Chapter L: Joseph Theophile Decary (8)

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 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 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.

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 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.

ARTHUR EDOUARD JOSEPH BISSONNET.

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 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.

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 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.

SAMUEL HAMILTON EWING.

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 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 HEBERT.

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 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.”

J. GEORGES PICHE, M. D.

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 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.

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.

ESIOFF LEON PATENAUDE.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

JOSEPH ISRAEL DESROCHES, M. D.

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 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.

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 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.

ALFRED FOREST.

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 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.

WILLIAM PATERSON.

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 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.