapids, author of “Canadian Pen and Ink Sketches”, “Historic Canadian Ground” and various articles dealing with points of interest in Canadian history, especially those connected with the scenes of his boyhood in and about Lachine.
The name of Charles Bernier is a synonym for efficiency in architecture in Montreal. A native of the province of Quebec, he was born at St. Jean Port Joli, on the 17th of December, 1866. His father, Francis Bernier, was a contractor and builder at St. Jean Port Joli and there died. The mother bore the maiden name of Virginie Deschene.
Charles Bernier was educated in the schools of his native town and in the Christian Brothers school at L’Islet. When fifteen years of age he went to Quebec, where he entered the office of David Ouellet, a well known architect, with whom he remained as a student for three and a half years. Through the ensuing year and a half he was in the office of Ferdinand Peachy, a noted architect of Quebec, and then, splendidly qualified for the profession, he [623] entered upon active practice, which he successfully followed alone in Quebec until June 24, 1903, when he came to Montreal. Here in connection with Charles Brodeur he formed the partnership of Bernier & Brodeur, which connection was maintained for seven years, and during that period their offices were removed to 70 St. James Street. Through the three succeeding years Albert Menard was associated with Mr. Bernier in the firm of Bernier & Menard, and since Mr. Menard’s death Mr. Bernier has continued alone. He is accorded a large clientage, for his ability places him among those foremost in the ranks of the profession. On all sides may be seen splendid evidences of his handiwork as exemplified in some of the most beautiful and substantial structures of Montreal.
Mr. Bernier was married in this city to Alma Dionne, daughter of Octave Dionne, of Quebec, and they are parents of three daughters, Adrienne, Alice and Anna. The religious belief of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Bernier belongs to Lafontaine Club and to the Royal Arcanum. He is a man of refined, cultured tastes, quiet in manner and a deep student of subjects relating to the profession, in which his standing is among the highest.
Hon. Amedee Geoffrion, one of the recorders of Montreal, was born at Varennes, in the province of Quebec, February 6, 1867, and was educated at L’Assomption and Laval University. Liberal training qualified him for the profession which he determined to make his life work and in 1889 he was called to the bar. He began the practice of law at the age of twenty-one and from the beginning made continuous progress. He was made King’s Counsel in 1905.
His activity, too, has been largely manifested along other lines. Not a little of the progress made on the south side of the river in recent years is due to his efforts and public spirit. A consistent supporter of the progressive policy of the government of Sir Lomer Gouin he has, since elected for Vercheres in 1908, been identified with many noteworthy public projects that have assisted materially in the development and improvement of the rural districts. The movement for the improvement of existing highways in the county of Vercheres has found in him a warm supporter. He has served the municipality of Longueuil with efficiency and manifest approbation, first in the capacity of recorder and afterward in that of mayor, holding the latter position since 1908. He stands for all that works for civic betterment and improvement and is a close student of the vital problems affecting the welfare of city, province and nation. During the years of his mayoralty he has been the head of a highly progressive administration. It has been during this period that the electric railway has been brought to the town and that electricity has been installed for lighting purposes, while cement sidewalks have been laid and the work of improvement has been otherwise carried on along most progressive and beneficial lines.
In September, 1912, Mr. Geoffrion was appointed by Quebec to the position of recorder of the city of Montreal and is now filling that office with the same capability and fidelity that he has displayed in other positions. None question his public spirit nor his knowledge of the law, and he stands today with those whose success has been builded upon the foundation of ability and laudable ambition.
Lyon Cohen, merchant and contractor, of Montreal, Quebec, is a member of L. Cohen & Son, coal merchants, and of W. R. Cuthbert & Company, brass founders, and is proprietor of the Freedman Company, wholesale clothiers, the Hibbard Company, Ltd., railway contractors, and General Improvement & Contracting Company, Ltd., dredging contractors.
This has been termed the age of commercialism and it is the old world’s belief that new world residents are engrossed in money-making to the exclusion of almost everything else. There are many examples, however, to the contrary, and the life record of Lyon Cohen is one which proves that while successfully conducting business affairs, time may also be found for active cooperation in movements that tend to promote intellectual and moral progress, or which relieve distress among the unfortunate ones of the world, for he has done much philanthropic and charitable work, while at the same time he has wisely and capably managed important mercantile interests. He was born in Poland, Russia, May 11, 1868, a son of Lazarus Cohen. In early childhood he was brought to Canada and attended the McGill Model School and also the Catholic Commercial Academy of Montreal. He became a member of the firm of L. Cohen & Son in 1891, and from the time when he put aside his text-books and entered business circles his progress has been continuous.
Mr. Cohen has attained a prominence in Montreal social and business circles that necessitates a mention of him in any publication undertaking to represent the leading citizens of the city. He has been prominently identified with almost every movement looking to the betterment of Jewish conditions in this country, and his labors have been effective forces in promoting the welfare of those of his faith. He was one of the founders of The Jewish Times of Montreal, and he was president for three years, 1904-5-6, of Shaar Hashomayim congregation, the largest and most prominent Jewish congregation in Canada. Interested in the welfare of his people wherever they are found, he is treasurer of the Canadian committee of The Jewish Colonization Association of Paris, and was secretary of the Jewish rights committee. He is a life governor of The Montreal General Hospital and of The Western Hospital, and was elected president of The Baron de Hirsch Institute of Montreal in 1908. He did such splendid work in that connection, that he was four times reelected, serving until the end of 1912. Upon his voluntary retirement he was presented with an illuminated address and handsome silver service. He is prominently identified with a number of movements; is member of juvenile court committee; member of executive of Child’s Welfare Association, and was chairman of publicity of [625] Child’s Welfare Exhibition, 1912; member of executive of Montreal improvement committee; honorary chairman of North End Synagogue; honorary president of Young Men’s Hebrew Association; and chairman of Committee to Federate Jewish Charities.
Mr. Cohen is a member of The Montefiore Club, of which he is a past president; he is also an ex-president of The Montreal Reform Club, being a liberal in politics. A love of progress actuates him in all he does. He could not be content to move forward at the pace which many men assume. He must all the time be up and doing, for he is a man of action rather than theory, and at all times the end accomplished indicates the wisdom of the methods he has followed.
Mr. Cohen was married in February, 1891, to Miss Rachel Friedman, a daughter of the late Noah Friedman. They have four children, Nathan Bernard, Horace Rives, Lawrence Z. and Sylvia L. Mrs. Cohen is also interested in charitable work and is the founder and president of The Jewish Endeavor Sewing Society. The family residence is at 25 Rosemount Avenue, Westmount, Quebec.
Under the name of Zigmond Fineberg & Sons is conducted a growing real-estate and brokerage business. Mr. Fineberg was born in March, 1863, in Poland, Russia, his parents being Moses Nathan and Agnes Fineberg, the former a merchant. Among his ancestors were rabbis, physicians and lawyers and capable business men. He pursued his education in Suvalk, Russia, and became a government roads contractor of that country.
Attracted by the opportunities of the new world, and prompted by laudable ambition to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic, Mr. Fineberg came to Canada, settling in Montreal, where he embarked in business as a clothing merchant in 1887. About seventeen years were devoted to that undertaking, years which brought him a substantial measure of success and led to his activities along still broader lines. It was in 1904 that he turned his attention to real estate, becoming a real-estate broker and finance agent, business being now conducted under the firm style of Z. Fineberg & Sons at No. 62 St. James Street. He is thoroughly informed concerning property values, knows the real estate that is upon the market and has himself been a large investor, not only in real estate, but in railway shares, so that his stocks and property holdings make him one of the prosperous citizens of Montreal. Moreover, in 1910, he founded the Montreal Free Loan Association, of which he is the president. He belongs to the Montreal Board of Trade and is connected with many institutions of a public nature, being formerly a director of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, a life governor of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, of the Hertzl Dispensary and of Mount Sinai Sanitarium. He likewise belongs to the Montreal Citizens’ Association. He is an ex-member and vice president of the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, and he now holds membership in the McGill College Avenue Synagogue.
In his native city of Prenn in 1885, Mr. Fineberg was married to Miss Jennie Kirschberg, a daughter of the late Abraham Kirschberg. The children of this marriage are: Joseph, Nathan Samuel, Aaron Harry, Moe Newton, Agnes and Max. The second son has won the degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Common Laws and is now engaged in the practice of the legal profession.
Mr. Fineberg has held the offices of justice of the peace and commissioner of the superior courts since 1903. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Odd Fellows society and the Canadian Order of Foresters, and exemplifies in his life the beneficent spirit underlying those organizations, recognizing the brotherhood of mankind and the obligations of mutual helpfulness and kindliness.
Matthew A. Sammett, one of the most competent electrical engineers in Canada, was born at Baku, Russia, on the 2d of November, 1872. He was educated in a technical school in his native land and in 1893, when a young man of twenty-one years, came to the new world. He continued his education by attendance at night schools for a time and afterward entered the University of California, where he pursued a four years’ course, which he completed by graduation with the Bachelor of Science degree in 1899. He immediately put his theoretical training to practical test and joined the staff of the General Electrical Company of Schenectady, New York, in which connection he obtained thorough familiarity with modern electrical machinery and general engineering practice. The ability which he displayed in that connection won him promotion to the engineering department and in that position he made a close study of the design of some of the alternating current machinery now in universal use. Each step in his career has been a forward one, and each change in his business connections has marked an advance. In 1902 he joined the engineering staff of the Lachine Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company and after its amalgamation with the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company was given charge of the testing department of the new organization, his work embracing the testing of the various kinds of electrical apparatus used in the transformation, control and measurement of electrical energy. He also designed a complete line of highly efficient transformers for lighting and power service.
During 1905 and 1906 Mr. Sammett conducted a popular course in applied electricity at the Montreal Young Men’s Christian Association.
In 1908 Mr. Sammett opened an office as consulting engineer in Montreal and in this connection has gained a large and distinctively representative clientage, including the Amalgamated Asbestos Corporation, Ltd.; The Asbestos & Asbestic Company, Ltd.; The St. Francis Hydraulic Company, Ltd.; The Brompton Pulp & Paper Company; The Maritime Coal, Railway & Power Company, Ltd.; The Dominion Marble Company, Ltd.; The Smart-Woods Company, Ltd. He has also been retained in connection with municipal electrical undertakings. The practice of his profession now makes heavy demands upon his time and [629] energies, and in addition he is well known as a contributor to the technical press of the United States and Canada. He has also prepared and read many scientific papers before engineering bodies and is known personally or by reputation to the entire electrical profession on the American continent. He has formed many warm friendships by keeping in close touch with the progress of his profession as a member of the Canadian Electrical Association, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Mr. Sammett married Miss Eleanor Horwitz, and their children are four in number, Frank Edward, Hazel, Helene and Pearl. Mr. Sammett is a member of the Canadian Club and possesses a genial cordial nature that has made him popular, but he prefers to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, in which he has attained notable success. He is a self-made man. Commendable ambition pointed out to him the way to success. He followed the path indicated and is today occupying an advanced position as an electrical engineer.
For nearly three-quarters of a century the name of Henry Morgan has been inseparably interwoven with the mercantile progress and advancement of Montreal and in more recent years, with the branching out of the house he founded, it has taken a foremost position, in its various lines, among the big mercantile and industrial institutions of the Dominion.
The Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, of today, is the outgrowth of a business established early in the year 1843, on Notre Dame Street, a few doors east of McGill Street, by Henry Morgan and David Smith, under the firm name of Smith & Morgan. From a small dry-goods house carrying only a limited number of lines it has developed into a great and powerful departmental store and what might be justly termed one of the mercantile successes of Montreal, whose capabilities are almost as varied as the city’s needs.
Henry Morgan, the founder of this house, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1819, and when a young man in his early twenties, came to Montreal, where he entered into the dry-goods business, as previously stated.
The original location of Smith & Morgan’s store was soon found inadequate, and in 1854 the business was removed to McGill Street, just south of St. Joseph, now Notre Dame, in a building occupied by Latineer. In 1860 an addition was made extending to Notre Dame Street and when the old American Presbyterian church, corner of Victoria Square and St. James Street, was removed, the business was transferred to that location in more commodious quarters.
In 1852, Mr. Smith retired from the business, and that same year the firm of Henry Morgan & Company was established, Mr. James Morgan of Glasgow, Scotland, a brother, becoming a member at that time. The latter, a native of Saline, Fifeshire, Scotland, had entered the dry-goods business early in life and for a number of years was a member of the firm of Muirhead & Morgan, of Glasgow. The personnel of the firm practically remained unchanged until 1876, when James and Colin D. Morgan, nephews of Henry Morgan and the [630] former a son of James Morgan, became members, and upon whom most of the burden of the business has fallen.
In 1891, this firm completed on St. Catherine Street, opposite Phillips Square, one of the finest business blocks in America, to which its mercantile business was transferred. This move became necessary in order to meet the requirements of a constantly growing business, and a shift in the retail section to that part of the city.
Mr. Henry Morgan, the founder of the business, died December 12, 1893, at which time the Gazette said in part: “No Montreal merchant and not many Canadian merchants could claim to be better known than Mr. Henry Morgan, who passed to his rest yesterday, after a busy, successful and well spent life of almost seventy-five years. His character was marked by many of those traits which have made men of Scottish birth so prominent a factor in the upbuilding of Montreal’s commercial prosperity. Mr. Morgan was of a somewhat retiring disposition. His store and his farm home at Maisonneuve divided his time, and though he enjoyed a very large share of public respect, he never sought to enter public life. He was unmarried. His death was due to influenza, the cause of so many deaths of prominent men lately, acting on a constitution weakened somewhat by previous illness. The funeral takes place today from St. Andrew’s church, of which he was an esteemed elder.”
The death of Mr. James Morgan had preceded that of his brother but a few months, and occurred on March 28, 1893, at which time the Gazette said in part: “By the death of Mr. James Morgan, Sr., Montreal has lost one of its oldest citizens and one who for well nigh half a century was an intelligent sharer in its commercial and industrial progress. The deceased gentleman was in his eighty-sixth year. Mr. James Morgan was a man of strong intellect, diligently cultivated, an assiduous but judicious reader until his eyesight became impaired, and his opinion on questions to which he had given thought was ever listened to with attention. With few persons was it more profitable to converse, especially on the higher themes of religion, philosophy and science. His views were broad and so was his charity. Although as a business man he had little spare time for writing, Mr. Morgan could wield an able pen and has written not only prose but poetry. He was long an esteemed member of the Church of the Messiah. But though a man of strong convictions, as he was a thorough Scotchman, neither in creed nor in nationality was he of the narrow type.”
The business of Henry Morgan & Company from its very inception, has never been at a standstill, success following the firm’s every move. In 1906 it was incorporated as a limited liability company under the present title of Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, with Mr. James Morgan, as president. The development and expansion of this firm’s interests have come to include several large factories which it owns and operates, among these being the foremost high class wood-working plant in the Dominion, which places the company in a position to build homes as well as to decorate and furnish them even to the smallest detail. In this respect the firm has become widely known throughout Canada, and its successful undertakings include decorative schemes and interior furnishings of some of the finest homes in practically every province in the Dominion.
Its business policy has always been one of absolute integrity and business honesty, and this has exerted a strong influence upon the life of a great city. The public who come in daily contact with the various branches of this great organization readily feel that spirit of industry and enterprise that has made possible the accomplishing of great things and the building of a great business dedicated to the best interests of the public whom it serves.
In the political history of Montreal during the past half century no name has been more familiar to the people than that of the Hon. James McShane, who in all of his public connections displayed a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution combined with thorough understanding of human nature and the springs of human conduct. A firm belief in the principles which he advocated combined with the qualities of leadership enabled him to become a directing force in public affairs.
Mr. McShane was born in Montreal, November 7, 1833, a son of James and Ellen (Quinn) McShane, who came from county Armagh, Ireland, and settled in Montreal in the summer of 1833. The mother died during the cholera epidemic of 1834.
After pursuing his early education under Daniel Mahoney, a well known Irish schoolmaster of that period, and spending some years as a student in the Sulpician College, James McShane, at the age of eighteen years, joined his father who had become an extensive cattle exporter. The son eventually succeeded to the business and it is a matter of history that he was the first to export cattle to Europe, his first shipment of three hundred head being made October 5, 1874, on the steamship George, to Liverpool. For four years he also had the contract to supply the British troops when they were stationed here.
While engaged in this business Mr. McShane, with the natural love of the Celt for such matters, found time to devote to political problems and activities, both municipal and federal. In 1863 he was a justice of the peace and for twenty-one years he represented St. Ann’s ward as an alderman. During those years he became known as “the people’s Jimmie,” for he knew every man, woman and child in the ward, calling them by their Christian names and ever manifesting deep and sincere solicitude for their welfare. He possessed a wonderful gift of memory enabling him to readily recall names and faces and incidents connected with the individual to whom he was speaking. All this made him personally popular and was an effective element in his leadership.
At various periods Mr. McShane represented Montreal West and Center in the legislature, continuing to sit from 1878 until 1892. In the formation of the Mercier cabinet he accepted the important portfolio of minister of public works in which he continued in 1887-8. When the late Mr. Justice Curran was raised to the bench in 1875 Mr. McShane contested St. Ann’s division in the liberal interests against Sir William Hingston whom he defeated. In 1891 and 1892 Mr. McShane was mayor of Montreal, and his administration of municipal affairs was characterized by many needed reforms and improvements. In [632] 1887 he was a member of the Quebec Interprovincial Conference, and he was at one time president of St. Patrick’s Society. He served as an officer in the volunteer militia in the first administrative battalion in the Fenian raids of 1866 and was granted a medal for his service. He is now eighty years of age, but is splendidly preserved physically and mentally, in both regards being the superior of many men of sixty years. He possesses all the virtues and specific activities of the sons of Erin. In 1910 when he was far past the span of life allotted by the psalmist, he fell victim to an acute attack of pneumonia, but by sheer force of will passed through a crisis after he was given up by his old family physician and friend, Mr. McShane remarking that “he felt quite fit and that this business of making him stay in bed was only a joke.”
Mr. McShane has been married twice. In 1863 he wedded Elizabeth Jane Darrah, who died June 25, 1867. In 1870 he married Miss Josephine Kathleen Meron of Plattsburg, New York, who died January 1, 1910. Unto them were born six children, three of whom survive the mother: Mrs. Richard Barry of Montreal; Mrs. Henry M. Tracy of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who has two children; and Mrs. Kathleen H. Buckley of New York city, who has five children.
Hon. Jean Baptiste Archambault, judge of the circuit court of Montreal, took to his judicial duties an excellent record as a lawyer whose ability and success had won for him a foremost place among the strong and forceful representatives of the Montreal bar. A deep thinker, logical reasoner and well versed in the science of his profession, he was eminently well fitted for the judgeship to which he was appointed November 29, 1913.
He was born at St. Antoine, Vercheres county, P. Q., on the 21st of March, 1871, and comes from one of the old and prominent families of the province, one that has given to the legal profession more members than any other one family.
In the attainment of his education, Judge Archambault attended St. Hyacinthe Seminary and Laval University, winning the degrees of B. L. and B. C. L. in 1895. From the outset the science of his profession, as well as its practical phases, proved a strong attraction for him. He entered upon active practice in 1895 and soon demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with intricate and involved legal problems.
His preparation of cases was always thorough and his presentation of a cause marked by perspicuity. His standing among his professional brethren is indicated by the fact that in 1905 he was chosen by the council of the bar of the province of Quebec to assist in editing the judicial reports of the superior court and the court of king’s bench.
Vital political problems have always greatly interested him, and he has been active and zealous in support of principles in which he believes. He was a recognized leader of the conservative party in his native county and was a candidate for the legislature in 1904. He has ever been a close student of the signs of the times and the questions of the day, and although still a conservative [635] in principle he holds to more independent views than formerly, his comprehensive study leading him to see many questions in a different light. He has been spoken of as “a man who has thought out problems for himself and is an authority on economics, political and social.” He was one of the first to advocate proportional representation in Canada, has delivered many lectures upon the subject and has written many articles which have done much to foster and promote the idea.
His wide general information is one of the strong elements of his power and ability as a lawyer and jurist. His broad knowledge, which enables him to understand life in its various phases, and his masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution, are qualities which, combined with a familiarity of the law and with precedent, equip him for his work on the bench.
Judge Archambault withal is possessed of a genial nature, is kindly in spirit and unfailingly courteous. He belongs to a number of the leading social clubs and in their membership is most popular.
Sir Hugh Allan, one of the foremost men in the early development of Canada’s foreign commerce and the practical founder of the Allan line of steamships, was a man whose initiative spirit enabled him to recognize, appreciate and understand situations incomprehensible to men of less sagacity and insight. The success of his undertakings made him one of the foremost figures in the history of Canada’s commercial greatness. He stood as a leading representative of navigation interests and was almost equally well known in banking and industrial circles. Indeed many business interests profited by his cooperation and ability and his memory is still honored by those who cherish the history of their country and recognize its real upbuilders.
The identification of the Allan family with the shipping interests of the St. Lawrence dated back to about 1825, when Captain Alexander Allan sailed up the river in the brig Favorite from Glasgow. There were no wharves then. The vessel was assisted up the St. Mary’s current by oxen. The cargo was discharged on the beach, over long planks.
Sir Hugh Allan was the second son of Captain Alexander, and was born September 29, 1810, in Saltcoats, County Ayr, Scotland. Sir Hugh Allan was in his sixteenth year, when on the 12th of April, 1826, he sailed from Greenock for Montreal on the brig Favorite, commanded by his father, and on which his eldest brother was second officer. They arrived in Montreal on the 21st of May. Hugh Allan entered the employ of William Kerr & Company, and afterward travelled for some time in the United States. He then visited Scotland and a year later returned to Montreal, where he secured a position with J. Millar & Company, shipbuilders and shippers. So excellent was his service in that connection that after four years he was admitted to partnership and following the death of Mr. Millar in 1838 the business was conducted by the firm of Edmonstone & Allan, ship agents, shipbuilders, importers and general merchants. In 1846, Andrew Allan, a younger brother of Hugh’s, was taken into the firm. [636] It owned a fleet of fast sailing vessels of about 350 tons register, full-rigged ships which, with ice-blocks round their bows, pushed their way through the ice, so that sometimes they would arrive in port on the 15th of April. In 1853 Hugh Allan, who was a man of great tenacity of purpose, and at the same time of remarkable foresight, saw that the time had come for the building of iron ships for the St. Lawrence trade. Besides, there was the consideration that they would run to Portland in the winter time, and connect with Montreal by rail. He enlisted the support of several wealthy men, including William Dow and Robert Anderson, of Montreal, and formed the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company. The Canadian and Indian were the first two boats built by the company. The boats cost about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars each and had a speed of eleven knots. They were wonders at the time and made a great impression, as the people had not been accustomed to see iron ships.
It happened that about this time the Crimean war broke out, and the government was at its wits’ end to provide transports. The Allans went into the business and while the war lasted made large profits.
The first ocean steamship, the Genova, reached Quebec in 1853 and proceeded to Montreal, where there was great rejoicing. She was an iron boat of eight hundred tons and was succeeded by the Cleopatra and the Sarah Sands. Newer and larger vessels were built in the succeeding year and what was deemed experimental at the start became fixed features of the new navigation, which was dangerous, owing to so many sunken reefs in the St. Lawrence and the poor lighting of the river. The Canadian government made a contract with Hugh Allan for carrying the mails, paying an annual subsidy of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The Anglo-Saxon, a new boat, ran from Quebec to Liverpool in nine days on one occasion. This was thought to be wonderful, as the people had been accustomed to a voyage of forty days on the old sailing vessels. At that time the grain carrying charge was thirty cents per bushel.
The requirements of the service in 1858 demanded more accommodation, and the Allan brothers determined on a weekly service. Larger and faster boats were introduced. The government paid subsidies to the new service totaling four hundred and sixteen thousand dollars per annum. Year by year the Allans launched new boats, always bigger and faster, though speed was never the chief consideration with the company. In 1861 they had a fleet of over twenty vessels, but a sinister fortune befell the company in the first ten years of its existence. Eight ships were lost in as many years. The Indian, the Hungarian, a second Canadian, the North Briton, the Anglo-Saxon, the Norwegian, the Bohemian, all became total wrecks. The river was badly lighted, the tides did not run true, the pilots were incompetent and the compass deviated owing to some strange local attraction due, it was said, to mineral deposits in the gulf. Anyway, disaster followed disaster, and, as was said at the time, any other man than Mr. Allan would have given up in despair. But that gentleman had something of the firmness of his native granite in his composition and he never wavered. Difficulties in time were overcome, the Allans began to prosper and from this on their boats were singularly free from accidents.
To show, however, how little even the most perspicacious can see in advance of their time, it may be stated that at the banquet which the citizens tendered Hugh Allan in 1850, he said that ships of one thousand seven hundred tons were [637] the most suitable for the Montreal trade. He lived to see his boats grow to five thousand five hundred tons. The line prospered; the number of boats was constantly increased to meet the need; the Northwest was opened up; and the Allan boats brought in many thousands of immigrants. The building of the Parisian in 1881 was supposed to be about the last word in shipbuilding. She was far in advance of anything to be seen on the route. Today she is, by comparison with the leviathans of the route, almost as antique as the old Favorite was when steamships came in.
As prosperity came to him in one direction, Sir Hugh Allan extended his efforts into other fields. He not only kept abreast with the times but was ever in the vanguard of progress. He became president of the Montreal Telegraph Company, of the Canadian Navigation Company, the Merchants Bank of Canada, and the Lake Memphremagog Navigation Company. He was also interested in mining as president of the Mulgrave Gold Mining Company and his activities extended to the presidency of the Montreal Warehousing Company, the Vermont & Canada Marble Company, and many other business enterprises of importance. Indeed, no citizen of Canada has deserved popular recognition in larger measure than Sir Hugh, and Queen Victoria acknowledged the value of his service to his country by knighting him with her own hand in 1871.
In 1877 he decided to associate his name with the Canadian Pacific Railway enterprise. He, in fact, formed the first syndicate to build it. The fall of the Macdonald government defeated his plan.
On the 13th of September, 1844, Sir Hugh was married to Miss Matilda Smith, the second daughter of John Smith, one of the leading merchants of Montreal. They became parents of nine daughters and four sons. Sir Hugh died in Edinburgh while on a visit to Scotland on the 9th of December, 1882, having passed the seventy-second milestone on life’s journey. His remains were brought to Montreal in one of his own vessels, and laid to rest in Mount Royal cemetery. Well merited encomiums were passed upon him and high honors awaited him during his active life. He was one who pushed forward the wheels of progress. Looking into the future he saw something of the greatness in store for Canada and became a factor in the fulfillment of the progress which he believed possible for a country having the natural advantages here offered. He builded perhaps even better than he knew, for his work continues today, remaining an important element in Canada’s enterprise, activity and greatness.
Frederick Cleveland Morgan, merchant, is one of Montreal’s native sons, his father being James Morgan. Liberal educational opportunitiess were afforded him and after pursuing his education at Cambridge, where he won the Bachelor of Arts degree, he continued his studies in McGill University, which conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts. Throughout his business career he has been identified with commercial interests and is now a member of the firm of Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, proprietors of the Colonial House [638] Department Store, which is one of the largest and best establishments of its character in the city.
In March, 1906, Mr. Morgan was married to Miss Elizabeth Marcia Shaw, the eldest daughter of C. Thaxter Shaw, of Montreal. They occupy an attractive home at No. 308 Peel Street. Mr. Morgan is a member of the University Club, Racquet Club, Forest and Stream, the Mount Royal Lawn Tennis, Arts Club, Art Association and Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. Mr. Morgan’s interest lies more in art and literature than in business affairs. He was the first secretary of the Arts Club, Limited, formed in 1913 for the purpose of encouraging art and literature.
Hon. Simeon Beaudin, puisne judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec, took to his judicial duties an excellent record as a lawyer whose ability had won for him a foremost position among the strong and forceful members of the Montreal bar, where he had been a successful practitioner for more than one-third of a century.
He was born at St. Isidore, P. Q., September 12, 1855, and comes from one of the oldest families in the province.
He supplemented his early educational privileges by a course of study in Montreal College and in 1878 was called to the bar. He immediately entered upon active practice, forming a partnership with Messrs. Loranger & Loranger, in whose office he had previously studied. One of the partners was raised to the bench and on the death of the other Mr. Beaudin succeeded to the business of the firm. His partnership relations extended until he became the senior member of the well known law firm of Beaudin, Loranger, St. Germain & Guerin. His practice was of an extensive and important character. He argued the St. Blase parish and other cases before the judicial committee of the privy council of England, and was acknowledged as a leader of the French-Canadian bar. For many years he was a member of the bar council. In 1889 he was created Q. C. by the Earl of Derby. He was batonnier of the Montreal bar in 1902 and later batonnier-general. His close conformity to the highest standards of his profession and his devotion to his clients’ interests gave to him a standing that was an honor to his profession. He was elected an honorary member of La Chambre de Commerce of Montreal in 1902 and in 1904 he became one of the incorporators of the La Presse Publishing Company. He was also one of the promoters of Lafontaine Club and he likewise belongs to Club Canadien and Pointe Claire Golf Club.
Judge Beaudin has always given his political allegiance to the conservative party. He unsuccessfully contested Laprairie-Napierville for the house of commons at the general election in 1908.
For some years previous to his assuming judicial duties in 1912, he had been frequently referred to by the press and profession as a most competent man for the bench, and of him the Montreal Witness said: [639] “He ranks high in his profession, his thorough legal sense, knowledge of the law and extensive experience qualifying him for early judicial preferment.”
In 1883 Mr. Beaudin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Norris, a daughter of John Norris, of Montreal, and they reside at No. 44 Bishop Street. In religious faith Mr. Beaudin is a Roman Catholic. In all matters of citizenship pertaining to the material, intellectual, political and moral progress of the community he is deeply interested, but after all he regards the law as his real life work.
Sir William Hales Hingston, Kt., M. D., whose professional activities constituted valuable contributions to the world’s work, his ability winning him wide recognition and high honors from various scientific bodies, was born at Hinchinbrooke, province of Quebec, June 29, 1829, a son of the late Lieutenant Colonel S. J. Hingston, of His Majesty’s One Hundredth Regiment. He was a representative of a distinguished Irish family, closely related to the Cotters of Cork, the Latouches of Dublin and the Hales. He supplemented his early education, acquired in a local academy, by study in St. Sulpice, now Montreal College, and having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he prepared for his chosen calling by a course in McGill University, which he completed with the class of 1851. He further carried on his investigation, study and research abroad, obtaining a diploma in the Royal College of Surgery at Edinburgh in 1852, and subsequently obtaining diplomas in France, Prussia, Austria and Bavaria. He was the first Canadian to whom was accorded the honor of membership in the Imperial Leopold Academy at Vienna.
Dr. Hingston entered upon the active work of his profession in Montreal and continued an eminent member of the profession to the time of his death, winning notable renown in surgery. His ability along that line constantly developed. He possessed the steady hand and the cool nerve of the surgeon and his professional skill gained him rank with the most prominent representatives of the profession on the American continent. For many years he was surgeon in the Hotel Dieu Hospital, where he gave clinical instructions in surgery. He was also governor of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and at one time was its president. He was honored with election as a first secretary of the Canadian Medical Association, and later was called to its presidency.
He was the organizer of the first board of health in the Dominion, and his efforts in behalf of sanitary interests were far reaching and beneficial. Not only did he display marked skill in surgery, but also eminent ability as an educator, and upon the organization of Bishop’s College Medical School was chosen professor of surgery and clinical surgery, and became dean of the faculty, but at length was forced to sever his connections with that institution, owing to the many other demands made upon his time and services. He never refused to respond to a call for professional aid if he could possibly meet it, and it would be difficult to name a physician and surgeon of Canada whose labors have reached out beneficially to a larger number of people. When, during an epidemic of smallpox, a local board of health was organized, Dr. Hingston was made its chairman, and he also became chairman of the provincial board of [642] health, when in 1885 the province was again being visited by that calamity. He was an energetic advocate of vaccination.
It was but natural that a man of his ability and position should have written much upon professional topics. He was a valuable contributor to the medical literature of his day, one of his most important publications being his “Climate of Canada and its Relation to Life and Health,” published in 1885. Competent authority pronounced this “the fullest work, which has appeared on the subject and apart from its economic and ethnological value, is, from its pleasing style, delightful to read.” Scientific bodies conferred high honors upon Dr. Hingston and in addition, he was elected an honorary member of different state boards of medicine and by many state medical societies in the United States. When the British Association for the Advancement of Science visited Canada some years ago, he was chosen vice president and not long afterward was elected an honorary member of the British Medical Association.
His professional activity would alone entitle him to wide distinction, yet he was active in other fields and in connection with the public affairs of the country.
He became president of the Montreal City & District Savings Bank, and also vice president of the City Passenger Railway Company. In 1875 Montreal elected him its mayor, and he served one term, when he declined renomination. For coolness and judgment, which he displayed during the Guibord affair in Montreal, he received the thanks of the Earl of Dufferin, then governor general of Canada. Bishop’s College University at Lennoxville conferred upon him the honorary degree of D. C. L., while Victoria University of Toronto gave him the honorary degree of LL. D. He was made vice president of the Montreal branch of the St. John’s Ambulance Association and in 1875 was appointed a commander of the Roman Order of St. Gregory. Twenty years later, or on the 24th of May, 1895, he was knighted by Her Majesty, the late Queen Victoria, and he was called to the senate of Canada by the Earl of Aberdeen, January 2, 1896. His political allegiance was given to the conservative party, and his study of vital questions and issues of the day brought about the familiarity of Canadian politics, which enabled him to discuss such subjects with those to whom such study was a life work.
In 1875 Dr. Hingston was married to Miss Margaret Josephine Macdonald, a daughter of the late Hon. D. A. Macdonald, at one time lieutenant governor of Ontario. Her mother was Katherine, the second daughter of the late Hon. Colonel Alexander Fraser of Frasersfield, Ontario. Lady Hingston was educated in Montreal and has been very prominent in charitable and benevolent work. She is a member of the Ladies Committee L’Institute des Ecoles Menageres, vice president of the Needlework Guild, honorary president of the Loyola Literary Club; prominently identified with the local League for the Prevention of Tuberculosis; formerly president of the Woman’s Park Protective Association; etc., and was elected president of the Catholic Girls’ Club of Montreal (an association largely founded by her), in 1911.
Sir William Hingston was a member of the Roman Catholic church to which Lady Hingston also belongs. He passed away on February 19, 1907, but there lives in the minds of those who knew him and of the professional world at large, the memory of distinguished service for the benefit of his fellowmen, [643] in the path of his chosen profession. A keen intellect, splendidly developed, was brought to bear upon complex medical and surgical problems and the result of deep thought, wise research and careful investigation, made his contribution to the world’s work of the utmost benefit.
Out of the struggle with comparatively small opportunities Hon. James Kewley Ward came finally into a field of broad and active influence and usefulness. Not seeking honor but simply endeavoring to do his duty, honors were yet multiplied and prosperity followed his undertakings. His father settled on the Isle of Man and it was there that the son, James Kewley Ward, was born on the 9th of September, 1819. He was reared and educated at the place of his nativity but the opportunities of America attracted him in early manhood, and he crossed the Atlantic to New York, remaining for a decade in that city. His initial experience in the new world was one of continuous advancement, for the wise use he made of his time and opportunities brought about the development and increase of his powers. He left New York for Canada in 1853, and settling in Montreal engaged in the lumber business, which he found a profitable field of labor, owing to his keen discernment and his wise management of his affairs. He also became deeply interested in the Canadian cotton manufacturing industry and in time came to rank with the leading representatives of manufacturing and commercial interests in his province.
Important and extensive as were his business affairs, Mr. Ward never allowed these to preclude an active and helpful interest in the municipal life or provincial welfare. For eighteen years he was a valued member of the town council of Cote St. Antoine, and for nine years he was mayor, giving to the city a businesslike and progressive administration that brought about needed reforms and improvements. In 1882 and again in 1887 he was defeated in the dominion general election, after which he was appointed to the legislative council in 1888 and in 1903 was made a member of the council of public instruction. He reached the remarkable old age of ninety-one years, yet remained an active factor in the work of the legislative council, being seen daily at his desk in the legislature, taking a keen interest in many public questions which were submitted for consideration. He was a liberal and his position upon any vital issue was never an equivocal one. He stood stalwartly in defence of what he believed to be right and for the best interests of the province at large. He was a man of broad vision, whose public service was characterized by no petty personal prejudices. Duty was his watchword in public office, and he seemed to view a vital question from every possible standpoint.
Hon. Mr. Ward was connected with various public institutions, having to do with the welfare and benefit of the unfortunate or tending to alleviate hard conditions of life for the needy. He was a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and of the House of Industry and Refuge, was president of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane and president of St. George’s Society and other organizations. He passed away October 2, 1910, having kept his faculties unimpaired [644] to the last. To build up rather than to destroy had ever been his broad policy, and through life he had attacked every important work which he undertook with a contagious enthusiasm.
Joseph Medard Guindon, engaged in the real estate business in Montreal since December, 1908, was born at St. Ignace du Coteau du Lac in the county of Soulanges, on the 23d of March, 1866, a son of Jules and Marguerite (Wilson) Guindon the father born at St. Eustache and the mother at Coteau du Lac. The ancestry of the Guindon family can be traced back to Pierre Guindon, who was born in 1648 and died September 27, 1733. He married Catherine Rouchallet dit Bergerac, who died August 22, 1710. To his marriage were born three children. The eldest son, Jean Baptiste Guindon, was born September 15, 1707, and married, February 14, 1729, Madeleine Labette. Pierre Guindon, the second son, was born in 1708, and died October 7, 1709. Paul Guindon, the youngest son, was born August 21, 1710, and married November 16, 1733, Marie Josette Aube dit Aubert, to which marriage were born two sons: Paul, August 20, 1735; and François, March 23, 1737. Paul Guindon married Marie Amable de Maisonneuve in 1770 and had one son, Amable, born in 1772. Amable Guindon married in 1809 and had a son, Magloire, born October 15, 1811. Magloire Guindon was married in 1835 to Josette Guindon, his cousin. He took up arms at the revolt of St. Eustache in 1837, was arrested and imprisoned for a period of seven months after the confiscation of the greater part of his goods. To his marriage were born six children of whom Jules, born in 1840, married Marguerite Wilson, May 20, 1865, at Coteau du Lac. To them were born eleven children, the most of whom died at an early age.
Joseph Medard Guindon was a student in l’Ecole du Plateau in Montreal, where he completed the commercial course in 1882. He then turned his attention to the hardware trade and in 1897 became a hardware merchant in Valleyfield, where he conducted business for nine years. In 1907 he established a hardware store in Montreal, of which he was proprietor for two years. In December, 1908, he opened a real estate office with L. D. Latour under the firm name of Latour & Guindon, in which business he has since been engaged with a large capital. He has personally made investments in improved property and vacant land and his holdings are now very extensive. As real estate agent and expert he has a large clientage and his business is growing year by year. He is thoroughly informed concerning realty values and the energy and enterprise which he displays in carrying on his work have constituted the salient forces in the attainment of his success.
Mr. Guindon has been twice married. On the 30th of June, 1886, he wedded Rosalinda Bourdon, a daughter of Narcisse and Marie Anne (Bisaillon) Bourdon, and to this marriage was born one son, Paul Herve, whose birth occurred at Valleyfield, April 2, 1898. On October 7, 1902, Mr. Guindon was again married, his second union being with Marie Rose Anne Sevigny, a daughter of Philias [647] and Madeleine (Cantin) Sevigny. The children of this marriage are: Marguerite, Marcelle, Suzanne, Juliette, Mario, Robert, Jacques and Jean Rodrigue.
While living in Valleyfield Mr. Guindon served as city alderman from 1898 till 1904. He manifests a deep interest in municipal affairs and all lines of public progress, but has never been ambitious to hold office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business interests, which are now extensive and important.
William Patterson was born in Ormstown, Quebec, and is a son of the late Samuel Patterson. He was educated at the public school of Ormstown; Huntingdon Academy at Huntingdon, Quebec; McGill University of Montreal, which institution conferred upon him the degree of B. A. with first rank honours in classics, in 1886, M. A., in 1889, and B. C. L., in 1895; and at Laval University, which granted him the LL. B. degree in 1900.
Mr. Patterson was principal of the Royal Arthur school at Montreal from 1888 to 1898, during which time he organized and directed a movement in favor of a school history of Canada, written from a Dominion instead of a provincial point of view, the object being, while the history of our country is told from its earliest periods, to direct, as far as possible, the mind of the reader from the various currents of provincial history into the broader channel of the Dominion and to make the boys and girls of Canada feel as they grow up into the responsibilities of citizenship that under confederation we have a united country and a united people. He addressed in support of the movement the Provincial Association of Protestant Teachers of the Province of Quebec at their annual convention in McGill Normal school, Montreal, in October, 1889, and also addressed the Teachers of the Province of Nova Scotia at their annual convention, in Halifax, in December, 1890. He also read before the Royal Society of Canada at Montreal in June, 1891, a paper entitled A Proposal for a Dominion Text-Book of Canadian History. He was appointed secretary of the Dominion history committee, with the Hon. George W. Ross, later Sir George W. Ross, as chairman, by the Dominion Educational Association at its first meeting, which was held in Montreal in July, 1892. The result of these efforts was the organization of the Dominion history prize competition, open to authors of recognized ability, and the publication in June, 1897, of The History of the Dominion of Canada, by W. H. P. Clement, B. A., LL. B., which had been awarded the first prize, and of A Canadian History for Boys and Girls, by Miss Emily P. Weaver, which had been awarded the second prize—both works written from the viewpoint indicated above.
Mr. Patterson organized at Ormstown, Quebec, in 1888, the Chateauguay Literary and Historical Society and was its corresponding secretary from that time until 1895, when, under the auspices of the society and in the presence of over seven thousand people, many of whom had come from a distance, a monument erected on the Chateauguay battlefield by the Dominion government, the outcome of a long agitation, was unveiled in memory of Colonel de Salaberry’s brilliant victory of 1813 over the American invading army.
Mr. Patterson was called to the Quebec bar in July, 1901, and has since successfully practiced his profession at Montreal, where he is the attorney of the Dominion Alliance and of other bodies. He is the author of the Handbook of Commercial Law, published in 1904. In 1910 he was appointed joint crown prosecutor for the district of Beauharnois and in April, 1912, was created a king’s counsellor.
Mr. Patterson married Miss Naomi Florence Smith, a daughter of Robert Smith, of Westmount, Quebec, in July, 1909. He is a liberal in politics and has taken an active part on the hustings in all federal and provincial elections at Montreal and in its vicinity since 1900. His church membership is held in the Presbyterian denomination, and he is a member of the Canadian and Reform Clubs of Montreal. His residence is at 2290 Mance Street, Montreal.
William Henry Atherton was born on November 15, 1867, in Salford, a suburb of Manchester, in Lancashire, England, of Joseph Atherton, sanitary engineer, and Sarah (Nicholls) Atherton. His grandfather, William Atherton, was of a line of merchants and was the last volunteer fire chief in Salford where in Peel Park Museum his famous fire dog “Lion” held an honoured place. His maternal grandfather’s family of Nicholls had farms in Yorkshire and previously in North Wales.
William Henry Atherton spent his early boyhood at the old cathedral city of Norwich in Norfolk, and in 1879, at the age of twelve, started his classical studies at Stonyhurst College, in Lancashire, graduating from the class of Rhetoric in 1886 and matriculating the same year in the first class in the University of London. After several years’ further classical studies he entered the course of scholastic philosophy at St. Mary’s College, Stonyhurst, and at the end of the third year, in 1895, presented his theses in Universa Philosophia, which he passed with distinction “aptus ad docendum,” the degree being equivalent to the Doctorate of Philosophy, which was, after a further thesis on “Beatitudo Finalis” accepted as ad eundum gradum at the University of Ottawa in 1908. From 1898 to 1902 he pursued a four years’ course of scholastic divinity at St. Beuno’s College, St. Asaph, North Wales. When not engaged in the above courses he taught for nearly ten years as a professor of classics and elocution at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, and Beaumont College, Old Windsor, Berkshire, two of the principal “public schools” of England. At both of these colleges he had charge of the dramatic performances, which are a recognized and important feature in their educational system. There he produced many of the best examples of the classical drama as well as of the best modern plays. He also had charge of the preparation of the annual or term “academies” or “speech days” and thus his students presented parts of Latin, Greek, English and French classical pieces.
On coming to Canada in 1907 William Atherton taught classics for a year at St. Albert, Alberta, at the Bishop’s Seminary, assisting Mgr. Légal in the preparation of a history of the Catholic church in North Alberta. In 1908 he taught [651] classics at Loyola College, Montreal. Since then he has filled other educational posts in the city as lecturer in psychology and ethics at the College for the Higher Education of Women, established in connection with Laval University; professor of the English course in the new “ Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales” erected by the Gouin government in 1910, and from 1911 he has also been an examiner in Arts for the entrance examinations conducted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province of Quebec. During his career in Montreal Dr. Atherton has identified himself with most phases of the sociological problems of the city. In 1908 he was invited to assume the managership of the Catholic Sailors’ Club, a position he still holds. In 1909, when the City Improvement League was established, he was selected to become the executive secretary. He is a member of the Civic Secretaries’ Association in connection with the National Municipal League of America, a member of the National Housing Association, the International City Planning Conference and the American Civic League. At the Toronto convention of the International City Planning Congress held in June, 1914, he was appointed by the Canadian delegates to represent them before the Commission of Conservation of the Dominion government to urge the creation of a special Municipal Improvement Bureau in connection with that Commission, to co-operate with and to organize the various movements for city planning, housing and civic improvements in the Dominion. He has taken an active part in most of the recent Civic Improvement and Good Government movements in Montreal, being one of the pioneers in affecting the appointment of the Metropolitan Parks Commission for Montreal, and a consistent advocate of better housing conditions for the working classes. He was the organizing secretary of the notable Child Welfare Exhibition held in Montreal in the Drill Hall on Craig Street in October, 1912. In 1914 he was a member of the executive committee of the “clean-up week” movement, a great public health movement which was taken up by the whole city, in which he acted as chairman of the Co-operation Committee.
Dr. Atherton has been the author of many contributions and criticisms to literary, philosophical and civic journals. His first work, published anonymously under the auspices of the Catholic Truth Society of England, was the Life of Father Damien, the Leper Priest, which appeared in England in 1889, attracting attention as the first authentic life then published. Dr. Atherton has identified himself with the literary life of Montreal. He was one of the founders of the Montreal branch of the Dickens’ Fellowship of which he has been vice president for three years and president for the years 1912-1913-1914. He is the author of the two volumes of the history of Montreal under the French Régime and under the English Rule now being published.
Joseph Raymond Fournier Préfontaine was a member of an old French family which was established in 1680 in New France. Mr. Préfontaine was born at Longueuil on the 16th of September, 1850. He began his education under private tutors and completed his classical studies at St. Mary’s College under [652] the direction of the Jesuit Fathers. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree at McGill University and was admitted to the bar in 1873. While taking up his private practice he began at the same time occupying himself with public affairs with success.
There are few men who, step by step, possessed more than he the rare gift of being always the man of his time and who at all times retained the favor of his friends. He made his debut in municipal politics as alderman for Hochelaga, and in 1879 became the mayor of that municipality, which honorary post he held until 1884. At this period the progress of Montreal was slow, it being the custom to retard rather than hasten her development. The town and city officers at that time were struggling along with inadequate acts and regulations. They were like the undeterred scientists of old who obstinately tried to solve the problem of squaring the circle although without the slightest vestige of success. New blood was needed and Hochelaga supplied the first infusion in the person of Mr. Préfontaine. When Hochelaga was annexed to Montreal Mr. Préfontaine became alderman of the Montreal council and president of the public works commission. The task which confronted him was not a small one. On the one hand he had to fight against a routine held sacred, and on the other hand against a majority which was absolutely neglecting the eastern part of Montreal.
In 1898 Mr. Préfontaine was mayor of Montreal and began to carry out his program of action. Nothing was neglected for the advancement of the city, and he employed to the utmost his legal acumen and ability in restoring Montreal to her rights. From that time he displayed a deep and abiding devotion to Montreal East which owes so much to him, his labors in this connection being the crowning achievement of his efforts. It was he who gave to the city the Viger railroad station, and this was in itself but a small matter when compared with the shipbuilding yards, the mammoth warehouses and thousands of habitations that he by his persistency won for the French region of the metropolis. He thought of everything; the street railway service, the electric lighting system, the street paving, all these bore the stamp of his personality. He was sometimes unjustly accused of lending himself to questionable deals but always emerged from these ordeals without a stain upon his character or a shadow of doubt remaining as to the entire justification of his actions.
He was the Haussman of the city. It was generally known that he was the friend of the working men and would defend their interests as his own. It was but natural therefore that the workingmen of Hochelaga were his best friends and his stanchest partisans. They were his standard bearers throughout the entire town and were the first who made possible his election to the magistracy of the city. Mr. Préfontaine lifted Montreal out of the old routine and after he was elected mayor all worked hand and glove with him in order to crown his work, and it is not short of the truth to say that a complete reorganization of the municipal autonomy took place.
Hon. Mr. Préfontaine at the time of his death had been in politics for thirty years. In 1875 he was elected member of parliament from Chambly to the legislature of Quebec and continued to represent that county from 1886 to 1896 in the Dominion parliament. In his early days he served as president of the Young Men’s Liberal Association and later as president of the Club National. He was always the man of the hour. His remarkable popularity, the wide [653] prestige which he enjoyed in the liberal party and the financial world, his intimate knowledge of political and administrative affairs, all betokened him the foremost man in the province of Quebec and more particularly in the district of Montreal. He was actively interested in all the movements of his party; few were the counties which he did not visit during the campaigns, and he took part in all the important debates. From his debut he was always in the public eye. Men like him are always the first in all ranks of life. One sees him ceaselessly battling when vital interests are at stake. At the general elections of 1900 he was elected by a large majority for Maisonneuve and Terrebonne. At the time of his death he was representing Maisonneuve, which had elected him by a majority of twenty-five hundred votes. When the Hon. Mr. Tarte resigned from the Laurier cabinet Mr. Préfontaine was prevailed upon to accept the portfolio of marine and fisheries. It is to him that Canada owes the fine organization of this department and the excellent results obtained.
Let us recall what he wrote regarding this subject on the 21st of October in Le Soleil: “We receive every day confirmation of the happy news that the harvest of this year will surpass all hopes. In fact, everything indicates that it will be phenomenal. The Grain Merchants Association values for only the west the production of wheat at ninety-one and a half millions bushels; that of oats at sixty-seven millions of bushels; that of flax at half a million. On the other side the reports from Quebec and Ontario are excellent. There is no doubt that our exportations of agricultural products will this year largely exceed those of 1903, our maximum year, which amounted to one hundred and fifteen million dollars. These figures are so outstanding that they speak for themselves. They mean that the facilities of transportation will have to be considerable to ship all of this,—that is that the St. Lawrence route will be largely put in requisition to export our grain and in return, for the importation of articles sent in exchange. But they signify also that large sums of money will come into the treasury and that the St. Lawrence route will well merit its share. The St. Lawrence begins at the head of Lake Superior and goes as far as Belle Isle, I may say nearly to Newfoundland.
“One of my predecessors asked from Sir Wilfrid Laurier twenty-five million dollars for the single purpose of deepening the channel from Montreal to the Gulf. It is far from being completed. Since the channel was started we have not yet expended one-fifth of this amount and yet we can look backward with confidence and contemplate with pride the work accomplished. It is needless to give here the figures. Suffice it to say this is not a financial treatise but a statement to the people, telling them frankly that in less than five years we have created from nothing at Sorel, the national workshops of maritime construction, the most perfect, the best equipped, the best managed in existence in Canada and which would do credit to any other country. We have constructed the dredges and the apparatus necessary for digging and maintaining the channel at a desirable depth. The channel will be thirty feet in depth throughout almost its entire course. We have reasonably widened the curves wherever they were met. We have constructed signals and placed buoys to extend as far as the gulf and join with the channel. We have installed submarine bells and we are experimenting with a new electrical system for the direction of the vessels in the channel. We have made the channel between Montreal and [654] Sorel as light at night as it is by day. We are now replacing floating fires with stationary fires. We have commenced and will continue with powerful vessels specially constructed to this end to make possible winter navigation and this trial, mark my words, will culminate in good results. That is as a matter of fact quite a goodly sum of finished work since Sir Wilfrid Laurier has come into power and, without boasting too much, since he has entrusted to your humble servant the portfolio of marine, so much decried by our good friends, the conservatives.
“Now, as far as professional progress is concerned, we can still cite without fear of criticism improvement of the law in regard to pilots who are now under control of my department, new conditions regarding more severe regulations, etc.; the revision of the law for the examination of captains and mates; the re-drafting of the law regarding the inspection of steamships; the creation of a competent tribunal of nautical inquiries; the establishment of navigation schools, and the organization of a scientific system of oceanographic and hydrographic observations. Here, in brief, between two viewpoints, we can, I believe, address our friends in order to show them in a new and authentic light the liberal work which has been done on the service of our grand maritime route. But you say in Quebec that with all this there still will be accidents on the river. This I cannot deny and no one regrets it more keenly than I. There will be accidents everywhere and these will happen in spite of all the precautions taken and at the moment when they are least expected. It is for this very reason that we call them accidents. Accidents happen on the canals, they will happen in mid-ocean and they might even happen in the port of Quebec if Providence so ordains, which I sincerely pray, not.”
At the outbreak of the Boer war Mr. Préfontaine gauged public feeling in Canada correctly and favored the contribution of men to the cause of the Empire and also favored the establishment of a Canadian navy. While maintaining offices in the city hall he displayed remarkable faculty for winning friends. It was said of him that no matter how bitterly opponents assailed him he never bore resentment. As years went by this trait actually made admirers out of those who had formerly been enemies. He was always ready to do a friendly act and was naturally of an optimistic temperament, being scarcely ever known to show a sign of dejection or low spirits. A belief in the possibilities of an undertaking always served as a stimulus to his intense activity, usually accompanied by the desired results.
In June, 1876, Mr. Préfontaine married Miss Hermantine Rolland, and unto them were born three sons: Rolland, a civil engineer in Montreal; Fernand, of the firm of Préfontaine & Drouin, architects of Montreal; and Adrien, now deceased.
Mr. Préfontaine died in Paris, France, December 25, 1905. At that time Mr. Lawrence A. Wilson said of his dead friend: [655] “As the last candle lights were flickering out their little flames upon the gilded Christmas trees that had made so many young and old hearts happy, a cruel message, wrapped in thunder, reached us. A man had died: Yes! a big, big man in the fullest sense of the word. A generous friend he was always to the needful, irrespective of color, creed or nationality and one whom I have never known, during twenty years, to have harbored over night an ill feeling against his greatest political foe. When I asked him recently during a friendly conversation why he worked so hard to the detriment of his personal interests and particularly of his health, he replied, ‘My greatest pleasure is to be able to do something for my friends.’ He was a kind husband to his devoted but now sorrowing wife, a good father to his three bright boys, a solid friend to all those he trusted and a faithful, unflinching follower of his chief, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. That man was Raymond Préfontaine.”
The Montreal Daily Star editorially said of him: “Canadian public life has produced few men who would be more sincerely mourned by an army of personal friends than will the late Raymond Préfontaine. He was a man who was always bigger than his party, bigger than his numerous victories and broader in his sympathies than many a man who made more display of public spirit. A genuine liking for the big, generous man pervaded all classes of the community and was no small share of his strength in any political contest. His death comes at an exceedingly bad time for the country, just when he had taken up the problem of the St. Lawrence channel in real earnest and was bent upon giving us a clean bill of health. He has hardly been long enough in the federal field for the nation to learn to know him as he has long been known in this district. As a public man he has come in for not a little criticism. He was a candidate who stood fire well and was seldom irritated into replying with unwise petulance. Perhaps at times he displayed too great a faith in the financial recuperative powers of this city but after all is said and done, that was a generous fault. At this moment our people will only remember the attractive personality, the stanch British subject, the warm-hearted political leader who lies dead in the French capital.”
La Presse, whose editor, Mr. Dansereau, was a close personal friend of the late Hon. Raymond Préfontaine, after referring to the news of his death, continues: “We do not seek to hide our deep emotion, for he was counted among our oldest friends, and we were the last Canadians to grasp his hand before he embarked at New York on the steamer which took him across. Had he any presentiment? He was serious and pensive, nothing about him of the ordinary joy which is connected with the perspective of a short journey was shown in his manner. The distinguished deceased had eminent qualities, for he was a man of action and energy. He had done more in two years for the development and aiding of navigation than all his predecessors in the department since confederation. At least he has the merit of tracing a program that must not be laid aside. Life is ephemeral; fame matters little to him at this moment. But his family will have the consolation of a heritage more precious than fortune, that of his talent, his prestige, of his political and administrative worth.”
Professor Thomas Albert Starkey, a well known educator, lecturer and physician of Montreal, was born in Hertford, England, a son of Thomas Starkey. His early education was obtained in his native town and in 1894 he was graduated from London University with the degree of M. D. Subsequently he pursued [656] a course in the University Collegiate Hospital in London and was house surgeon at the Brompton Hospital. Subsequently he was sent to India to carry on researches and promote the cure and prevention of the plague and cholera. He worked in the Imperial Research Laboratory in Bombay from 1899 until 1901 and afterward was given charge, under the sanitary commission, of the entire hygienic condition of two large districts, his labors there being of inestimable value in improving existing conditions.
On his return to England Dr. Starkey pursued public health work in the laboratory of University College at London and was also bacteriologist of the London county council. He came to the new world in 1902, being appointed in November of that year professor of hygiene at McGill University of Montreal. In 1906 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Sanitary Institute of England and is now secretary and examiner of the local branch of the same body. In 1910 he was elected the first president of the Canada Public Health Association in which connection his efforts have been far-reaching and beneficial. Not only has he done important practice and research work, but has also written upon questions relating to the public health. He has lectured on the Ancient and Modern Methods of Water Supply—A Comparison, and on kindred subjects, all of which have to do with the public health and the prevention of disease.
In September, 1904, Dr. Starkey was united in marriage to Miss Josephine MacCullum, a daughter of the late Dr. Duncan Campbell MacCullum, and they have one son, Hugh. It would be difficult to measure the usefulness of the life work of Dr. Starkey, but the scientific world acknowledges its indebtedness to his efforts and his labors, far-reaching and effective, have been beneficial forces for humanity in various sections of the world.
It would be difficult to find a more active business man in Montreal and one whose labors are more gratifyingly resultant than Charles Chaput, who stands as one of the most successful merchants of the metropolis, ranks among its most substantial citizens and to quote the Montreal Gazette is “a man of unimpeachable integrity.” He was born in Montreal, November 14, 1841, a son of the late Leander Chaput, who came to Montreal from L’Assomption in 1832 and in 1842 founded what is now the well known wholesale grocery house of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee. He lived to the age of eighty-four years, passing away in 1901. His wife was Helene St. Denis, a daughter of J. B. St. Denis of Montreal.
Charles Chaput acquired his education in the best French and English schools in Montreal of the time. In 1857 at the age of sixteen years he joined his father’s firm as a junior clerk, at which time the firm was L. Chaput & Cie, and on his being made a partner in 1862 the style was changed to L. Chaput, Fils & Cie. In 1875 upon the retirement of his father Charles Chaput became the head of the firm, where he has since remained, although there have been many changes since in its personnel. In 1884 L. E. Geoffrion was admitted a partner [659] and for years was actively interested in the conduct and management of the business. In 1896 E. St. Denis retired after having been a partner for forty years and in the same year Ferd Prudhomme was taken into partnership. In 1899 Armand Chaput and in 1909 Emile Chaput, sons of Charles Chaput, were admitted as members of the firm, which was incorporated on February 1, 1912, under name of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee, Charles Chaput becoming president, Armand Chaput vice president and manager and Ferd Prudhomme secretary and treasurer. The house of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee, has attained a widespread, honorable and unassailable reputation in business circles by reason of the straightforward and commendable principles employed in the conduct of its large interests.
For many years Mr. Chaput has maintained an extremely active business interest not only in the large firm of which he is now the head but also as a director in many other firms, in banks and in financial institutions. As a member of the council of the Board of Trade he has played a very important part in the work of that organization. A governor of Notre Dame Hospital, he has been largely instrumental in strengthening the finances of that splendid institution. He was for several years a director of La Banque d’Hochelaga and also of the Canada Life Insurance Company. He has been a councillor of the Chambre de Commerce and president of the Wholesale Grocers Guild. He is a director of the International Mercantile Agency, also vice president of the Montreal Business Men’s League and president of the Montreal Citizens Association and has ever taken an active interest in business matters and all things tending to promote the welfare of the city and the uplifting of humanity.
His charitable instincts and activities are broad and varied. Aside from the institutions above mentioned with which he is connected he is also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and a member of the Montreal Dispensary. He cooperates earnestly and effectively in many movements which have for their object the alleviation of hard conditions of life for the unfortunate. In religious faith he is a Roman Catholic.
Mr. Chaput has never entered the political field, yet he has always maintained a deep and sincere interest in the political affairs of the country. Furthermore, he has played a very prominent part in municipal affairs and while not himself directly interested or a seeker of place he has been one of the leading figures in the organization of the Citizens’ Association and a sturdy exponent of municipal government through the medium of the Board of Control. He is progressive in all things, being ever ready to give his support to any movement that will tend to the improvement of conditions in Montreal.
Mr. Chaput married Rose Anne Smith, who died in September, 1883; he then married Clara Chevalier, who died in July, 1893; his third wife was L. Patoine in her maidenhood. He has a family of three sons and two daughters, all born to the first marriage. The eldest son, Rev. Father Charles Chaput, is a Jesuit priest and a professor of philosophy. The second son, Armand Chaput, is vice president of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee. He married Juliette Auger, a daughter of J. C. Auger, formerly registrar of Montreal. The third son, Emile Chaput, is a director in the firm and married Rosalie Loranger, daughter of the Hon. Mr. Justice Loranger of Montreal. Rose Anna, the elder daughter, is the widow of Mr. Gabriel Marchand, M. P., son of the late Hon. F. G. Marchand, [660] who was premier of the province of Quebec. Antoinette, the younger daughter, is the wife of Mr. E. Desaulniers, notary, of St. Lambert, P. Q.
Mr. Chaput holds membership in L’Association St. Jean Baptiste and in the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society—associations which show something of the nature of his interests and his delight in research work.
Aime Chasse, advocate, was born at St. Elphége, Yamaska County, Province of Quebec, October 9, 1886, of the marriage of Zoel Chasse, a cultivateur, and Julie (Proulx) Chasse. He studied the classics at the Seminaire de Nicolet, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1908. He studied law at Laval University in Montreal and at the same time in the office of Coderre & Coderre, in Montreal, and was admitted to the bar in July, 1912. Since the 1st of June, 1914, he has been a member of the law firm of Archambault & Chasse. Mr. Chasse has been president of the Association de la Jeunesse Conservatrice de Montreal since April 15, 1914. He has lived in Montreal since September, 1908. On January 7, 1911, he married Alphonsine Boisvert, of St. Elphége.
Clubman, sportsman and business man of marked enterprise—in these few words are summed up the life record of Sir Hugh Montagu Allan, whose interests have been many and whose activities far-reaching. To accumulate a fortune requires one kind of genius, to retain a fortune already acquired, to add to its legitimate increment and to make such use of it that its possessor may derive therefrom the greatest enjoyment and the public the greatest benefit, requires quite another kind of genius. Sir Hugh Montagu Allan belongs to that younger generation of business men of Montreal called upon to shoulder responsibilities differing materially from those resting upon their predecessors. In a broader field of enterprise they find themselves obliged to deal with affairs of greater magnitude and to solve more difficult and complicated financial and economic problems.
Such was the position in which Sir Hugh Montagu Allan found himself following the demise of his father, Sir Hugh Allan, an eminent figure in shipping and financial circles of Canada. The mother, Matilda Caroline (Smith) Allan, was the second daughter of the late John Smith, a prominent merchant of Montreal and it was in this city that Sir Hugh Montagu Allan was born October 13, 1860. His education acquired in Bishop’s College School at Lennoxville, was supplemented by study in Paris, France. He was a young man of but twenty-two years at the time of his father’s death and under the terms of his father’s will entered the firm of H. & A. Allan, steamship agents. It was in the latter connection that they established the Allan Line of steamships, then and now the most important factor in passenger service and freight carrying trade between [661] Great Britain and Canada. More and more he has come into prominence, as he has given proof of his power to carefully, systematically, wisely and successfully promote the important interests of mammoth corporate concerns. He is today president of the Merchants Bank of Canada, the Acadia Coal Company, the Railway Securities Company, and vice president of the Canada Paper Company and the Canadian Vickers, Limited. His name is on the directorate of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, the Canadian Transfer Company, the Labrador Company, the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the Dominion Steel Corporation, the Mutual Life Association Company of Canada, the Canadian Cottons, Limited, the Royal Trust Company, the Montreal Investment Trust and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company of Montreal.
In December, 1878, he assumed the name of Hugh Montagu instead of Hugh Andrew Allan, by which he was previously known. Long connected with the Montreal Board of Trade, he served as a counselor for several years and as its treasurer in 1891 and 1892. Further interests of a public character which have profited by his cooperation include the Montreal Horticultural and Fruit Growing Association, of which he is a director and St. Andrew’s Society, of which he is president. His prominence as a sportsman is indicated in the fact that he is an ex-master of the Montreal Hunt. His horses have won the Queen’s plate, the Montreal hunt cup, members’ plate and hunters’ handicap steeplechase cup. Sir Hugh Montagu Allan is now president of the Montreal Jockey Club, vice president of the Canadian Racing Association and director of the International Horse Show Association. He was formerly vice president of the Montreal Racket Club and a director of the Montreal Skating Association and the Amateur Skating Association of Canada. His activities have touched many benevolent and charitable projects. He has been a director of the Sailors’ Institute, the Charity Organization Society, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and is vice president of the Montreal General Hospital. He gave five thousand dollars to the Charles Alexander Memorial Fund and the Allan Cup as a perpetual trophy for competition between amateur hockey clubs in 1910. He is one of the founders of the Mount Royal Club and the Winter Club at Montreal.
In October, 1893, Sir Hugh Montagu Allan wedded Marguerite Ethel Mackenzie, a daughter of the late Hector Mackenzie of Montreal. She was elected a member of the Central Council Victoria League at London, England, in 1909, and is honorary president of the Daughters of the Empire in Montreal. Sir Hugh and Lady Allan at their Montreal home, Ravenscrag, entertained H. R. H. Prince Arthur of Connaught in 1906, and H. I. H. Prince Fushimi of Japan in 1907. Sir Hugh was presented to the late King Edward in March, 1910, and Lady Allan was presented in July, 1906. He was knighted June 24, 1904, became C. V. O. in 1907, and Order of the Rising Sun of Japan (third class) in 1907. He was appointed honorable lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion, Fifth Regiment, Royal Highlanders, in 1911. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In addition to Ravenscrag in Montreal, Sir Hugh has a summer home, Montrose, at Cacouna, and another estate, Allancroft, in Beaconsfield, province of Quebec. That he is an eminent and well known figure in club circles is indicated by the fact that he belongs to the St. James Club, [662] Mount Royal Club, Canada Club, Auto and Aero Club, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey Club, Winter Club, Royal Montreal Golf Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, Canadian Club, Forest and Stream Club, Lachine Boating and Canoeing Club, Montreal Curling Club, Back River Polo Club, Montreal Racket Club, Montreal Thistle Curling Club, all of Montreal; Toronto Club, York Club of Toronto; Rideau Club, of Ottawa; Racquet and Tennis Club and Knickerbocker Club, of New York; and Junior Carlton Club, Canada Club, and Royal Thames Yacht Club, of London, England.
The subjective and objective forces of life are in him well balanced, making him cognizant of his own capabilities and powers, while at the same time he thoroughly understands his opportunities and his obligations. To make his native talents subserve the demands which conditions of society impose at the present time is the purpose of his life, and by reason of the mature judgment which characterizes his efforts at all times, he stands today with those whose activity in various lines does not exclude active participation in and support of other vital interests which go to make up human existence.
Dr. Louis Edouard Fortier, one of the most prominent of the French physicians of Montreal, was born in the city of Quebec, February 11, 1865, a son of Edouard and Celina (Marcotte) Fortier. The paternal grandfather, Louis Fortier, was a farmer and was the founder of the village of Fortierville, while his son Edouard was a merchant in the city of Quebec.
The family removed to Montreal during the Doctor’s boyhood and both parents passed away in this city. Two brothers of Dr. Fortier are still living: one, Dr. Joseph Emile, is one of the busiest medical practitioners of Montreal; the other, Joseph Auguste, a well known writer, after having traveled all around the world settled in India about fifteen years ago, and is principal and superintendent of the Agha Engineering School, in Fyzabad, Oudh.
Dr. Fortier was educated in the Jesuit College of Montreal, after which he studied medicine in Victoria University, being graduated therefrom with the degree of M. D. in the class of 1889. He was at once appointed demonstrator of anatomy at Victoria University and physician to the Hospital Hôtel-Dieu. These positions he filled in addition to attending to his private practice, which has been extensive from the beginning, and he has been regular physician to the Hôtel-Dieu since 1889. After some years devoted to active practice, he further continued the study of his profession in Paris and London, coming in touch with the work of eminent physicians and surgeons in both cities. He ranks high in hospital work and is widely recognized as a learned and able member of the profession, who is constantly promoting his knowledge through reading, research and investigation. He is also classed with the able educators and at the present time is professor of pharmacology and therapeutics in Laval University.
A scholar and a good writer, Dr. Fortier has been during many years editor of La Gazette Médicale de Montréal, the official organ of the Victoria University [665] Medical School in Montreal before the affiliation of this school with Laval University. Since that time, besides many valuable contributions to medical reviews, Dr. Fortier published a few years ago a Handbook of Medicine for Nurses, and last year a Manual of Pharmacology,—according to the British Pharmacopœia, this last book being especially for the use of students and young practitioners.
Dr. Fortier is an active social worker and is particularly interested in the work of medical dispensaries. He is now medical director of the Institut Bruchési, founded for the treatment of tubercular patients; medical superintendent of the Sacred Heart Hospital for the Indians, at Caughnawaga; and chief director of the dispensaries of l’Assistance Maternelle, instituted to provide attendance to the sick women of the poorer classes.
Dr. Fortier married Miss Emma Mathieu of Lachenaie and to them have been born two sons, Louis Edouard and Jacques Emile. Madame Fortier belongs to one of the oldest French-Canadian families of this country and is favorably known in social as well as charitable circles of this city.
On the list of those whom death has recently called appears the name of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph P. Cooke, whose career in political and military life was a notable one. Liberal educational opportunities and thorough training qualified him for the bar, and he was recognized as an able and learned member of the profession. His abilities recommended him for political leadership and he was called to important public offices. Quebec numbered him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Drummondville in 1858. His father was Valentine Cooke and his grandfather, an officer in the army, received a land grant from the British government in recognition of his services.
Lieutenant Colonel Cooke attended St. Francis College in Richmond, there pursuing his more specifically literary education, while in McGill University he prepared for the bar and was graduated B. C. L. in 1880. The following year he was called to the bar of Montreal and entered upon active practice in partnership with Charles Brookes, K. C. Subsequently he began practice independently and was widely recognized as a strong and able lawyer, whose legal counsel was sound and whose powers of discrimination and analyzation enabled him to readily master all the details of his cases and win success in their conduct. In 1893 he was created king’s counsel.
While in the practice of law Colonel Cooke passed far beyond the point of mediocrity and won place with the capable members of the Montreal bar. He was also active as a political leader and participated in many of the contests of his day. Originally his support was given the conservative party and as its candidate he won the seat for Drummond county in 1892, remaining a member of the provincial house throughout the session. He was ever fearless in support of his honest convictions, however, and when he was led to change his opinions by reason of his study of political conditions and situations he did not hesitate to become a liberal and in 1897 contested the seat for St. Lawrence [666] division, but was defeated by A. W. Atwater, K. C. Soon after the election he was named crown prosecutor and acted in that capacity with Rudolph Lemieux, K. C. He was succeeded in the position by Edmund Guerin, K. C., now the Hon. Justice Guerin. In 1907 Colonel Cooke was named registrar for Montreal West and continued in that position until his demise. While in the legislature he was instrumental in securing the passage of a bill prohibiting the sale or use of tobacco or opium to or by minors. He never hesitated to advocate the principles which he deemed beneficial measures in good government or factors in the welfare and progress of city and province.
Colonel Cooke’s connection with military affairs began when he joined the volunteer militia service, in which he was advanced through positions of minor rank until he assumed command of the First Regiment, Prince of Wales Fusiliers. After five years, or in 1903, he retired and was placed on the R. O. with his rank. He commanded the Bisley team in 1898. In 1902 Colonel Cooke was presented to the present king and queen at St. James’ palace. He was also presented to King Edward and by invitation was present in Westminster Abbey at the coronation of the late King Edward and Queen Alexandra in 1902.
In 1880 Colonel Cooke married Miss Helen Grace Burnett, a niece of the late Archbishop Bond, and they became the parents of a daughter and two sons. Violet Burnett; Herbert G., who was educated in the city schools and McGill University and is connected with the office of registrar of Montreal West; A. Douglas, educated in the city schools and McGill University, is now connected with the engineering department of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He married Nita K. Wallace. The death of Colonel Cooke occurred on the 28th of July, 1913, when he was but fifty-five years of age. His record is one of usefulness in the public service, of devotion to the interests of his clients and of fidelity to the ties of home and friendship.
A few years prior to his death Edmund Holyoke Heward of Montreal retired from active business. He had been prominently connected with banking interests, and his colleagues remember him as a man of progressive spirit and marked capacity for handling the multiplicity of details as well as the principal features that arise in connection with the banking business. The family name figures in the military history of the country. His grandfather, Stephen Heward, was in command of a force of men at the capture of Fort Detroit. The father, Augustus Heward, was associated with Lieutenant Colonel Osborne Smith in founding the Victoria Volunteer Rifles, now the Third Victoria Rifles, of which Lieutenant Colonel Smith became the first commander, while Mr. Heward became the first major, but subsequently succeeded to the command.
Edmund H. Heward was born in the family residence at Cote des Neiges, in 1841. He was educated under Dr. Howe at the Montreal high school and entered into the wholesale hardware business of Mulholland & Baker when in his teens. His initial business experience came through several years’ connection [667] with that house, at the end of which time he entered the service of the Merchants Bank of Canada, with which he was associated for more than thirty years. Gradual advancement brought him to an eminent position in banking circles. He possessed unusual ability in co-ordinating forces and unifying elements into a harmonious whole. For some time he was manager of the St. Johns (Quebec) branch of the bank, but afterward returned to Montreal and established the Notre Dame Street branch and later the St. Catherine West branch of the same bank. As the years passed on every feature of the banking business became familiar to him, and his thorough understanding thereof was manifest in his executive direction and capable control. He retired a few years prior to his death, possessed of a handsome competence that was the legitimate and logical reward of his effort and capability.
Mr. Heward married Miss Alice Ward, a daughter of the late Hon. J. K. Ward of Montreal, and unto them were born six children. Mr. Heward joined his father’s old regiment, the Victoria Rifles, with which he went to the front in the last Fenian raid and was present at the affair at Pigeon Hill. He was a handsome man of fine physique and unfailing courtesy—a gentleman of the old school. His death on May 17, 1910, occasioned deep regret in both the business and social circles of Montreal.
Rev. Robert Bruce Taylor, author and minister of the gospel and since 1911 pastor of St. Paul’s Presbyterian church in Montreal, was born in Cardross, Scotland, October 22, 1869. He acquired his education in Glasgow University, from which he was graduated M. A. with the class of 1890, and he afterward was a student in the Free Church College. After completing this course he entered Gottingen University and later studied Arabic at Beirut and Damascus. He was a student in three German theological schools and prepared most thoroughly for his chosen life work. After his ordination he was placed in charge of the Loudoun Free Church in Ayrshire and was transferred from there to Ferryhill, Aberdeen. His third charge was at St. John’s Wood, London, England, whence in 1911 he came to Montreal, assuming his present duties as pastor of St. Paul’s Presbyterian church. This is one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in the city, having been organized in 1832 by Edward Black, D. D. The church was located on St. Helen’s Street until 1867, in January of which year the erection of the present edifice was begun. The church was dedicated September 27, 1868, and cost $100,000. The first pastor, Dr. Edward Black, died in May, 1845, and was succeeded by Robert McGill, who passed away in 1856. Dr. Snodgrass then had charge of the congregation until 1864 and his successor was Dr. Jenkins, who remained in charge from 1865 to 1881. Dr. Barkley did able and capable work from 1883 until 1910, being succeeded by Rev. Robert Bruce Taylor, the present incumbent. The congregation has numbered among its members such distinguished men as Lord Strathcona and Lord Mount Stephen and it numbers now eight hundred souls. Its affairs are in a flourishing and prosperous condition for Dr. Taylor administers them ably and in a way which shows him a [668] man of excellent executive and organizing power as well as a zealous and untiring religious worker. He has organized a club of girls working in stores in the city and has also a Men’s Club, both of which organizations have been fruitful of much good.
Dr. Taylor married a daughter of Professor McKendrick, LL. D., of Glasgow, Scotland, and both are well known in social circles in Montreal. Dr. Taylor is a writer of considerable reputation and besides being the author of a book on Economics, written for the Student Christian Movement, has contributed largely to serial publications on religious and historical topics, accomplishing such able and farsighted work in the interests of his religion that he has been called “the crown jewel of a Presbyterian minister.”
Charles Auguste de Lotbinière Harwood, a lawyer of the Montreal bar, who prepared for practice at McGill and is now a member of the well known firm of Lighthall & Harwood, was born at Vaudreuil, P. Q., August 2, 1869, his parents being Robert William and Charlotte (McGillis) Harwood. The father was member of parliament for Vaudreuil in the house of commons from 1872 until 1878. The mother was a daughter of John McGillis, laird of Williamstown, Glengarry, Ontario. The Harwoods are closely connected with the de Lotbinière family and are seigneurs of Vaudreuil.
Liberal educational opportunities equipped Charles A. Harwood for the duties of a professional career. He was educated at St. Laurent College and Laval University. His professional training was received at McGill University, from which he was graduated B. C. L. in 1893. He became an advocate in 1895 and is now actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Montreal as a member of the law firm of Lighthall & Harwood. His ability is evidenced in the success which has attended his efforts in the trial of important cases, which he has ever prepared with great thoroughness and care. In October, 1911, he was made a king’s counsel, his ability thus winning recognition.
In politics Mr. Harwood is a liberal-conservative, and his activity in behalf of the principles in which he believes has been an effective force in the attainment of success. He served as secretary of the Conservative Association in the county of Vaudreuil and became a recognized leader of his party. He has been intimately connected with the municipal reform movements of Montreal and served first as a director, then as recording secretary and is now serving as vice president of the Montreal Citizens’ Association.
In September, 1898, occurred the marriage of Mr. Harwood and Miss Marie Adelaide Masson, a daughter of the late Hon. L. R. Masson, lieutenant governor of Quebec. They reside at No. 162 Hutchison Street, Montreal, and have a summer home, Les Chenaux, at Vaudreuil. Mr. Harwood belongs to the Liberal-Conservative Club of Montreal and is a past president of the Cartier Club of Montreal. He also has membership in the Historical Landmarks Association, and after having been for many years honorary recording secretary is now a [671] vice president of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal. He has delved deep into the historic past and is the author of various valuable historical papers, including one entitled The Fort Garry Convention. His religious belief is that of the Roman Catholic church. A man of broad intelligence and high ideals, his life record has counted for much in the field of professional and scientific progress.
Major David Seath occupies an important position in the public service of the Dominion as secretary and treasurer of the harbor commission of Montreal. He is a son of the late Robert Seath, a wholesale clothing merchant of Montreal, and Margaret (Stephen) Seath. Born in Montreal on May 9, 1847, he subsequently attended the high school in this city and the parish school at Ste. Rose, province of Quebec. In 1864 he entered the employ of his father and subsequently became connected with the firm of Tyre, Perkins & Lajoie, accountants and assignees, of which he subsequently became a member under the firm style of Lajoie, Seath & Perrault, which was formed in 1877. The firm also was for a time known under the style of Thibaudeau & Seath, and of this firm our subject was a partner until 1895. From that year until 1898 he was president and manager of the Perrault Printing Company. At that time he was also a member of the board of license commissioners of Montreal. In 1898 he was appointed secretary and treasurer of the harbor commissioners board of Montreal, which office he has ever since held. His public record is one to be highly commended.
Mr. Seath is a justice of the peace and has to his credit a long military career in the volunteer service, his years of active duty comprising those between 1864 and 1905. He joined the Victoria Rifles as a private in 1864 and took part in the Fenian raid in 1866 and 1870, receiving in the latter year the medal and two clasps. During that time, in 1867, he was gazetted lieutenant in the Sixth Regiment, Hochelaga Light Infantry. He attained the rank of captain in the Sixth Fusiliers and in 1905 rejoined this regiment, known as the “Prince of Wales’,” as paymaster with the honorary rank of major, retiring in the same year. Besides his Fenian raids medals and clasps, he holds the colonial auxiliary forces officers’ long service decoration. He was instrumental in having the services of the volunteers for the Fenian raids recognized by the government. Besides acting as justice of the peace he is also commissioner for receiving affidavits from outside the province of Ontario to be used in Ontario and is commissioner of the superior court of the province of Quebec.
Major Seath was married in September, 1904, to Miss Emma A. Fish, of Westmount, on which occasion he was presented with a valuable service of plate by the Montreal harbor commissioners. In religious faith he is an Anglican and his political convictions incline him towards the liberal party. Mr. Seath stands high in Freemasonry, having attained the thirty-second degree. He has been grand registrar of the grand lodge of Quebec and grand scribe, grand treasurer and grand first principal of the grand chapter of Quebec. He is a [672] Knight Templar and an officer of the A. & A. Scotish Rite. The family residence is at 95 Mackay Street, Montreal. Hon. Robert Mackay, the distinguished statesman and man of affairs, says of him: “An officer of long and faithful service who was and is always at his post”; and this statement expresses his faithfulness to duty perhaps better than anything that could be said in addition.
Albert E. de Lorimier is a successful and distinguished lawyer of Montreal. He belongs to an old French family, one member of which, Count de Chamilly, was marshal of France, and another, Count d’Estoges de Lorimier, was executed with Louis XVI for his loyalty and devotedness to his king.
His direct ancestor in Canada, Guillaume de Lorimier, sieur des Bordes en Gatinais, came to Montreal in the seventeenth century with Governor Marquis de Denonville. His great-grandfather, Claude Guillaume de Lorimier, knight of the Royal and Military Order of St. Louis of France, distinguished himself at Fort George and at the siege of Corlar. His grandfather, Major Guillaume de Lorimier, author of “My Services During the War of the American Invasion,” served with his brother Chamilly under General Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester, on Lake Champlain in 1775. One of his uncles, Captain William de Lorimier of the Fencibles, was killed at Chrysler’s Farm in 1813.
A. E. de Lorimier was born at Sault St. Louis, in the province of Quebec, and is the son of Georges Antoine de Lorimier and Mrs. Marie L. McComber. He acquired his early education at the Huntingdon Academy, Huntingdon, completed his classics at St. Mary’s College, Montreal, and was admitted to the practice of law in July, 1885, after having graduated LL. B. from Laval University. He speaks the French and English languages fluently and equally well.
In October, 1886, he married Miss Mina de Lorimier, daughter of Mr. Justice Charles Chamilly de Lorimier of Montreal, and both are well known in social circles of this city.
Mr. de Lorimier first formed partnership with the Hon. F. X. Trudel, late Senator; N. Charbonneau, now Mr. Justice Charbonneau, and Gustave Lamothe, K. C., and later with Charles Chamilly de Lorimier, now Mr. Justice de Lorimier, and finally with D. Girouard, late justice of the supreme court of Canada. In 1896 he took the Hon. Sir Auguste R. Angers in his firm known as Angers, de Lorimier & Godin. He was created king’s counsel in 1903 and was on several occasions elected member of the council of the bar. He declined the honor to represent his native county in the Dominion parliament and to stand as an alderman in the Centre ward of Montreal, preferring to devote all his time and knowledge to his clientage. He was in his earlier days twice president of L’Union Catholique of Montreal and is a life governor of Notre Dame Hospital and of L’Ecole Sociale Populaire. He enjoys the reputation of being one of the prominent and most respected barristers in Montreal. The future, undoubtedly, holds for him still greater distinction and honor in his chosen field.
For twenty-five years Hon. John Young was one of the harbor commissioners of Montreal and no one did more for the development and protection of the shipping industry at this point. Indeed his whole life was largely devoted to the public service and there are few men who have the insight and the prescience to recognize possibilities and opportunities for the general good as he did and the perseverance and determination to use such opportunities for the benefit of the many. His country will ever remember him with gratitude and his friends with deep affection, for aside from his public career there were in him traits of character that endeared him closely to those with whom he came in contact through other relations. He bound his friends to him with hoops of steel when their adoption had been tried, and at all times he held friendship as something sacred and inviolable.
Born in Ayr, Scotland, March 11, 1811, Hon. John Young attended the parish school, and his aptitude in his studies was manifest in the fact that when but fourteen years of age he obtained the appointment of master of the parish school at Coylton, near Ayr, where he taught for eighteen months. He early developed the habits of industry and cheerful perseverance which characterized his after life and in 1826, when a youth of fifteen, he completed his arrangements to become a resident of Canada, attracted by favorable reports concerning the great opportunities of the new world. His initial business experience here came to him as a clerk in the employ of John Torrance and the development of his powers and capacity is shown in the fact that in 1835, when but twenty-four years of age, he became a partner of David Torrance in the firm of Torrance & Young, which for five years continued in business at Quebec.
From early manhood he was a student of the signs of the times and business never claimed his undivided attention. He carefully and systematically managed his interests, but he also found time to perform the duties of citizenship wisely and well and he became a leader of public thought and action. At an early day he urged upon Lord Gosford the forming of volunteer corps but the governor general felt there was little reason to comply with this request. It was not long, however, before events proved the soundness of his advice and when the rebellion came Mr. Young volunteered for service in a regiment of light infantry which was raised in twenty-four hours and in which he became a captain.
When his aid was no longer needed Mr. Young returned to Montreal and became a partner of Harrison Stephens in the firm of Stephens, Young & Company which occupied a prominent position in business circles of Montreal for many years. His personal interests took him largely over the west and in his travels and his study of business conditions he saw how valuable was the St. Lawrence system as a factor in the commercial history of the American continent, furnishing the course of the natural routes to the seaboard. It seemed that he never lost sight of any point bearing upon the subject which came so close to his heart—the development of the shipping industries of Montreal—and eventually he became recognized as the greatest canal authority in America.
Another important public enterprise with which he was associated at about that period was the organization and establishment of the Mercantile Library Association. Public feeling was not in sympathy with such a movement at that [676] time and only four people were present when the system was formed. Writing of this period, a contemporary biographer has said: “The change in public feeling as to educational advantages then and now is well instanced by the fact that, besides Mr. Young, only four persons were present at the meeting when this society was commenced. In 1844 party spirit ran high and serious trouble was expected at the general election. Secret societies were in existence, and political associations formed everywhere for the purpose, as was avowed, of gaining by force what could not be secured otherwise. At such a time the post of returning officer was difficult and dangerous, and though the selection of a man to fill it might be esteemed a high compliment to his personal character, it involved also a personal risk which required the utmost coolness, determination, tact and courage in the recipient. Lord Metcalfe’s advisers selected John Young as the man for the emergency. The result soon showed that their confidence had been well placed. Mr. Young seems to have realized to the utmost the necessities and perils of the office. Fearlessly, openly and with the utmost judgment, he laid his plans so well and used the powers of his position to such effect that, contrary to all expectation, the election passed off without any breach of the peace. He seized arms and other illegal weapons wherever they could be found, and without regard to threats. When the secret societies became openly defiant he called out the troops, who were ably managed by him, and overawed the disorderly and turbulent so effectually that no rioting took place. Mr. Young’s services were so highly appreciated by Lord Metcalfe that they were mentioned in the despatches sent to the Colonial office and were the subject of special acknowledgment by the secretary of state for the colonies. They were also warmly testified to by Sir James Hope, who was then commander in chief at Montreal.”
Another important phase in Canadian life that called forth the attention and the cooperation of Mr. Young was the principle of free trade. He was one of its most stalwart champions, and upon the organization of the Free Trade Association in this city he became its president. He was a frequent contributor of articles upon the subject to the Economist and to other papers and also wrote pamphlets which had an important effect upon public thought and action. He believed that the adoption of free trade measures would constitute the most effective force in making Canada a great commercial and business center. At times in his life his ideas were ridiculed as those of a dreamer, but the years proved the soundness of his vision and men came to rely upon his opinion.
His connection with the harbor work and the improvement of the channel between Montreal and Quebec began in 1846 and later occupied much of his time and attention. He was active, too, with those who were foremost in furthering the railroad built, and he was one of the organizers of the Montreal & Portland Railway Company and also active in promoting the line from Montreal to Toronto, as president of the company having that in charge. The work was of a most difficult nature, for the promoters had to solve at least in part the great engineering problems of railroad building and not merely finance the project. It was Mr. Young who proposed the building of a bridge across the St. Lawrence. Again well known business men scoffed at the plan but the Victoria bridge stands as a monument to his public spirit and his enterprise, and has converted Montreal from a fifth rate harbor into a first class port at a [677] distance from the seaboard without a parallel in the world. Mr. Young’s keen appreciation of the capabilities of engineering as a profession and his confidence in the application of education and trained reason to the overcoming of all natural and mechanical difficulties which always was noticeable in his intercourse with the professional men with whom his life brought him into contact, was beyond doubt one of the most effective means of securing consideration for this work and of urging on the genius of Stephenson to an achievement then supposed to be impossible. Men believed Mr. Young to be visionary when he attempted the task of sounding the river that he might point out the exact situation where the bridge should be built and which it actually occupies. It was at about the same period that he devised a plan for the Caughnawaga canal whereby to connect the St. Lawrence river and Lake Champlain and thus secure another outlet to the sea. His efforts were a notable force in making Montreal a grain shipping center and when the St. Lawrence canals were opened in 1849 he sent the first cargo of merchandise from Montreal to Chicago and brought back the first cargo of American grain. The rapid growth of shipping at this point and certain trouble that arose concerning the unloading of vessels impressed upon Mr. Young the need of a harbor police and he presented the matter so forcefully to the government that a water police force was created.
In 1851 Mr. Young by popular suffrage was made the representative of his district in parliament and in October of that year became chief commissioner of public works and a member of the board of railway commissioners in the Hincks-Tache administration. He advocated the building of a railroad from Halifax to Quebec and Montreal and thence westward. His plans were not adopted at that time and only came to fruition in 1877. In the same year he strongly urged the establishment of a fortnightly mail service between Montreal and Liverpool in the summer and between Portland and Liverpool in the winter. In 1854 he was again made the Montreal representative in parliament, where he entered earnestly upon the work of chairman of the committee on public accounts. In 1857 he declined to again stand for parliament, but it was impossible for one of his nature to retire from public life so conscientious was he regarding the duties of citizenship. In 1860 he retired from business with a handsome fortune and the same year was chosen chairman of the committee of arrangements for the most gigantic and successful series of entertainments ever held in Montreal up to that time on the occasion of the visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, afterward King Edward. About that time Mr. Young went to Scotland for the further education of his family, returning in 1862. In 1863 he was the nominee of the liberal party for Montreal West, but was defeated. In that year, however, he was made a commissioner to Washington to consider the reciprocity treaty.
All of these activities, although important, were less so than his life work in making Montreal a seaport and improving the navigation of the St. Lawrence. No other single project has so greatly benefited the city and this section of the country. The name of the Hon. John Young will always be connected with its successful accomplishment and he is entitled to the grateful remembrance of the citizens of Montreal for all time. He had the opportunity of furthering his projects and plans of this kind through his membership on the harbor board. As the result of his efforts Montreal ceased to be a mere [678] landing place for boatmen and became a great shipping port. He had the greatest faith in the possibilities of the growth of Montreal and with it the progress of the Dominion and urged that this would be brought about through the development of the St. Lawrence, which he claimed to be the natural outlet for the western part of the United States as well as for the products of western Canada. As the result of his untiring labors in 1843 the government determined to deepen Lake St. Peter but very little was done until 1851. In 1854 Mr. Young entered upon active measures to promote the work and by persistent efforts the channel was deepened to sixteen feet in 1857 and still further the work was continued until the channel depth became twenty-two feet. Statistics could be cited showing how year by year the shipping was increased after the work of river and harbor improvements was begun. No other man did as much as Mr. Young in urging these great improvements of the water communications connecting Montreal with the sea. In all of his public service he looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future, beyond the needs of his city and immediate district to the questions affecting the entire Dominion. In 1875 he served as chairman of the Baie Verte canal commission and returned a most exhaustive and valuable report. He was also the promoter of dock extension and secured the services of the most eminent engineers of Europe and America to carry forward the work.
Mr. Young’s prominence as a business man and public-spirited citizen is further indicated in the fact that he was many times elected president of the Montreal Board of Trade and was the first president of the Dominion Board of Trade. After he had long retired from parliament the members induced him to once more stand for election, and he was returned by a most flattering majority. In 1873 he would not consent to again become a candidate and on the reorganization of the harbor board he was reelected its chairman. His entire service on the board covered a quarter of a century and during fourteen years of that time he was chairman. His last public service was as commissioner for Canada to the exposition in Sydney, Australia, whereby trade relations between Canada and Australia were largely promoted as the result of the reports which he made concerning the latter country.
Time gives the perspective which places each individual in his proper relation to his age. It is a well known fact that investigation will but serve to heighten the fame of John Young, for history has proven how valuable were his efforts, how far reaching his activities, how clear his insight and how sound his judgment. Today his name is inscribed high on the roll of Montreal’s honored dead, while his memory is enshrined in the hearts of many who knew him.
John Gordon, founder of the wholesale dry-goods commission house of John Gordon & Son, of Montreal, was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, December 12, 1833. He was a young man of twenty years when in 1853 he came to Montreal to enter the employ of the old and well known firm of William Stephen & Company. He was afterward a member of the firm of James Roy & Company and from [681] December, 1891, until his death, which occurred on the 12th of October, 1895, he was at the head of the wholesale house of John Gordon & Son. His advancement was continuous, and the steps in his orderly progression are easily discernible. His career was one of constantly broadening activity, and his developing powers contributed to the importance and extent of his achievements. Few men have gained higher esteem and respect, and he left to his family the rich heritage of an untarnished name, won through business integrity and kindly courtesy, constituting an example that others might profitably emulate.
Mr. Gordon was a member of the Board of Trade and was interested in municipal affairs to the extent of giving hearty cooperation to various plans and projects for the public good. His life was actuated in its purposes by his Christian faith, which found expression in his membership in the Erskine Presbyterian church.
Mr. Gordon married Miss Jane Roy, a daughter of James Roy, and they became parents of three sons, Charles B., James R. and William G. R. The second named, who was his father’s partner in the firm of John Gordon & Son and is now head of the business, was born in Montreal, January 7, 1870, and pursued his education in this city. Making his initial step in the business world, he was for four years with the house of George D. Ross & Company, manufacturers’ agents, and in 1891 he joined his father in organizing the firm and instituting the business of John Gordon & Son. The establishment remains today as one of the foremost wholesale dry-goods commission houses of Montreal, with trade connections that lead to all provinces of the Dominion.
James R. Gordon was married to Miss Catherine McIntyre, and they have three children, J. Archibald, J. Kenneth and Bruce McIntyre. Mr. Gordon’s deep interest in the material development of the city is indicated in his membership in the Board of Trade and the Chambre de Commerce. He is also a member of St. James and other clubs.
The unusual gifts of ready wit and great culture of David Ross McCord have made him a man of influence not only in the legal profession but in connection with various important public events and questions. Montreal numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in this city March 18, 1844. The ancestry of the family in Canada is traced back to John McCord, who came from Antrim, Ireland, during the early settlement of the province of Quebec. The father of David R. McCord was the late Lieutenant Colonel Hon. John Samuel McCord, who became a judge of the superior court of Lower Canada and was recognized as one of the distinguished jurists of his day. He married Anne, a daughter of David Ross, an advocate of Montreal.
In the acquirement of his education David R. McCord attended successively the Montreal high school, McGill University, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1862 and the degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Civil Law in 1867; and Bishop’s Collegiate University of Lennoxville, which conferred upon him the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1864. In 1868 he was called [682] to the bar and entered at once upon active practice. In 1895 he was created king’s counselor by the Earl of Aberdeen. From the outset of his professional career his advancement has been continuous and long since he has reached a foremost position among the advocates of Montreal. He finds ready and correct solution for intricate and involved legal problems and possesses rare analytical and inductive powers.
The question of public policy as set forth by the political parties of the day are of deep interest to him and at one time he was secretary of the Liberal-Conservative Association. For many years he served as one of the aldermen of Montreal and exercised his official prerogatives in support of various measures and movements for the benefit and improvement of the city. In 1901 he advocated the appointment of a Canadian as governor general of the Dominion. Aside from his interest in his profession and the public questions of the day he has been a close student of natural history and has formed at his residence the nucleus of a natural museum. His religious faith is that of the Anglican church. Today his opinions are accepted as authority upon all matters relating to the annals of the country and of him the Montreal Herald said: “He probably has a more intimate knowledge of early Canadian history than any other man living.” His studious habits have brought him familiarity with a wide range of subjects, and his scholarly attainments have gained him place among the respected and honored residents of Montreal.
Each illustration page was followed by a blank page, both of which were numbered. These are the sources of the apparently missing pages. No pages are actually missing. Some illustrations have been moved a page or two forward or backward to co-locate them with the appropriate biography, or to remove them from the middle of a paragraph.
Commas and periods missed by either the printer or the scanning process were added. Commas and periods interchanged by the printer were corrected.
Several proper names, printed inconsistently, were made consistent:
Accents on other proper names were are unchanged from the original.
Smallpox and small-pox were inconsistently hyphenated in multiple places and so were left as printed.
Accents and other diacritical marks do not appear over or under capital letters, and were not added.
Some words which appear incorrect today have been acceptable spellings in the past. These words (e.g. employe, malster, Hainout, Scotish, threshhold, etc.) were left as printed. Words which are rendered with more typically French spelling, such as “interne” reflect the significant French influence on the English of the time and place and are therefore not corrected to standard English spellings. Similarly, accents on French words used in English text are very frequently omitted, and they have not been added except as noted below.
Capitalization of the words “street”,“place”,“lane” and “avenue”, when part of proper names was inconsistent, and corrected. Other proper names lacking capitalization were corrected.
The following proper names are probably incorrect, but as that is not certain, they are unchanged:
There are several places where words appear to be missing. They were added only when the missing word was certain and are included in the following list of corrected printer’s errors.
Angus, R. B. added to the Index.