Chapter L: Georges Badeaux, M. D (2)

The former was educated in Montreal, completing a course in McGill University with the class of 1901, at which time the B. C. L. degree was conferred upon him. While in McGill he was also a student in the office of Foster, Martin & Girouard. Upon his admission to the bar in 1901 this firm became Foster, Martin, Girouard & Mann and is now Foster, Martin, Mann, MacKinnon & Hackett. Mr. Mann was created a king’s counsel in 1911. His practice has been extensive, and his high reputation has been well won. Aside from his practice, he is now in business connections as a Canadian director of the N. K. Fairbanks Company.

Mr. Mann is a member of the Montreal Art Association, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Club, the Montreal Jockey Club, the Montreal Curling Club and the Beaconsfield Golf Club. These associations indicate much of the nature of his interests and indicate him to be a broad-minded, cultured gentleman and also one of social nature.

Mr. Mann was married in Montreal to Miss Evelyn Gertrude Mann, and they are parents of two children: Dorothy and Audrey. The family residence is at No. 822 University Street and their summer home, Dornal Hall, is at Beaurepaire, Quebec.

JOSEPH WILFRID MICHAUD.

Joseph Wilfrid Michaud, senior member of the firm of Michaud & Des Rosiers, public accountants at 55 St. Francis Xavier Street in Montreal, is a native of the province of Quebec, his birth having occurred at St. Barthelemi on the 2d of August, 1872, his parents being Olivier and Stephenie (Paquin) Michaud. He was educated in the schools of his native town and in St. Viateur Academy. He began his business career as an accountant for the Western Loan & Trust Company, Ltd., and later became associated with Mr. A. W. Wilks as a member of a firm of public accountants under the style of Wilks & Michaud. For a number of years this firm occupied a prominent place in professional circles in Montreal. In 1911, following the dissolution of the partnership, Mr. Michaud joined Mr. Des Rosiers in forming the firm of Michaud & Des Rosiers. Their clientage is now extensive, and the volume of their business is justified by the capability of the members of the firm. Mr. Michaud is a director of the National Loan & Trust Company, Ltd., and also of the Sapho Manufacturing Company and thus along several lines has become closely associated with the business interests of the city.

In 1897 occurred the marriage of Mr. Michaud and Miss Rose Lafreniere, a daughter of Joseph Lafreniere. They have four children, Yvonne, Gerard, Paul and Lionel. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Michaud holds membership in Club St. Denis. Identified with the interests of Montreal throughout the entire period of his business career, he has become well known, and enterprise and laudable ambition have brought him to his present enviable position.

JOSEPH ULRIC EMARD, K. C.

One of the distinguished members of the legal profession in Montreal, whose years of active practice extend through more than one third of a century, is Joseph Ulric Emard. Well versed in the science of his profession, a deep thinker, logical reasoner, he has long since occupied a foremost place among the strong and forceful Montreal bar.

Mr. Emard comes from one of the old and prominent families of the province of Quebec. His father, Medard Emard, was one of the best known and successful educators of his day, while his mother, previous to her marriage, was Mathilde Beaudin. His brother, Monseigneur J. M. Emard, now bishop of Valleyfield, was for years prominent in church work in Montreal and was attached to Archbishop Fabre’s personal staff at the Palace.

Joseph Ulric Emard was born March 27, 1855, at St. Constant, Laprairie county, Quebec. Reared in a home where education was valued at its true worth, he attended St. Hubert grammar school, then conducted by his father, and was afterward a student in a private school conducted by Abbé Villeneuve.

His entrance into business life was first as a clerk, but after a short time he entered Laval University, where he pursued his law course and was graduated LL. B. in 1881. He was called to the bar that same year, and at once entered upon active practice as an advocate, which he has followed ever since, with brilliant success. Mr. Emard has been connected with a number of important cases, among them being the famous Lachine Bridge case, which he won after a notable legal battle, making it the cause celebre of the day. He was appointed king’s counsel in 1903.

For some years Mr. Emard was associated in practice with Hon. J. Ald Ouimet, who is, at present, counsel in the firm of Emard & Emard, composed of Joseph U. Emard and son, Charles.

Mr. Emard’s interests, aside from the law, are diversified and extensive. Through the splendid use of his talents, as well as his sound business judgment and foresight, he has been very successful, not only as to the accumulation of worldly possessions, but also in the way of important and valuable work done which has given a decided impetus to the city’s progress and improvement. He was the founder of the town of Boulevard St. Paul, now Emard ward, and capably served as its mayor. After annexation he twice represented this ward on the city council as alderman.

Mr. Emard has a prominent connection with business affairs; his interests include mining, real-estate, industrial and financial companies, in a number of which he is a member of the directorate. His connection with corporations has brought him an intimate knowledge concerning corporation law. To some extent he has specialized in that field of practice, and his knowledge thereof is comprehensive and exact.

He is a member of the St. James Club, the Canadian Club and Club St. Denis. Of the last named he was president for a number of years. In 1903 he had been the chief promoter of Club Jacques Cartier. In 1884 he had been president of St. Jean Baptiste Society of the St. Vincent de Paul section. Mr. Emard’s political allegiance is given to the conservative party.

He was married to Miss Exilda Stuart of Montreal, and they belong to the Catholic church.

A man of fine personal appearance and keen intellectuality, his mind has been well trained, enabling him to readily meet any emergency with the consciousness that comes from a right perception of things and a strong regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.

EMILIEN GADBOIS-VAN DAN DAIGUE.

Based upon an excellent professional education, Emilien Gadbois-Van dan Daigue has already made his mark in the legal profession in Montreal, where he practices as a member of the firm of La Mothe, Gadbois & Nantel. The first member of the Van dan Daigue family came to Canada in 1671 from Brussels, Belgium. Pierre Van dan Daigue Gadbois, of the Gadbois family, was born in 1574 and died on October 20, 1667, at Montreal. Joseph Van dan Daigue was born in 1653 at Meunisier and at Quebec, on April 18, 1678, married Louise Chalifour. He died on the 11th of June, 1725, at Charlesbourg. The records of the family continue to the fourth generation up to 1750 in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire Généalogique.

Emilien Gadbois-Van dan Daigue was born October 30, 1884, a son of Emile Gadbois, a well known horticulturist of Longemont, Rouville county, province of Quebec. His mother before her marriage was Priscillia Bernard, a sister of Monseigneur A. X. Bernard, bishop of St. Hyacinthe. Emilien Gadbois was educated at Montreal College, on Sherbrooke Street, and Laval University. On the 1st of July, 1907, he received the degree of B. A. with distinction and in the same year won the first prize in French literature in Laval University. In 1910 he was made by that institution LL. M. and on July 8th, of the same year he received his commission as a lawyer and has since practiced with ever increasing success in Montreal, having formed a partnership with L. E. Bernard, K. C., with whom he was associated until May, 1914, when he became a member of the firm of La Mothe, Gadbois & Nantel with offices in the Quebec Bank building. He has all the faculties of which a lawyer may be proud, skill in the presentation of his evidence, marked ability in cross examination, perseverance before the jury, and a strong grasp of every feature of the case. It is therefore but natural that he readily received recognition and is today connected with much important litigation in the local courts.

In his political views Mr. Gadbois is a conservative, stanchly upholding the principles of his party, although he has not yet become connected with public life. As a member of the Canadian Club he can be found in the ranks of those men who have at heart the development and progress of the Dominion, and he is ever loyal to his city. His faith is that of the Catholic church. On the threshold of a successful career, he has ever moved in the right direction toward fame, and a distinguished future may be prophesied for him, a future which will bring new luster to the old family name which he bears.

JOSEPH H. RAINVILLE, M. P.

Joseph H. Rainville, a member of parliament and deeply interested in questions concerning the government, province and Dominion, is today recognized as one of the younger leaders of the conservative party. He chose as a profession the practice of law, and it is a notable fact that members of the bar are more apt to become prominent figures in political circles than any other class of men. The reason for this is obvious, as the training which qualifies them for the onerous and difficult work of the courts also prepares them to solve the intricate and complex problems of local or general government.

Quebec numbers Mr. Rainville among her native sons, his birth having occurred at Ste. Angele, Rouville county, on the 8th of March, 1875. In the attainment of his education he attended successively Monnoir College, Marieville, and Laval University, where he won the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He entered upon the active practice of his profession with L. E. Beauregard of Montreal in 1901. No dreary novitiate awaited him. His capability won almost immediate recognition. He is an effective speaker, earnest in his appeals before the court, zealous in support of his cause, and at all times loyal to the interests of his clients.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Joseph H. Rainville has been a stalwart conservative, and in 1908 he unsuccessfully contested Vercheres county at the provincial election, being defeated by a majority of ninety-eight. When the tide of popular favor turned against the liberal government of the Dominion in September, 1911, he became a member for Chambly-Vercheres, so that he is now occupying a seat in the house. He frankly and fearlessly expresses his opinion, but also possesses the tact of the successful politician who seeks to conciliate rather than antagonize.

Mr. Rainville married Miss Gendreau, daughter of Dr. J. G. A. Gendreau of Montreal. Mr. Rainville is a lieutenant in the Eighty-fifth Regiment and is a member of the Montreal Gun Club. His friends speak of him as always a courteous, polished gentleman, both forceful and resourceful when occasion demands.

EDOUARD FABRE SURVEYER.

Edouard Fabre Surveyer, who throughout his professional career has been a representative of the Montreal bar and equally well known as an educator and author in the field of his profession, was born in this city in 1875. His father, L. J. A. Surveyer, is a Montreal merchant and a past vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. He married Hectorine Fabre, a daughter of the late E. R. Fabre and a sister of the late Archbishop Fabre, the late Hon. Hector Fabre, C. M. G., and of the late Lady Cartier.

E. Fabre Surveyer was a student in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, where he made an excellent record, winning the Angers bronze medal for letters in 1890, the Mercier gold medal for rhetoric in 1891 and the alumni gold medal for philosophy in 1893. He took up his law course in Laval University and was graduated LL. L. with first class honors in 1896. The same year he won his B. C. L. degree with first class honors from McGill University, but not content with the preparation that he had already made for active practice at the bar, he went abroad and completed his law course in Paris and took part in the first International Congress of Lawyers at Brussels in 1897. He was a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904 and is correspondent for several Canadian, American, French and Belgian law reviews.

It was in 1897 that Mr. Surveyer entered upon active practice in Montreal in connection with McGibbon, Casgrain, Ryan & Mitchell. He has not only obtained success in practice but has also gained recognition for his ability in other professional connections. He has been the editor of the Quebec Practice Reports since their establishment in 1897 and since 1905 has been a lecturer in practice and pleading in McGill University. He was made a king’s counsel by the government of Quebec in 1909. On withdrawal from the firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Mitchell & Surveyer in 1909 he entered into a partnership with H. A. Lovett, K. C., a connection that was continued until the following year. Since September, 1913, Mr. Surveyer has been the senior member of the firm of Surveyer, Ogden & Mariotti. Mr. Surveyer also has an office in New York city in connection with the firm of Daly, Hoyt & Mason, attorneys at law. He has published a pamphlet, The Bench and Bar of Montreal, and there are few who are more familiar with the history of the courts of this city than Mr. Surveyer. In 1903 he was president of the Junior Bar Association of Montreal, while in 1914 he became the secretary of the newly formed Canadian Bar Association. A fluent speaker, forceful and earnest, Mr. Surveyer has as ready a command of English as he has of French.

Aside from his professional duties and interests Mr. Surveyer is connected with various business enterprises which feature in the material development and prosperity of the city. He is vice president of the Union Land Corporation, Ltd., and the Lachine Land Company, Ltd.; is a director of the Capital Trust Corporation (Ottawa), of the Franco-Canadian Land & Development Company, Ltd., and of the Rothesay Realty Company, Ltd. In all business affairs his judgment is sound and his discrimination keen, and he falters not until his purpose has been accomplished and success has rewarded his efforts.

In October, 1906, Mr. Surveyer was married to Miss Elodie Barnard, a daughter of the late Edmund Barnard, K. C., of Montreal. In religious faith Mr. Surveyer is a Catholic and in political belief a conservative. He is regarded as one of the prominent members of the party among its younger representatives, and of him the Windsor Record (liberal) said: “He has a splendid platform presence, speaks English fluently, and has the appearance of an all round campaigner.” Mr. Surveyer’s social connections are with the University Club, Club Lafontaine and Canadian Club of Montreal; the Albany Club, of Toronto; and the Colonial Club, of London, England. He has been president of the Canadian Club, as well as vice president of the Federation of Canadian Clubs and is a member of the executive board of the University Club and a director and honorary solicitor of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Among Mr. Surveyer’s other connections, he is vice president of L’Alliance Française and a member of the board of the Federation de L’Alliance Française aux Etats Unis et au Canada.

He is a member of the executive committee of the Liberal-Conservative Association, and thus in a number of the organizations with which he is allied he has been honored with office. He regards the practice of law, however, as his real life work, and he has at times been heard by the judicial committee of the privy council of England. He has been throughout life a student, and since his admission to the bar has remained a close and discriminating student of law principles, thoroughly qualifying himself for the conduct of all legal business intrusted to his care.

WILLIAM FORREST ANGUS.

As vice president and general manager of the Canadian Steel Foundries, Ltd., William Forrest Angus represents one of the foremost industries of the Dominion. He was born in Montreal, October 28, 1873, a son of Richard Bladworth Angus, the eminent financier and railway promoter.

William F. Angus was educated privately in preparation for his university course and entered for that purpose McGill, from which he graduated as B. A. Sc. in 1895, completing his university work with a post-graduate course in 1896. He then entered the employ of the Dominion Bridge Company and subsequently was with the Laurie Engine Company, which is now defunct. His next position was with the Canada Switch and Spring Company, which was merged into the Montreal Steel Works. He remained with this concern, rapidly rising to more and more important positions until he was made manager and managing director. When this company was bought out by the Canadian Steel Foundries, Ltd., about two years ago he was elected vice president and managing director of this vast enterprise.

In November, 1904, Mr. Angus was united in marriage to Miss Grace N., eldest daughter of Sergeant P. Stearns of Montreal. They reside at No. 364 Peel Street. In his religious faith Mr. Angus is a Presbyterian. He is prominent in club life, being a member of the St. James Club, the Mount Royal, the Canada, the Forest and Stream, the Montreal Hunt, the University, the Montreal Curling, the Montreal Racquet and the St. Lawrence Yacht Clubs. His name is also on the roster of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.

Highly trained in his profession, careful in judgment, shrewd, energetic and a man of rare executive force, Mr. Angus ably administers the affairs of a vast industrial enterprise, and his career bids fair to rival that of his distinguished father. He is deeply interested in all that pertains to progress and trade expansion and can always be found among those men who are the most forceful exponents of advanced measures inaugurated to exploit the vast resources of the Dominion. He bends his genius to create new markets and increase trade facilities and gives of the best of his ability so that the Dominion of Canada may march in the van of the great industrial nations of the world. Realizing that the natural resources lie but dormant, awaiting the magic wand of man, he has linked himself with such men as will guide the Dominion to the industrial position in the world which is its due.

THOMAS GAUTHIER.

The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a man’s modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments but rather to leave the perpetual record establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his fellowmen, and any history of Montreal introducing biographies of her citizens whose activities and influence have been for the city’s growth and betterment, would be incomplete without reference to Thomas Gauthier.

His life has been so varied in activity, so honorable in its purposes, so far-reaching and beneficial in its effects that it has become an integral part of the history of the city and also left an impress upon the annals of the province. His business interests are extensive and important, but by no means cover the scope of his activities, as he has been identified with various movements and projects having to do with the public welfare along material, political, social and moral lines.

Mr. Gauthier was born in Montreal in 1844 and attended the Lachine Commercial School, but is largely a self-educated as well as a self-made man. He has ever been a reader and thinker and in the school of experience has learned many valuable lessons. At times he has acquired with labor and difficulty the knowledge which he has been so anxious should be given others, his efforts in behalf of education being well known. He began his active business career in Montreal in 1869, and for many years he conducted the Place Chaboillez establishment with conspicuous success. During this time, having become widely and favorably known, he was elected president of the old Society of Mutual Assistance--the Union St. Joseph.

In 1881 the Association of Retail Grocers, of which he was one of the founders, appointed him president and through his active exertions the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal was established. Along these and various other lines he has promoted the business activity of Montreal, pushing forward the wheels of progress in such a way that the entire city has benefited thereby.

His public service in connection with municipal affairs has been equally notable and commendable. He was one of Montreal’s aldermen from 1890 to 1893, and his labors were effective and beneficial as a member of the committees of police and hygiene. He was largely instrumental in establishing the mutual benefit fund among the members of the police force and also in establishing the first public bath in Hochelaga ward. All this, however, does not cover the scope of his activities, for in various other fields of usefulness his labors proved resultant. In the year 1883-4 he was general treasurer of the St. Jean Baptiste Society and was treasurer of the Montreal Exposition Company, in 1891, the only year in which it showed a surplus. He was a member of the finance committee of the National Association for a number of years, being also one of the promoters of the building of the Monument National, and in 1909 he was elected vice president and in 1911 became president, serving until April, 1913.

One of the most important of Mr. Gauthier’s public services has been in behalf of education. It was largely through the missionary work done by him and the assistance he received from the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trade and the Builders’ Exchange that the government was induced to take up the establishment of technical schools in Montreal and Quebec. In this connection Mr. Gauthier has done a noble and patriotic work, the value of which cannot be estimated. He has been president of the Council of Arts and Manufactures continuously since 1897, and more than three thousand scholars are now participating in these classes.

He has ever believed in that special training which will enable the individual to develop his native talents and thus qualify for the business life to which he is best adapted. Mr. Gauthier was associated with Dr. Adami in the general presidency of the Child’s Welfare movement.

In the various movements and projects with which Mr. Gauthier has been associated, whether financial, educational, philanthropic or commercial, he has shown the same intelligent and careful interest as in his own private business affairs.

In connection with the affairs of La Caisse Nationale d’Economie, of which he was one of the founders in 1899, he has taken a very active and prominent part. Ever since its organization he has been chairman of the finance committee, also chairman of the committee of administration, and has been no small factor in the splendid success of this association.

He is an extensive holder of stock in the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, as well as in the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, and is president of the Amherst Park Land Company.

Mr. Gauthier is an exceptionally well preserved gentleman for one of his years, and among his extensive acquaintance he is spoken of in terms of admiration and respect.

He has continuously been a student of the signs of the times, of existing conditions and keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age in his knowledge of political, economical and social questions affecting the welfare and progress of the race.

WILLIAM DOUW LIGHTHALL.

The position of William Douw Lighthall has for many years been one of leadership. He has exerted wide and beneficial influence on public thought and action and as lawyer, author and the promoter of various prominent societies his name has become known throughout the length and breadth of the land. He has been termed “a living example of good citizenship ... a man of high culture, refined tastes and exceptional literary ability.” His efforts along all the lines in which his activities have been put forth have been productive of far-reaching and beneficial results. He was born at Hamilton, Ontario, December 27, 1857, a son of William Francis Lighthall, who is the doyen of the Montreal notarial profession, and is descended from the Schuyler, Van Renssalaer and Van Cortlandt families, three of the most prominent Knickerbocker families of New York. The mother, Mrs. Margaret Lighthall, was the eldest daughter of Captain Henry Wright, of Chateauguay, who was a son of Major James Wright (McIntyre), the commander of the British settlers of the district in the War of 1812.

After being dux of the high school of Montreal William D. Lighthall pursued a classical course in McGill University, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree and the Shakespeare gold medal in English literature in 1879. He then entered upon the study of law at McGill, which conferred upon him the B. C. L. degree in 1881, and he took the honorary degree of M. A. in 1885. With the completion of his law course he was called to the bar and began practice as an advocate. Nature endowed him with keen mentality, and the thoroughness with which he prepared his cases and the earnestness with which he presented his causes before the courts won him success and advancement. He was created king’s counsel in 1906. For a long period he has been accounted one of the distinguished representatives of the Montreal bar, practicing as senior member of the law firm of Lighthall & Harwood.

What he has accomplished as a member of the legal profession would alone entitle W. D. Lighthall to mention among the representative men of Montreal, yet he has gained equal prominence as an author, as a promoter of various societies, as an antiquarian greatly interested in historical and antiquarian research, and as a public-spirited citizen who takes cognizance of the needs of the hour and employs practical methods in working for high ideals for the benefit of city, province and Dominion. He was the founder of the Society of Canadian Literature, the Canadian National League, the Westmount Liberal Club, the Montreal Tourist Association, and originated and, in connection with De Lery Macdonald, established the Chateau de Ramezay Historical Museum. He was also the founder of the Union of Canadian Municipalities. He was one of those largely instrumental in securing the erection of the Maisonneuve monument at Montreal and was the discoverer of the Indian burying ground at Westmount. He is interested in all that pertains to the history of the country from prehistoric times down to the present, and his researches and investigations have been carried far and wide, bringing to light many interesting points bearing upon the travel history of the North American Indians as well as upon the period of the early colonists and the development of Canada. He is a member of the Scotch Society of Literature and Art; a vice president of the National Municipal League of America; a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; an honorary member of the Women’s Historical Society of Canada and of the Chateauguay Literary and Historical Society; life corresponding member of the Quebec Literary and Historical Society; president of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society; a governor of the Congregational College of Canada and of the Joint Board of Theological Colleges of McGill University; and has been a representative fellow of the University. In 1910 he was appointed a member of the Metropolitan Parks Commission.

In all these years, retiring to the quiet of his study, he has devoted hours to writing, and his authorship has gained him equal renown with his efforts in other directions. His first published volume, Thoughts, Moods and Ideals (verse), came from the press in 1887 and was followed in 1888 by The Young Seigneur. Then came The Battle of Chateauguay, in 1889; Montreal After 250 Years, in 1892; The False Chevalier, in 1898; a Prehistoric Hochelaga Burying-ground, in 1898; A Link in Iroquois History, in 1899; The Glorious Enterprise, in 1901; Hiawatha the Great, in 1901; and Westmount: a Municipal Illustration, in 1902. This last book followed his three years of service as mayor of Westmount, so that he was qualified to discuss the subjects of which the volume treated. The same year he brought forth a volume entitled To the Boers: A Friend’s Appeal from Canada. In 1904 he published Canada, a Modern Nation, and Thomas Pownall: His Part in the Conquest of Canada. In 1908 he added to the list of his publications A Romance of Prehistoric Montreal and The Master of Life; and in 1910, The Governance of Empire and Sights and Shrines of Montreal. He also published Songs of the Great Dominion (Windsor series) in 1889, and Canadian Poems and Lays (Canterbury Poets series) in 1891.

There are few men in possession in so eminent a degree of the habits, tastes and ability of the scholar and at the same time in so large a measure the practical qualities which find expression in successful professional service and in public-spirited citizenship. Mr. Lighthall has studied as closely the signs of the times and the questions of the hour as he has the history of the past. His deep interest in the cause of education was manifest in his service as chairman of the board of school commissioners of Westmount, to which office he was appointed in 1909. He is an imperialist in principle and at the same time a strong believer in the necessity and advantage of organizing the intellectual and higher interests of Canadian nationality and retaining state ownership and control of forests, railways, land tenure, coal mines and other public resources.

In October, 1890, Mr. Lighthall was married to Miss Cybel Charlotte Wilkes, a daughter of John Wilkes and a granddaughter of the late Rev. Dr. Henry Wilkes. Mrs. Lighthall is vice president of the local branch of the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission, and is also a vice president of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. Something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that Mr. Lighthall belongs to Lac Tremblant Fishing Club, of which he was elected president in 1909, and in the same year he was admitted an Iroquois Indian chief with the name of Ticonderoga in recognition of services to that race. He furthermore belongs to the University, Canada, Reform, Montreal, Country and Canadian Clubs of Montreal and the Royal Societies Club of London, England. His winter residence, Chateauclair, is at No. 14 Murray Avenue, Westmount, while his summer home, Camp Beartracks, is at Lac Tremblant. In the review of his history it seems that his constantly expanding powers are opening to him a still broader field of usefulness and establishing him more firmly in the position of prominence which he today occupies.

JOSEPH DROUIN.

Joseph Drouin, a member of the Montreal bar, was born at Two Mountains, in the province of Quebec, on the 15th of November, 1875, a son of Firmin and Mathilde (Lafrance) Drouin, sturdy French Canadian farmers. He is of the eighth generation in descent from Robert Drouin, of Pin au Perche, France, who became the founder of the family in the new world, establishing himself at Quebec in 1635. The principal branch of the family remains in Quebec and Orleans, but in 1751 one branch detached itself from the main Quebec stem and was transplanted to Montreal, where representatives of the name have since been found in the city and surrounding districts.

Joseph Drouin pursued a classical course in the seminary of Ste. Thérèse and won his B. C. L. degree upon graduation from McGill University in April, 1904. He engaged in the practice of law, winning a liberal clientage that connected him with the important work of the courts. Of late Mr. Drouin has devoted his attention to the management of his own private interests.

Mr. Drouin is a Roman Catholic in religious faith. He was married in Montreal on the 22d of November, 1904, to Marie Orpha Leduc, a daughter of Augustin and Philomène (Lefebvre) Leduc, who were farming people at St. Benoit, Deux Montagnes, province of Quebec. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Drouin have been born five children: Cécile, Thérèse, René, Marguerite and Gabriel.

HON. HONORE MERCIER.

Among contemporary Canadian statesmen a foremost place must be assigned to the late Hon. Honore Mercier, premier of the province of Quebec. He was not only distinguished by reason of his position at the head of the government of one of the foremost provinces of the Canadian federation but attained distinction along various other lines having to do with the progress and upbuilding of the country and the upholding of its political, legal and moral status. A native of the province of Quebec, he was born at Iberville, October 15, 1840. He came of a family of unpretentious farmers, or habitants, as they are styled in Lower Canada, the ancestors originally from Old France, although several generations have been represented in the county of Montmagny below the city of Quebec. His father had to provide for the needs of a large household, but he was a man of energy and foresight and counted no personal sacrifice too great if he could thereby equip his children for the later responsibilities and duties that fall to the lot of every individual. The maiden name of the mother was Marie Catherine Laflamme.

When fourteen years of age Honore Mercier became a student in the Jesuit College in Montreal, where he completed his education, making an excellent record. Some time afterward he determined upon the practice of law as his life work and became a student in the office of Laflamboise & Papineau, who directed his reading until he was admitted to practice in 1865. While a law student he turned his attention to journalism and in 1862 became editor in chief of the Courier de St. Hyacinthe, winning distinction because of his able political editorials, his support being given to the Macdonald-Sicotte liberal administration.

Following his admission to the bar Mr. Mercier retired from the profession of journalism to concentrate his energies upon his law practice. His thorough training, his natural powers and his ambition soon brought him a prominent position at the bar and from that time forward his advancement was continuous as a factor in those affairs and events which have shaped the history of province and Dominion.

In 1871 he appeared in the political arena at Bagot as a supporter of M. Langelier, the liberal candidate. The following year, upon the earnest solicitation of his friends, he became a candidate for Rouville in the house of commons and was elected. Following the downfall of the conservative government in 1873, he yielded his seat to Mr. Cheval in 1874, to avoid dividing the vote of the liberal party in the case of the redoubtable conservative candidate, Mr. Gigault. Following his retirement to private life he entered upon a partnership with Mr. Bourgeois of St. Hyacinthe. He was made the candidate of the liberal party in 1878, standing for St. Hyacinthe, but lost the election by six votes. The following year a majority of three hundred and seven votes elected him to the legislative assembly to represent St. Hyacinthe and he became solicitor-general of the Joly administration, filling out the unexpired term of Hon. P. Bachand, deceased. Mr. Mercier continued in the office until the administration went out in the same year.

In 1881, following his removal from St. Hyacinthe to Montreal, Mr. Mercier became a law partner of Messrs. Beausoleil & Martineau and was again called into the field of political activity when in December, 1881, at the general provincial election he was chosen by acclamation for his old constituency, St. Hyacinthe. In the beginning of the session of 1883 Hon. Mr. Joly resigned the direction of the provincial liberal party and Mr. Mercier was unanimously chosen his successor, on motion of Mr. Joly, as the leader of the opposition. Here his dominant qualities found fitting scope, his ability and qualities of leadership placing him within a brief period among the foremost French-Canadian statesmen. Within the short space of three years he demonstrated what could be accomplished by an able and intrepid leader with the support of a small but disciplined and trusty band of parliamentary followers to retrieve the fallen fortunes of his party and to defend and lead to victory a popular cause the moment circumstances placed it in his hands.

As the accepted leader of the new national party formed by a combination of liberals and conservative bolters, Mr. Mercier not only directed the whole movement but personally traversed the province of Quebec almost from end to end, addressing as many as one hundred and sixty meetings and leaving the impress of his influence as a factor in the promotion of his cause. The election of October, 1886, resulted in a victory for the nationals. After the struggle, which ensued in the final overthrow of the Ross administration, Mr. Mercier was called upon by the lieutenant governor to form a new cabinet and in less than twenty-four hours, as a result of his quick decisions and promptness in action, he had made choice of his colleagues, announcing the result to the legislature and the country, both receiving it with marked satisfaction.

The close of the first session found him more popular and more firmly established in the good graces of the people than ever, a position that was augmented later by the marvelous success of his administration as evidenced in the settlement of the long pending dispute with Ontario respecting the division of the common school fund and the unusually advantageous negotiation of the new provincial loan of three and a half millions. His adversaries attributed these and other valuable results to good luck, but a real student of politics knows that good management and thorough understanding of the situation lay back of them. Mr. Mercier remained in power until December, 1891, when he was dismissed by Lieutenant Governor Angers as a result of an investigation held by a royal commission on what then became known as the Baie des Chaleurs Scandal.

On March 8, 1892, at the general elections, though Mr. Mercier was returned for Bonaventure, which he had represented since the general elections of 1890, his party was annihilated and he ceased to be a factor in provincial politics.

Following his retirement to private life he joined his son-in-law, Sir Lomer Gouin, and Mr. R. Lemieux in a law partnership, but he rarely appeared in court. However, he won the highest professional honors. He was actually the attorney-general as well as the premier of Quebec. He was twice batonnier of the bar of the Montreal district, and the respect entertained for him by his legal colleagues was so great that they unanimously elevated him to the still more distinguished eminence of batonnier-general of the bar of the province. Of him it has been written: “Heralded to the world as the apostle of an advanced radicalism which in reality had no representative in this country, he not only preached but practiced a different gospel and in office proved himself unusually moderate and conciliatory as well as a man of broad and generous views, free from sectionalism and exceedingly anxious to do justice to all races, classes and creeds, yet fully determined to work out the regeneration of his native province on the great lines of reform which he ever regarded as essential to that desirable end.”

Mr. Mercier held to the religious faith of the French-Canadians--that of the Roman Catholic church and his loyal adherence thereto increased with the passing years. There was a time, however, when, on account of his political liberalism and alliances, his orthodoxy was more than once seriously questioned by his political foes to his personal and party detriment. This, however, passed by and the Papal authority conceded that a man may be a liberal in politics and yet a good Catholic, while the clergy of Lower Canada came to know that he was not only a devoted churchman in theory and practice, but also that the interests of Catholicism were as safe in his hands as in those of its self-constituted champions who proclaimed their zeal for the faith from the housetops. There was in him nothing of narrow-minded bigotry and perhaps no prominent statesman or political leader of his day has shown himself so free from religious or sectional bias in the conduct of affairs relating to the entire community. A French-Canadian in heart and soul and a thorough son of the soil, still, “strict and impartial justice to all classes, races and creeds and undue favor to none,” seems to have been the motto upon which Honore Mercier always acted. In 1893 he undertook a campaign in favor of the independence of Canada and advocated this both here and in the United States, but with no tangible results. Though received enthusiastically in the eastern states, he met with a rebuff in Chicago, and abandoned the campaign to resume his practice in Montreal.

Two notable features in his life history were the torchlight procession in his honor in Montreal following his return from Europe, and the reception he tendered the ex-Papal zouaves at his country seat at Ste. Anne de la Perade, when he distributed the medals awarded them by the pope. On that occasion Mr. Mercier appeared in the gorgeous uniform of commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great--the first time it had been seen in Canada. The wide recognition given his ability is attested by a partial list of the honors conferred upon him. Not only did he receive the grand cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great from the pope but His Holiness also raised him to the rank of count. He was in addition to these honors officer of the Legion of Honor; commander of the Order of Leopold I, King of the Belgians; and chevalier of the Order of St. Sepulcher. He was made queen’s counsel and received the degree of Doctor of Laws from Laval University, the University of Fordham, New York, and the University of Georgetown.

A man of his ability and eminence could not fail to have enemies, but he had also hosts of friends. He possessed that quality which, for want of a better term, has been called magnetism. He was most generous and ever had a helping hand out-reaching to those who needed assistance. His residence both in Montreal and in Quebec was always filled with his admirers. It has been said repeatedly that his so-called friends were largely responsible for any errors that he may have committed. He was particularly helpful to young men, many of whom have reason to remember him with gratitude. It was his delight to assist a struggling youth in his law studies or in other ways.

Mr. Mercier was twice married. On the 29th of May, 1866, he wedded Leopoldine Boivin of St. Hyacinthe, who died leaving a daughter who subsequently married Sir Lomer Gouin and who is now deceased. On the 9th of May, 1871, Honore Mercier married Virginie St. Denis, also of St. Hyacinthe, and they had two sons and one daughter to reach adult age, Honore, Paul-Emile and Héva. The elder son is a member of the Gouin cabinet and a sketch of his life appears elsewhere in this work. The younger son is a civil and consulting engineer and is mentioned elsewhere in this history. Héva married Dr. Homère Fauteux and resides in Beauceville.

The death of Hon. Honore Mercier occurred October 30, 1894, on which occasion the Montreal Daily Star said editorially: “The career of the late Hon. Honore Mercier is one that will long live on the lips of those who delight in political reminiscences of this historic province. He played a conspicuous role in the political drama; and, while he was on the stage, pretty well absorbed the attention of the multitude. That he was a man of rare ability in many ways, his swift attainment of the highest positions in Quebec amply attests.

“It is too late in the day for those who contributed to his overthrow in ’92 to make mawkish pretension of blindness to his faults, but it may truly be said that he gained striking success in spite of his faults, and, further, that it was his own hand that turned the current of destiny against him. Like all strong characters, he made many warm personal friends, and there will be more sincere mourning at his bier than falls to the lot of most mortals.”

Senator L. O. David, an intimate and lifelong friend of Mr. Mercier, in making a parallel between the three most popular men of our time, Laurier, Chapleau and Mercier, has written of the latter: “Mercier is the heaviest of the three, the strongest built and the most muscular; he is tall, with black eyes and hair and a heavy mustache--a veritable type of musketeer--the personification of strength and energy. He walks heavily with the assurance of a man who believes that the earth belongs to him. Mercier is the most solid, the most vigorous and the most penetrating. Penetrating is, indeed, the word which best describes his eloquence. See his movements; they resemble those of the axeman who strikes the tree at the root and at each blow removes a chip. Mercier is a parliamentary orator, a lawyer, a tribune. He is the strongest, cleverest, and most indefatigable speaker whom I have heard in the house or on the hustings. While I write these words I learn that he is dead. Is it possible that so much of life and intellect are gone forever? What a loss! How little we mortals are! Alas; had he struggled to preserve his health as he fought to regain it, he would not have died so young. Yes, so young, because he was built to live thirty or forty years more. Death has seldom met a more valiant fighter; it has vanquished him, but he died almost standing, as he often said he would.

“Before the grave, which opens to receive his mortal remains, criticism will disarm, no doubt, to render homage to the splendor and power of his intelligence, his political genius, to the energy of his character and the sincerity of his patriotism. Through all the vicissitudes of a stormy life, in spite of his faults and weaknesses, he preserved until the last moment all the fervor of the religious and patriotic sentiments of his youth. Of all the political men I have known, he is the one who, in all things and under all circumstances, was most given to consider questions from a national standpoint. He was frankly, sincerely, profoundly patriotic and without fanaticism. Few men have had more devoted friends, enthusiastic admirers, and secured more brilliant triumphs and undergone such crushing defeats. He was stronger in defeat than in victory. Much will be forgiven him because he suffered much.”

HON. HENRI C. BERRYER-SAINT-PIERRE.

The subject of this short biographical sketch was born at Ste. Madeleine de Rigaud, during a short stay of his parents in that parish, on the 13th day of September 1842, but was brought up at Isle Bizard, on the Lake of Two Mountains, near Montreal. His father, a farmer, was Joseph Berryer-Saint-Pierre of Isle Bizard, and his mother, Demitilde Denis dit Saint-Denis, who had been born at Pointe Claire. Young Henri received his classical and literary education at the old Montreal College on Collège Street near McGill Street. On leaving college he was sent up to Kingston, Ontario, where he began his law course, the object in sending him up there being to give him an opportunity of improving his knowledge of the English language. Having passed the required examinations for his admission to the study of the law, he availed himself of the permission which had been granted him to go and visit Niagara falls and the city of Buffalo. The great battle of Gettysburg had just been fought and won by the northern army, and on his arrival at Buffalo, he found the people delirious with the news of the recent victory. Our young student, who had inherited from his ancestors a marked taste for the military career (a career by the way for which there were but few openings for a young French Canadian in those days, in Canada), was altogether carried away by the enthusiastic demonstrations which he then witnessed and made up his mind to give up the doleful study of Blackstone to enter the American army. A short time later, the runaway student was a member of Company F in the Seventy-sixth New York Volunteers. At the battle of Mine Run which was fought on the 27th November, 1863, he was wounded and reported as dead at the regiment. The same report having been reproduced in the Montreal papers, the usual service for the dead was celebrated for him at the Montreal College and at Isle Bizard where his widowed mother was living. He was picked up from the field however by the southern cavalry and sent to the military prison of Belle Island in the city of Richmond from which he was later on transferred to Andersonville in Georgia. After the capture of Atlanta, he was removed with the other prisoners first to Savannah, and then to Florence and finally to Charleston’s race ground in South Carolina, where he regained his liberty in the spring of 1865 on the city being evacuated by the southern troops. On his return to Montreal after the war, he resumed his legal studies first in the office of Sir George Etienne Cartier, for whom he, for a time, acted as private secretary, and later on in that of the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott who some years afterward became premier of Canada.

He was admitted to the bar in June, 1870. His career at the Montreal bar was a most successful and brilliant one, and he soon became one of the leading lawyers in the province of Quebec, being particularly noted for his success as a criminal lawyer. His record as such was never surpassed at least in his province and but seldom equalled anywhere. It is said that he pleaded not less than thirty-three cases of murder, securing complete acquittals in most of them. Not one of those he defended was ever found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged, except Shortis who had killed two men at Valleyfield and wounded dangerously a third one. In this last case, the plea of impulsive insanity was urged for the first time in the province of Quebec as a ground of defense and proved successful in the end in spite of the verdict of the jury. Shortis is today detained in the penitentiary of Kingston as “a dangerous lunatic.” Judge Saint-Pierre frequently associated in the defence of persons accused of serious crimes with Donald MacMaster, K. C., now a member of the English parliament, who was his intimate friend.

In 1889, he was created a queen’s counsel by the Earl of Aberdeen. Judge Saint-Pierre never showed any great inclination for politics but confined his labor and efforts more particularly to secure the highest position in his profession as a lawyer. Being a liberal, he consented however to be the nominee of the liberal party in the county of Jacques-Cartier, for the local seat in 1878 against the old member, but was defeated by a small majority.

He was married in 1874 to Marie Albina Lesieur, daughter of Adolphe Lesieur, a merchant of Terrebonne. She died on the 19th December, 1908, leaving five children, three boys and two girls who are all married and settled. In 1902 on the occasion of his being raised to the bench, he was made an officer of the order of the Crown of Italy upon a petition presented to the King of Italy by the Italian colony at Montreal supported by the Italian consul.

Judge Saint-Pierre has been the organizer of the Canadian Veterans as a body and has been their honorary president ever since their organization some fourteen years ago.

His eminent ability as a legist led eventually to his appointment to the bench. He was first named for the district of Beauharnois on the retirement of Hon. Mr. Justice Belanger in June, 1902, and was transferred to Montreal in March, 1909, so that he is now presiding over the district of Montreal. His decisions are strictly fair and impartial and render him the peer of the ablest men who have presided over Montreal’s courts.

The Judge is a Roman Catholic of the broad liberal school. He is known to be a great admirer of British institutions though much attached to the French civil law which he holds to be superior to the common law of England.