Chapter L: Joseph Theophile Decary (4)

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 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.”

ADRIEN LAFONTAINE.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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 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.

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 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, LL. D., K. C.

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.

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 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.

FRANCIS WOLFERSTAN THOMAS.

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 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 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.

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.

THOMAS CAMPBELL BULMER.

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 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.

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 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.

JOSEPH EMILE VANIER.

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.

PIERRE LOUIS DUPUIS.

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 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.

ALFRED HAWKSWORTH.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.