Leclerc, Rev. Joseph Uldaric, Montreal, was born at Isle Bazarre, August 7th, 1836. He is the son of Francis Leclerc, farmer, and Josephte Demers, his wife. While still a youth, his parents determined to dedicate their son to the service of the church, and with this object in view his education was properly attended to. He took, first, a classical course at Montreal College, after studying philosophy at St. Mary’s College, Montreal, and St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He next went to Sandwich College, as professor, in 1858, but soon resigned this position to enter on a course of study in theology, at the Grand Seminary at Montreal, being ordained priest in June, 1862. His first clerical charge was at Vaudreuil, where he was curate for two years. In 1865 he left Vaudreuil, having been appointed chaplain of the Reformatory Prison, at St. Vincent de Paul. In 1873 he was appointed chaplain to the great penitentiary there, and for the ten years following he filled that important post with great acceptability to the officers of the institution, who were deeply struck with the chaplain’s piety, and the zeal with which he ministered to the spiritual wants of the many unfortunate outcasts from society who were confined within its walls. In 1883 Father Leclerc was transferred to the important parish of St. Joseph’s, Richmond street, Montreal, where he has since ministered. He is also pastor of St. Anthony’s parish, for the English-speaking classes of St. Joseph’s and Cunegonde, by whom he is much beloved. About four years ago he visited Manitoba, and was much impressed with the richness of the country, and the immense resources of the Northwest territories. He has also twice visited the maritime provinces, and has thus a good knowledge of the topography of the Dominion from personal observation.
Sanford, Hon. William E., Hamilton, Ontario, Senator of the Dominion of Canada, is fairly entitled to be classed among the business men of Canada who have won distinction as successful merchants, and who have by personal industry and genuine business ability succeeded in establishing wide business relations and accumulating large fortunes. No name stands more prominently before the public, or is worthy of more honourable mention than he who is the subject of this sketch. His career has placed him in the front rank of the “merchant princes” of the country. Success is always a relative term, and is used appropriately only when employed to describe conditions in which effort, guided by intelligence and skill, to a definite end, accomplishes its aims. If this be true, then no man in Canada to-day has a stronger claim to this distinction than the Hon. Mr. Sanford. His business life has been simply a series of triumphs over difficulties that would have daunted weaker natures, and these victories have been won by tireless energy, unyielding perseverance, a keen foresight of events, a skilful adaptation to the tastes and necessities of the public, and the intelligent use of definite means to a well defined purpose. The magnificent “Sanford Block” in the city of Hamilton, consisting of offices, warerooms, stock, show and packing rooms; the extensive business connections established in every province in the Dominion, and extending from the Pacific to the Atlantic, giving employment to over two thousand hands, and employing a capital of about a million dollars, constitute a monument of which the most ambitious might be proud. Senator Sanford is a lineal descendant of Thomas de Sanford, who was knighted by William the Conqueror on the battlefield of Hastings (see Burke’s “Landed Gentry”). The American branch of the family settled in Redding, Connecticut, and one of its members, Ezekiel Sanford, engineer, built Fort Saybrook, Conn., in 1626. Born in the city of New York, in 1838, both his parents dying while he was a mere child, he was sent, ere he had reached his seventh year, to live with his uncle, the late Edward Jackson, of Hamilton, one of the pioneer merchants of that city, whose singular uprightness of life and large benefactions to religious, educational and charitable enterprises, gained for him a widespread confidence and respect. In the home of such a one, and surrounded by the most salutary influences, he was brought up, and to this formative period of his life may doubtless be traced many of those elements of character which have since distinguished his career. He received a liberal education in one of the academies of New York, and at the age of fifteen made his first venture in business, entering the then well-known publishing firm of Farmer, Brace & Co., of New York, in whose employ he continued until he reached his majority. The remarkable business ability displayed by him, even at this early period, won for him the esteem and confidence of the firm, and also an offer of a partnership in the business. The death of the senior partner, occurring about this time, caused certain changes which resulted in the disappointment of young Sanford’s hopes. The firm was re-organized, leaving him out. The value of his services was, however, recognized by a rival firm, from whom he received the offer of a salary of three thousand dollars per year. This offer he declined, determined in future to sink or swim as master of the ship he sailed. His own words were, “I am determined never to accept a position as clerk to any firm.” Mr. Sanford now returned to Canada, was united in marriage to Miss Jackson, only daughter of his friend, Edward Jackson, and then went to London, Ontario, and entered into a business partnership with Murray Anderson and Edward Jackson, and under the firm name of Anderson, Sanford & Co., carried on one of the largest foundries in western Canada. His wedded happiness was of short duration, for at the end of about eighteen months his accomplished wife died. Completely crushed and disheartened by the blow, he retired from the firm, and returned to Hamilton. His restless energies, however, refused to remain inactive, and with characteristic energy, he, with some New York dealers, went into the wool business. In less than a year, he was master of the situation, having obtained control of the wool market of the province, and was soon known among dealers as the “Wool King” of Canada. Not long after this, Senator Sanford entered upon the business which, under his skilful management, has grown into such large proportions, in which he has achieved his greatest success, and with which he is still identified. He formed a partnership with Alexander McInnes, for the manufacture of ready-made clothing. With that keen discernment of what the public needed that has ever characterised him, he determined, from the best goods to be found in the market, to manufacture for the public demand clothing that would combine cheapness with elegance and style of finish. Twenty thousand dollars capital was invested at the beginning. The most skilful labor to be found was employed, and samples to meet the requirements of the public produced. Mr. Sanford put the goods upon the market himself, while his partner attended to the office work. The goods were what the people needed, and from that day the trade in Canada was revolutionised; the character of the firm as “first class” established, and the foundation of future success laid. Various changes have taken place in thepersonnelof the firm since its establishment in 1861. After ten years Mr. McInnes retired, and two of the employés were taken in as partners. These remained for a few years, and then also retired, leaving Senator Sanford sole proprietor, who now carries on the business under the title of W. E. Sanford & Co. Since the establishment of the firm, and through all its subsequent changes, Senator Sanford has been the moving and controlling spirit of the concern. He is complete master of all the details of the several departments, as well as director of the whole establishment. While he pioneers the great public contracts, he at the same time keenly observes and anticipates any change in the public taste, and invariably has the supply in advance of the demand. The requirements of each province or community is a separate study, and whether it be Prince Edward Island or Manitoba or the Pacific coast, each is suitably supplied from the endless variety produced at the central warerooms in Hamilton. While other firms are studying the problem and counting the cost, Senator Sanford is selling his goods and pocketing the profits. In social life Senator Sanford is most affable and attractive; in manners he is courteous and gentlemanly, and is always the soul of the company in which he is found. He can come from the most perplexing concerns of business, and plunge at once into all the mirth and merriment of the evening party, as though there was no such thing as care in the world. For a man whose mind is so deeply occupied with the various financial schemes with which he is identified, one would go far to find another who has the disposition, and finds the opportunity, to do so many acts of genuine kindness. A few flowers from his conservatory, or some rare relish to tempt the appetite, is his thoughtful and appropriate way of relieving the weariness of many a sick chamber. Hon. Mr. Sanford is a leading member of the Methodist church, a trustee and steward of the Centenary Church, Hamilton, and a liberal supporter of the missionary, educational and other connexional agencies of the church. To each of the recurring general conferences he has been invariably elected by the proper constituencies, and is treasurer of several of the most important church funds. As a citizen, he is public-spirited, and justly held in high esteem. He has been president of the Board of Trade, is vice-president of the Hamilton Provident Society, a Bank director, one of the Board of Regents of Victoria University, director of theEmpirenewspaper, president of the Hamilton Ladies College, and one of the projectors and vice-president of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway Company. He is the owner of a tract of upwards of sixty thousand acres of land on the line of the above mentioned railway at a point commencing within a few miles of Portage la Prairie; and upon this he has established a large cattle and horse ranche. He has now about completed the organization of a company for the development of his immense marble deposit in the township of Barrie, which is claimed to be the largest in the world. In politics he is in sympathy with the protective policy of the present administration, and consequently gives his support to the Conservative party. A few such men make a city, and are indispensable to its prosperity and development. When shrewdness, ability, enterprise, and industry combine, and succeed in accumulating wealth, the benefit is not alone to the one who is thus gifted, but to the many to whom the means of livelihood is afforded, and to the city and country as well, on which they bestow the fruits of their talents and their toil. He was called to the Senate of Canada in March, 1887, and we have no doubt he will make his influence felt in that body for the benefit of the country of his adoption. In 1866 he was united in marriage to Sophia Vaux, youngest daughter of the late Thomas Vaux, accountant of the House of Commons, Ottawa, a lady of culture and dignity, whose genial and refined spirit makes the home delightful, and whose open hand of charity is a proverb in the city in which she lives.
Routhier, Hon. Adolphe Basile, LL.D., Quebec, rests his claim to a prominent place in a work of this kind, not only on his eminence as a judge of the Superior Court of the province of Quebec, but on his well-earned fame as alittérateurand a poet. He was born at St. Placide, in the county of Two Mountains, near Montreal, on the 8th May, 1839, his father, Charles Routhier, a farmer, whose ancestors came from Santonge, France. Educated in the classics at the college of Ste. Therese, in the county of Terrebonne, young Routhier was the first graduate of that institution to receive the degree of B.A. from Laval University, Quebec, at which he also studied law. Called to the bar in December, 1851, he settled down to the practice of his profession at Kamouraska, P.Q., and soon won success and distinction by his abilities as a pleader and a jurist. During this stage of his career, public attention was also first directed to the literary talents which he has since developed in such a remarkable degree. Newspaper writing occupied the time snatched from his profession, and his editorial contributions toLe Courrier du Canada, published at Quebec, andLe Nouveau Monde, published at Montreal, showed that a new and formidable competitor had entered the journalistic field. A Conservative in politics, he threw himself with ardor into all the controversies of the time and, before long, came to be recognized as the leader of the Ultramontane Catholic or so-called Programmist party in his native province, whose cause he championed with a vigorous pen. In 1869 he was selected as the party’s candidate to contest the seat in the Canadian House of Commons for the county of Kamouraska, but was defeated by his Liberal adversary, Hon. C. A. P. Pelletier, afterwards minister of agriculture and immigration in the Mackenzie cabinet, and now a senator of the Dominion. In 1872 Mr. Routhier was created a Queen’s counsel, and in the following year he was raised to the bench as one of the justices of the Superior Court by the Macdonald government—the judicial district assigned to him being that known as the Chicoutimi district, over which he still presides with marked credit to himself and satisfaction to the local bar and public. On the bench he is noted for his affability, painstaking character and profound knowledge of the law, and his decisions are always marked by great clearness and soundness. Indeed, Mr. Justice Routhier is a model magistrate in the fullest sense of the term, and as such, as well as for his fine social qualities, is very generally admired and esteemed throughout the province of Quebec. The question of the undue influence of the clergy of Lower Canada in politics was first raised and argued before him by Hon. F. Langelier, M.P., the present mayor of Quebec, in the celebrated case of Tremblayvs.Langevin (Charlevoix contested election), and though his judgment, which was in favor of the clergy and created great excitement at the time, was afterwards reversed on appeal, its powerful arguments in its own support, and its thorough impartiality, have never been questioned. Judge Routhier has been a great traveller, and to this feature of his life the country is indebted for some of his best literary works. He has made the tour of Europe several times, and, at the time of writing, is again there. He has also visited the Holy Land. When in Rome, in 1876, the late Pontiff Pius IX. conferred on him the dignity of a knight commander of the order of St. Gregory the Great, for his eminent services to the cause of religion; and during the same visit to the other side of the Atlantic, he spent four months in Paris, where he became acquainted with the leading writers of the French Catholic press and the Legitimist party, and delivered at theCercle du Luxembourga speech which attracted the favorable notice and praise ofL’UniversandLe Monde, the great Catholic and Legitimist organs of the French capital. After his return to Canada he took a conspicuous part in the Quebec national festivities of June, 1880, and was chairman of theCongres Catholiqueheld at Laval University, and vice-president of theConvention Nationale. On these memorable occasions his addresses created a profound sensation and won for him fromLa Minerve, of Montreal, the leading organ of the Lower Canadian Conservatives, the title of “champion of the Catholic party of Canada.” They were afterwards published in theRevue Trimestrielle, of Paris, with the flattering recommendation of M. Lucien Brun, the chief of the Legitimist party of France. Judge Routhier is one of the most charming of French Canadian writers both in verse and prose. His “Causeries du Dimanche,” “Impressions de Voyage,” “Poesies,”, and “Conférences et Discours,” published at various times since 1871, as well as his fugitive articles and poetical effusions scattered through the newspaper press, are marked not only by great vigor of thought, but by much beauty and grace; and in literary circles his abilities are recognized as of the highest order. Indeed, by many of the best authorities he is ranked as the greatest master of the French language at the present day in the province of Quebec—his writings being admired as much for their purity and polish as for their force. As a literary critic, he is admitted to be unsurpassed in that province, and hisJean Piquefortis a perfect model of keen and polished satire. Laval University acknowledged his literary eminence in 1881 by conferring upon him the distinction of LL.D. He is also a prominent member of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1862 our subject married Miss Marie Clorinde Mondelet, only daughter of the late Jean Olivier Mondelet, advocate, and niece of one of the eminent judges of the same name, who, some years since, graced the bench of the Montreal district. Mrs. Routhier is one of the leaders of Quebec society and a lady as remarkable for her gracefulness as for her social distinction. By her he has had issue four children, three daughters and one son.
Shannon, Hon. Samuel Leonard, D.C.L., Halifax, Judge of the Court of Probate for the county of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born in Halifax, on the 1st June, 1816. His father, James Noble Shannon, was a merchant in Halifax, and his mother, Nancy Allison, belongs to Horton, Nova Scotia. The Shannons, with which the subject of our sketch is connected, came from Ireland, to the colony of Massachusetts, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and the progenitor of the family was Nathaniel Shannon, who held the office of “navie officer,” at Boston, Massachusetts. His descendants settled at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and were connected with the Vaughan and Cutts families of that place. Mr. Shannon’s grandfather, Richard Cutts Shannon, was a prominent lawyer in Portsmouth when the revolutionary war broke out, and by taking the royal side became subject to persecution, imprisonment, and loss of property. His son, the father of the subject of our sketch, left Portsmouth when he was a boy, and came to Nova Scotia, and finally settled in Halifax, where he carried on business as a merchant until his death in 1857. The mother’s family, the Allisons, came from the north of Ireland about the year 1769, and settled in Horton, Nova Scotia, on land which had been previously occupied by the French Acadians. Hon. Mr. Shannon received his primary education at the Halifax Grammar School, of which the Rev. Dr. Twining was master; and in 1832 he entered the University of King’s College, Windsor, from which he graduated B.A. in 1836. He received the degree of D.C.L. from the same university, in 1875. He studied law with H. Pryor, D.C.L., and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia, in 1839. In 1866 he was appointed a Queen’s counsel. Having taken an interest in military affairs, he received a commission as second lieutenant in the 2nd or Queen’s Halifax regiment of militia, in 1837,—the commission signed by Sir Colin Campbell, the then governor of Nova Scotia. He was promoted lieutenant in the same regiment in 1838; became captain in same regiment in 1859,—commission signed by Lord Mulgrave, the then lieutenant-governor, and major, in 1862. He was subsequently appointed lieutenant-colonel of the reserve Halifax battalion, and commissioned by the Dominion government. Entering political life, he was elected member of the Nova Scotia legislature, for the western division of the county of Halifax, including the city, in 1859; re-elected by the same constituency in 1863; became member of the provincial government in 1863; and remained in the government until the province entered into confederation in 1867. He then retired from politics, and was appointed judge of the court of probate, for the county of Halifax, in 1881. In 1870 he received the title of “honorable” from her Majesty the Queen. Judge Shannon is president of the Nova Scotia Bible Society; president of the Nova Scotia Evangelical Alliance; a trustee and member of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Halifax, and a shareholder and member of several local mercantile companies. He has travelled extensively in the United States and Dominion of Canada, which he has visited repeatedly. In 1847 and 1848 he spent nine months travelling in England, Scotland, and on the continent of Europe. He was in Switzerland when the war of the Sonderbund took place, in 1847; in Paris, only a few weeks before the revolution of 1848, and in London, during the Chartist riots of the last mentioned year. He was brought up a Methodist, and has always been identified with that denomination. He was married in October, 1855, to Annie, daughter of Benjamin Fellows, of Granville, Nova Scotia.
Sinclair, Donald, Walkerton, Ontario, Registrar of Deeds for the county of Bruce, was born in the Island of Islay, Scotland, in July 1829. His parents were Neil Sinclair and Mary McDougall, first of Kileenan, afterwards of Bowmore village. He was educated at the parish school of Bowmore. He immigrated with his parents to Canada West, in the summer of 1851; and came to the county of Bruce in the summer of 1853, where he remained for a couple of years with his parents who had settled in the township of Arran in 1852. Mr. Sinclair taught school in the Gorearea of Toronto, Chinguacousy and Toronto township, and afterwards in the township of Saugeen; and then settled permanently in the county of Bruce, in 1858. He has always taken a deep interest in municipal affairs, and was deputy-reeve of Arran; and sat in the municipal council of the united counties of Huron and Bruce in 1863, in which year he removed to Southampton and became bookkeeper for his brother, Alexander Sinclair, general merchant and grain buyer. In general politics, too, he was greatly interested, and became the standard-bearer of his party, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, at the general election in 1867, as member for the North Riding of Bruce, which riding he represented continuously till 1883. He was appointed registrar of deeds on the 24th of February, 1883, for the county of Bruce, and this position he still holds. Mr. Sinclair removed from Southampton to Paisley in the year 1869, where he resided and carried on business as a general merchant till he received his appointment. He married, 26th April, 1871, Isabella, daughter of Thomas Adair, of Southampton. He is a member of the Baptist church, and was always a Liberal in politics. Mr. Sinclair is a sociable Scotchman, and is held in high esteem by his friends.
Scott, Hon. Richard William, Q.C., leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and ex-Secretary of State, was born in Prescott, Ontario, on the 24th February, 1825. He is of Irish parentage on his father’s side, while, on his mother’s side he claims kinship with the McDonnells of U. E. loyalist fame. Young Scott had the advantage of a good education, his parents being in comfortable circumstances. He was educated by a private tutor, William Spiller, of Prescott, until he was ready to enter upon the study of law. He read in the office of Messrs. Crooks & Smith, of Toronto, and was called to the bar at the age of twenty-three years. He settled in Ottawa, then a small town, and entered upon the practice of his profession. He early exhibited a leaning towards public affairs, and took an active part as a young man in many warm political contests. In 1852 he was elected mayor of Ottawa, and filled his term of office with general satisfaction to the people. In 1857 he was elected to the Canadian Legislature for Ottawa, but suffered defeat on seeking re-election in 1863. When confederation was consummated and the first general election for the Ontario Legislative Assembly was held, Mr. Scott was again elected for Ottawa, and from that time to the present he has been continuously active in Canadian public affairs as a member of one of the great legislative bodies. He has held high positions in several administrations, and is to be credited with the initiation of some of the most important laws under which the Canadian people now live. He was elected speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly in 1871, but in the organization of the Blake administration he was asked to accept a portfolio and a seat in the executive council, and resigned the speakership after two weeks of office. He became commissioner of crown lands, and administered the affairs of that exceedingly difficult office with marked ability. In 1873 he was called to the Privy Council of the Dominion, as a member of the Mackenzie administration, and resigned his place in the Ontario government and his seat in the house. He was chosen as the fittest man to lead the Senate in conjunction with Hon. Mr. Pelletier, and was called to the upper house and made secretary of state, in March, 1874. His position in the government was that of secretary of state and registrar-general. When Hon. (now Sir) Richard Cartwright, minister of finance, went to England in that year, Hon. Mr. Scott acted in his place; and subsequently, in the absence of other members of the government he acted at one time as minister of internal revenue, and at another as minister of justice. On the defeat of the Mackenzie administration at the polls in 1878, Hon. Mr. Scott became leader of the opposition in the Senate, which position he still holds. The legislative enactment by which he is most widely known, and which forms his highest title to a high place among Canadian law-makers, is the Canada Temperance Act of 1875, better known as “the Scott Act.” This measure was the outcome of a long agitation on the part of the temperance people for an advance in some way upon the license laws and the old “Dunkin Act,” until then the ones in force. The “Dunkin Act” was a local option measure, but was of so defective a character that it was but lightly considered by the prohibitionists, and was not of much use as a guide in framing another law based upon the local option principle. The Canada Temperance Act is therefore a pioneer in the path of local option legislation in regard to the liquor traffic, and it is a remarkable tribute to the sagacity and legal ability of its framer that in the ten years since it was passed, although it has been the subject of the fiercest legal disputes, not only has its constitutionality been upheld by the highest court of the empire, in spite of the determined efforts of the greatest pleaders to overthrow it, but so perfect have its details been found that even now some half-dozen amendments are all that the prohibitionists are asking, and of these some arise out of advance in the temperance sentiment of the country which could not have been legislated for in the first place. Another important act which owes its origin to Mr. Scott, and which now forms part of our constitutional system, is the Separate School Law of Ontario, prepared and carried through parliament by him as a private member, in 1863; a measure which was the means of removing a vexed question from the political arena, and of allaying much public irritation. Mr. Scott is a man of quiet, methodical ways, but remarkable for his perseverance and tenacity of purpose. As a speaker, he makes no oratorical flourishes, but arranges his arguments with marked ability in such a way as to produce the most telling effect upon a candid mind. Personally there is no man in parliament who is held in higher or more deserved respect by representatives of all shades of political opinion.
Adam, Graeme Mercer, Toronto, was born in 1839, at Loanhead, a village in Midlothian, Scotland, about half-way between De Quincey’s house at Lasswade, on the Esk, and the woodland domain of the poet Drummond, of Hawthornden, close by the far-famed castle and chapel of the Earls of Roslyn. His father, who died in 1841, was factor on the estates of Graeme Mercer of Mavisbank and Gorthy, after whom he was named. The family is connected with the Adams of Blair-Adam, in Perthshire, and on the paternal side has given many representatives to literature and other professional callings; while on the maternal side, numberless Wisharts (his mother is a lineal descendant of the Scottish martyr George Wishart), have served their country in many of Britain’s great battles on sea and land. After receiving his education, first at Portobello and then at Edinburgh, Mr. Adam entered an old-established publishing house in the Scottish capital while very young, and at the age of nineteen was entrusted with the management of one of its most important departments. Owing to the death of the head of the house, the business was wound up, and young Mercer Adam was offered, through the Nelsons, a post in a large colonial book-house in Calcutta, and from the Blackwoods he had at the same time a proposal to go to Canada, to take charge of the book business of Mr. (now Rev. Dr.) J. Cunningham Geikie; the latter of which he accepted, and came to Canada in September, 1858. Two years afterwards he succeeded to this business, as a member of the firm of Rollo & Adam, who, it may be said, were the publishers of the first of the more ambitious native periodicals published in Canada, theBritish American Magazine. In this native periodical Mr. Adam made his first published contributions to literature. In 1866 Mr. Rollo retired from the business of Rollo & Adam, and the firm of Adam, Stevenson & Co. was formed. This book-house was well known in its day for its many publishing enterprises, and for the aid it gave the intellectual life of Canada, in furthering native literature and in introducing a higher class of book importations than had hitherto found sale in the country. Unfortunately the house for a number of years met with many and severe losses, and its business was wound up in 1876, Mr. Adam withdrawing for a time to New York to found a publishing house there, which has since developed into the extensive firm of the John W. Lovell Publishing Company. Mr. Adam, however, returned to Toronto in 1878, and since then has almost exclusively devoted himself to a literary life. In 1879 he established, and for five years edited, theCanada Educational Monthly; and in 1880 assumed the editorship of theCanadian Monthly, which in connection with Professor Goldwin Smith, he was instrumental in founding in the year 1872. Mr. Adam has also had connection with many other periodical publications issued in Ontario, either as a writer or in business relations therewith. His services to literature have been wide and important, for he has been journalist, educationist, critic, reviewer and essay-writer. In 1885 he wrote “The North-West, its History and its Troubles,” published by the Rose Publishing Company; he edited an edition of Lord Macaulay’s Essay on Warren Hastings; founded theCanada Bookseller, a trade organ, in 1870, and has written, in conjunction with W. J. Robertson, B.A., of St. Catharines, a “School History of England and Canada.” This History-Primer has had a sale of 100,000 copies, and is authorized for use in all the schools of Ontario as well as in the educational institutions of other provinces. In 1883 Mr. Adam edited a five volume series of school reading books, known as the “Royal Canadian Readers,” and in the following year was an extensive contributor toPicturesque Canada, and to a number of publications issued in Canada and the mother country. Mr. Adam is also the joint author, with J. W. Connor, B.A., of Berlin, of “The Canadian High School Word Book,” a manual of orthoepy, synonymy and derivation. In 1886, in conjunction with Miss A. E. Wetherald, a graceful Canadian writer in prose and verse, Mr. Adam wrote an historical romance entitled “An Algonquin Maiden,” three separate editions of which appeared in Toronto, London, and New York. This novel, which deals with interesting events in connection with the early history of Upper Canada, was exceedingly well received by the public and highly praised by the critics. Of other recent works which have come from Mr. Adam’s pen, the chief is an “Outline History of Canadian Literature,” published in 1887. This admirable text book of the native authors, though modest in its scope, has been found exceedingly useful as a companion to the Canadian histories. Mr. Adam has served Canada in the militia for twelve years. He was a captain in the Queen’s Own Rifles, and commanded a company of that crack corps at the fight at Ridgeway, between our volunteers and the Fenian marauders. He is a graduate and first-class certificate holder of the Military school of Toronto; received a second-class certificate in 1865 from Colonel Peacock of Her Majesty’s 16th regiment; and in 1866 a first-class certificate from Colonel Lowry of the 47th regiment. Mr. Adam has for the last twenty years been brought into contact with every literary man in the country and many representatives of other professions in Canada, and we have not probably another man who has a larger or more intimate acquaintance with books, book-men, and the book-trade, as vouched for by the publishing and bookselling fraternity, as well as by the leading men in all the professions—law, medicine, education, theology, etc. Mr. Adam married in 1863, Jane, second daughter of the late John Gibson, of Lovell & Gibson, parliamentary printers, and editor for many years of theLiterary Garland. This lady died in 1884, profoundly regretted, leaving eight children to survive her. In religion Mr. Adam is a member of the Church of England; in politics he is an independent and a Canadian nationalist. Besides the literary work noted, Mr. Adam has edited and prepared for the press innumerable manuscripts; is a constant contributor to all the Toronto journals, and is looked upon by literary people as a sort of general reference library. The most pretentious of Mr. Adam’s published works so far is “The North-West, its History and its Troubles;” and this is a book that will be certain to survive in the literature of the country. The style of the work is like everything that proceeds from the pen of Mr. Adam,—it is clean cut, easy, swift and direct. There is a fascinating grace about all of Mr. Adam’s work, and one finds himself pausing constantly to admire the grace with which a sentence has been rounded, or to linger over its exquisitely balanced rhythm. Nature he loves with all his heart, and many of the descriptive passages in the work in question are delightful. There is present, likewise, the judicial quality, and the sense of historical responsibility; while the strong individuality of the writer is ever manifest. What we say of the work referred to, is true of Mr. Adam’s writing generally. But to him, as some of our recently published historical and biographical works bear testimony, Canadian literature lies under a debt which it can never repay. Literature the man loves, and it is not an exaggeration to say that his life has been consecrated to it. How bitter have been the fortunes of letters in Canada, is a fact only too well known, but Mr. Adam has always been fighting the literary fight, and when others have dropped out of the battle, he has kept up his courage. He is at present engaged exclusively in letters, and has now attained his meridian powers, and we await much from his gifted pen.
Dickson, George, M.A., Principal of Upper Canada College, Toronto, was born in Markham township, county of York, in 1846. His father was John Dickson, a well-known and much respected mill owner, of Markham, who came to Canada in 1829, and lived for a time in York (now Toronto). His grandfather, Robert Dickson, was a substantial woollen manufacturer of Lanarkshire, Scotland. His mother, a worthy Scotch lady, was the daughter of Robert McNair, farmer, of Paisley, Scotland, who emigrated to Canada in 1828, and settled at Milton, county of Halton, but subsequently removed to York Mills, Yonge street. Another branch of the family settled in Oswego, and there carried on an extensive shipping business. The subject of this sketch, who for nearly a quarter of a century has been worthily identified with educational pursuits, was himself educated at the Richmond Hill Public School, at the Markham Grammar School, and subsequently at the Whitby Senior County Grammar School, then under the charge of Thomas Kirkland, M.A., now principal of the Normal School, Toronto. From Whitby he proceeded to Toronto University, where he matriculated with honors, and attended two sessions. Here he prosecuted his studies, as the late President McCaul relates, with much diligence, his proficiency in mathematics, history and English, and in natural history, gaining him honors in these departments. Later on he graduated with honors at the Victoria University, Cobourg; and in 1878 he was admitted to the degree of master of arts. In the year 1865 he began his career as an educator, teaching first in the Lloyd school section, township of Whitchurch, and in 1866-7 in the village of Laskay, township of King. In the latter school we first recognise Mr. Dickson’s special aptitude for teaching, for in the two years he was engaged at Laskay no fewer than twelve of his pupils obtained first-class certificates of qualification as teachers. In 1868 Mr. Dickson was appointed mathematical master in the Chatham Grammar School, then under the late High School inspector, S. A. Marling, M.A. Here his success as an educator followed him, one of his earliest pupils obtaining first-class honors in mathematics at the matriculation examinations at Toronto University. Of the characteristics of his educational work at Chatham, Mr. Marling, the then head master, writes:—“Mr. Dickson is a thorough teacher, an excellent disciplinarian, and possesses in an unusual degree the power to excite and maintain the interest of a class.” In 1871 the subject of our sketch was offered and accepted the important post of preparing young men for university matriculation in the Woodstock Literary Institute, under the late Rev. R. A. Fyfe, D.D. Here he had charge of the university class in mathematics, English, history, and part of the classics; and in the year he remained at Woodstock he justly earned, as the authorities acknowledged, much of the gratifying honors won by the students of the institute. We now follow Mr. Dickson to Hamilton, to which city he removed in the autumn of 1872, to assume the duties of assistant mastership of the Collegiate Institute. The then headmaster was the late J. M. Buchan, M.A., who in the following year was made high school inspector; the board appointing Mr. Dickson in his stead. To this important position the new headmaster brought his now matured talents, rare aptitude for teaching, and an industry and power of work which enabled him not only to establish his fame as one of the most successful of Canadian educators, but to win for the Hamilton Institute a position in the first rank among the secondary schools of the province. These statements find ready confirmation in the gratifying statistics of the institute during the thirteen years Mr. Dickson remained in charge of its affairs. In 1872, when he was appointed headmaster, the school ranked third in the province; in 1885, when he removed to Toronto, again to succeed Mr. Buchan in the principalship of Upper Canada College, the school, as we have said, ranked first; from an attendance of 230 at the former period, the attendance rose to 585 at the latter period. Not only was the school thoroughly organized, with a specialist at the head of each department, but a literary society was formed in connection with it, and later on its members began the publication of a magazine, which at first modestly appeared quarterly, then blossomed out into a vigorous monthly, dealing with every branch of educational work, and finding its way into almost every county in the province. In the management of this periodical, which finally was merged in theCanada Educational Monthly, Mr. Dickson took an active interest, and gave it the benefit of his literary and scientific attainments. Meantime the institute greatly prospered, and the most gratifying successes were won by its pupils at the various university examinations and at those of the educational department of the province. The university record of the institute under Mr. Dickson’s administration shows almost phenomenal results. Within ten years of his appointment no less than one hundred and seventy-five of its pupils passed the university examinations. The scholarships (nineteen in number) taken by pupils of the school within the same period are in the same ratio. As bearing on this subject, we extract the following from a late report of the Hamilton board: —
At Toronto University the school has ranked either first or second in classics no fewer than ten times, in mathematics eleven times first and three times second; in modern languages, including English, history and geography, twice first and twice second; and at every matriculation examination since 1873 Hamilton has won scholarships. Official university records show that no other collegiate institute has done this. In addition to the scholarships given above, Hamilton won six at first year Toronto University; one at London, England, ten at Knox College; two at McGill University; one at Trinity College, Toronto; two at Victoria and one at Queen’s College, Kingston; in all, forty scholarships, or an average of four each year. In 1883, in addition to all this, five scholarships were won at university examinations by Hamilton.
At Toronto University the school has ranked either first or second in classics no fewer than ten times, in mathematics eleven times first and three times second; in modern languages, including English, history and geography, twice first and twice second; and at every matriculation examination since 1873 Hamilton has won scholarships. Official university records show that no other collegiate institute has done this. In addition to the scholarships given above, Hamilton won six at first year Toronto University; one at London, England, ten at Knox College; two at McGill University; one at Trinity College, Toronto; two at Victoria and one at Queen’s College, Kingston; in all, forty scholarships, or an average of four each year. In 1883, in addition to all this, five scholarships were won at university examinations by Hamilton.
The departmental examinations show like results. Under Mr. Dickson’srégimeupwards of four hundred passed the non-professional examinations for teachers’ certificates, and over fifty matriculated in law. From 1880 to 1885, in addition to his onerous duties as principal of the Collegiate Institute, Mr. Dickson had charge of the organization and management of the school system of the city of Hamilton. He also organized the Hamilton Teachers’ Association, and was its first president; was president for one year of the Teachers Association of the county of Wentworth; and for a number of years a director of the Hamilton Mechanics’ Institute. In 1885, on the lamented death of J. M. Buchan, Mr. Dickson succeeded that gentleman in the principalship of Upper Canada College, by appointment of the Ontario government, and thereupon removed to Toronto. In his new sphere, Principal Dickson’s power of organization, good discipline, and thoroughly business-like administration, combined with his all round scholarship, fine teaching ability and faculty of imbuing students with love of their work soon manifested themselves, and gave a new impetus to the old historic school of the province. Under his management not only has the institution continued to flourish, but it has done increasingly good work, as yearly university honors prove, and passed through a crisis in its history which, under a less vigorous administration would probably have seen its doom. Though it is soon to pass to new quarters in the northern suburbs of the city, its future need cause no uneasiness to any “old College boy,” for its interests will be in safe keeping in the hands of its present capable head. As principal of Upper Canada College Mr. Dickson isex officioa member of Toronto University Senate, and his large experience as an educationist, and the fact that he has filled successively the post of classical, mathematical, science and English master, in high school, collegiate institute and college, peculiarly fit him to serve in the academic senate. Personally, he is held in high esteem for his many fine qualities of head and heart, and for those gifts and endowments which, if they have not led him to take a prominent part in public affairs, nevertheless attach to him many warm friends. Though he is not what is known as a “pushing” man, for his modest demeanor indicates him to be the reverse of this, he is a gentleman of great and varied mental resources, which would enable him to acquit himself with credit in any sphere he is called upon to fill. He is withal a genial, large-hearted, and lovable man. In politics Principal Dickson is a Reformer; in religion a Presbyterian. In 1882 he married Mary, eldest daughter of the late Captain Thomas Flett, of Hamilton, a lady whose musical tastes and varied graces and accomplishments endear her to a large circle of friends.
Stephen, Alexander, Halifax, N.S., was born at Musquodoboit, Halifax Co., March 9, 1845, and was the eldest son of Alexander Stephen of Rothess, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who came to Nova Scotia in 1834, and engaged in business, founding the house of A. Stephen & Son, carried on by his son to-day. His mother was Mary Ann Gould, a daughter of one of the settlers of the Musquodoboit valley. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Free Church Academy and Horton College. He early in life became associated with his father in the firm of A. Stephen & Son, furniture and wooden ware manufacturers, and on the decease of his father (a few years ago), continued the business, which has increased and developed under his management. Prior to the confederation of the provinces he held a captain’s commission in the 9th Halifax militia, and since 1867 holds the commission of a captain in the militia reserve. He was elected an alderman for the city of Halifax in 1882, and was again re-elected in 1885. During that period he has filled many responsible positions such as chairman of the Board of Works of the city; chairman of the Public Gardens Commission; and joint delegate with Mayor J. C. Mackintosh and Hon. Dr. Farrell in the St. John-Halifax delegation to Ottawa, on the Dry Dock and Short Line Railway matters, in 1885. He was one of the executive committee of the Dominion Exhibition of 1881, and was one of the most zealous movers in that successful exposition. He is an active promoter of the Victoria School of Art and Design, established in Halifax, 1887, in honor of her Majesty’s jubilee. Mr. Stephen is a Royal Arch Mason and P.M. of Virgin lodge, No. 3, R.N.S., with which he has been connected for twenty years. He is a Liberal in politics and an uncompromising free trader, though engaged in, and very successfully carrying on one of the best protected trades, viz.: furniture, wooden ware and house furnishings. Has in his employ a large number of men at his factory and warerooms in Halifax. The factory is situate number 162 to 166 Grafton street, and extends through to Albermarle street. The ware rooms are on the corner of Barrington and Prince streets, adjoining the Y. M. C. A. building, and are very extensive. He has lately added the house furnishings branch, carpets, oil cloths, and draperies, to his extensive business which is still carried on under the old style, A. Stephen & Son. He is a Presbyterian. He married August 19, 1873, Sadie Cogswell, daughter of late Rev. John Cogswell, of Halifax, and has a family.
Hill, Hon. George Frederick, St. Stephen, N.B., is a son of the late Hon. George S. Hill, a barrister of extensive connections, who sat for twenty-eight years in the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council of New Brunswick. Hon. Mr. Hill was born at St. Stephen in February, 1832. He received part of his education in that town and also pursued his studies for some time in the neighbouring republic. Having completed his general course of studies, he began to equip himself for the toils of the legal profession, and was admitted an attorney of New Brunswick in 1854. Thinking that there was more money in mercantile pursuits than in the walk of Blackstone, he gave over his original intention of following the varying chances of success at the bar, and engaged in trade. Mr. Hill has never since returned to legal studies, but his early training has been of great service to him as an active man of affairs and politician. There have been great opportunities in general business in the province during the last thirty years, a spirit of enterprise having been as generally diffused in New Brunswick as in any part of British America. Of late, bank failures consequent upon the decline of shipping and the lumber industry, have somewhat retarded the more ambitious movements of speculation, but still the enterprise is there, and will in the long run do its work. Mr. Hill was official assignee for Charlotte county, under the old bankruptcy law, from 1869 until the law was repealed in 1878. He early manifested a great love of politics and, being possessed of extensive business connections, was nominated as a candidate for Charlotte county in 1865 in the Provincial Assembly. Those were the days of intense political excitement over the mooted scheme of confederation of the provinces. Many able politicians succumbed to the varying successes of the two parties over this question. In 1866 Mr. Hill was among the defeated, when the confederation movement was successful. He still continued to take an active interest in politics, however, and at the general election of 1878 was re-elected and held his seat in the house until 25th May, 1882, when he was appointed to his seat in the Legislative Council which he still holds. He is an ardent Liberal, believing that the cause of the people is best advanced by the principles of his party. New Brunswick has been in the main a Liberal province ever since the period, forty years ago, when the family compact was broken up by men like the late Governor Lemuel A. Wilmot, and Liberal doctrines triumphed. There is a larger proportion of Liberal members from New Brunswick at present sitting in the House of Commons at Ottawa than from any of the other maritime provinces excepting Prince Edward Island. Hon. Mr. Hill always held a high position in the counsels of his party, and was appointed president or speaker of the council, 3rd March, 1887. The position of speaker of a legislative body is one which requires for its successful occupation a very great measure of knowledge of parliamentary law, tact and resolution, and he has been eminently successful in presiding over the debates in the council, and administering the rules. He resides at St. Stephen, which is one of the most flourishing towns in New Brunswick. An extensive trade is carried on there with the United States, and it is the centre of the lumber trade. Much money is also made in the fisheries. It has two newspapers and two banks. Its population is about 4000.
Thomas, Newell Wood, Coaticook, Quebec province, was born at Barnston, on the 25th June, 1842. His father was a native of Barnston and carried on farming. He was also a mail contractor, being the first person who carried her Majesty’s mails out of the town of Coaticook. He was for many years a councillor, and afterwards warden of the county of Stanstead. His mother, Orissa A. Norton, was also born in Barnston. Newell W. Thomas, the subject of our sketch, received his educational training in the common school of his native place. On leaving school he went into the establishment of the late John Thornton, as a clerk, and here he gradually rose, step by step, until he finally became a partner in the business. Some years afterwards, on the retirement of Mr. Thornton, he assumed the whole business and carried it successfully on alone for a period of twenty-four years, when he retired from active mercantile life. Mr. Thomas is one of the original founders of the Cascade Narrow Fabric Manufacturing Company, and is now vice-president of the company. This undertaking was begun in 1886, and has proved very satisfactory to its shareholders. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and in religion belongs to the Methodist church. On the 20th of October, 1868, he was married to Katie Barry, and the fruit of the union has been three sons (one of whom is now a banker), and one daughter.
Bethune, Robert Henry, Manager of the Dominion Bank, Toronto, was born at Cobourg, Ontario, on the 5th of May, 1836. His father was the beloved and highly respected Bishop A. N. Bethune, D.D. (the successor of Bishop Strachan in the Toronto Episcopate), who died in 1879. The subject of our sketch was educated at Upper Canada College and at other schools of the province. Early in life he took to banking as a vocation, and for the long period of now thirty-five years he has been closely and honorably connected with banking institutions, and has become one of the most respected and trustworthy, as well as perhaps the best known and most successful, Bank managers of Toronto. For several years he has been the cashier of the Dominion Bank, and, during this period, thanks to his prudent and able management, no institution in the country has had a more satisfactory record, or to-day stands higher in the confidence of the commercial and financial community of Canada. Mr. Bethune’s life, though it has been uneventful, has not been without incident or devoid of importance. Nor has it been lacking in the kind or quality of service which, in the course of a long career of responsibility and duty, a trusty and competent Bank officer renders to the corporate body whom he represents and to the public at large. In the course of this career, Mr. Bethune has seen banks rise and fall, looked on the barometer of finance in sunshine and storm, been confronted with all sorts of commercial vicissitudes, and, like other old Bank managers, been at times threatened with mercantile and financial panic. Yet has he held bravely on his course, with a firm hand on the interests with which he has been charged, and has faithfully and successfully done his duty. Mr. Bethune, for the first twelve years of his business life, was connected with the Bank of Montreal, and served that institution in various towns and cities of the province, from junior clerk in 1853 to manager in 1865. In 1853, for instance, we find him acting as junior clerk in Brockville; in 1854 as teller in Cobourg; in 1859 as assistant accountant in Toronto; in 1861 as accountant at New York; in 1862 as accountant at Hamilton; and finally, in 1864, as manager at St. Catharines. At the close of 1865 he severed his connection with the Bank of Montreal, on being appointed inspector of the Quebec Bank, and in the following year was made manager of the Toronto branch of that institution. Here he remained until 1871, when he received the appointment which he now holds, that of Cashier and Manager of the Dominion Bank. Personally, Mr. Bethune is not only highly respected, but is much beloved; and he enjoys the esteem and confidence of the whole community. He is conservative in his ways, and is what is known as an eminently safe banker, as may be predicted from the stability and success of the institution which he has long guided and controlled. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative; in religion, a member of the Church of England. In 1862 he married Jane Frances Ewart, eldest daughter of the late J. B. Ewart, of Dundas, by whom he has six children.
McLeod, Hon. John David, M.L.C., Pictou, Nova Scotia, is a native of Pictou county, N.S., being descended from an ancient Highland family. He is about forty-seven years of age. He received his early education in Pictou, and having finished his academic course he entered upon the study of the law. Having completed his four years’ apprenticeship he was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia on 5th December, 1866. He carried on the practice of his profession with great success in Pictou for upwards of twenty years. Being a man of great social popularity, he has been several times before the people as a candidate for legislative honors, being considered the strongest man the Liberals could put in the field. In the local general election of 1886 he polled 2,514 votes, but failed being elected, Pictou being one of the strongest Conservative constituencies in the province. In the general election for the House of Commons, February, 1887, he again entered the field but was unsuccessful. In local affairs he has met with more success, and has been three times mayor of Pictou. He is a fluent and ready speaker, and is possessed of a fine presence. The local government recognized his services to the party by appointing him, 10th March, 1887, a member of the Legislative Council, and on 15th March he was made a member of the executive, in which, until his retirement, he sat without portfolio, but holding the position of Liberal leader in the council. In the following summer failing health led him to seek a residence in a warmer climate, and with his family he removed from the province and settled in Southern California. Previous to his leaving Pictou his friends honored him with a public banquet, and presented him with a complimentary address.
Wilmot, Hon. Robert Duncan, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Hon. Mr. Wilmot, late Lieutenant-Governor of the province of New Brunswick, was born at Fredericton, N.B., on the 16th October, 1809. His grandfather was the late Major Lemuel Wilmot. His father, the late John M. Wilmot, represented St. John county for many years in the New Brunswick legislature; and his mother, Susan Harriet, was a daughter of the late Samuel Wiggins, a prominent merchant of St. John. When about five years of age the future lieutenant-governor removed with his parents to St. John, where he received his education. On reaching manhood he entered into business with his father, who at that time was a prominent merchant and shipowner. In 1833 he was married to Miss Mowatt, of St. John, and shortly after this event removed to Liverpool, England, where he resided for five years. On his return he began to take an interest in municipal affairs, and for some time he sat as alderman in the city council, and afterwards became mayor of the city. In 1846 he entered the arena of politics, and on presenting himself for parliamentary honors was elected to represent the county of St. John in the New Brunswick legislature, and this constituency he continued to represent, with the exception of one term, until the confederation of the provinces. He was appointed surveyor-general of New Brunswick in 1851, and held the office until 1854. In 1856-7 he was provincial secretary, and became premier of the government formed in 1865. He was also a member of the government of 1866-7. This year he was a delegate to the conference held in London, England, to discuss matters relating to confederation. On the 1st of July, 1867, he was called by royal proclamation to a seat in the Senate of the Dominion of Canada. Upon the formation of Sir John A. Macdonald’s government, in 1878, he was sworn in a member of the Privy Council without portfolio, and shortly afterwards was appointed speaker of the Senate, as successor to the Hon. David Christie. This office he held until the time of the death of Lieutenant-Governor C. B. Chandler, when he resigned the speakership, and on the 11th February, 1880, was appointed lieutenant-governor of his native province. In this position he faithfully served his country until the 11th November, 1885, when he was succeeded by Sir Leonard Tilley. In 1851 the Hon. Mr. Wilmot left the city of St. John to reside in Sunbury county, on a farm known as “Belmont,” owned by his grandfather and father, and on the expiration of his term of office at Fredericton, he again selected Belmont as his home, and here he now resides. In politics, he is a Conservative, and for many years was a leader of this party in New Brunswick. In religion, he is a member of the Church of England. Few men are more respected than the Hon. Mr. Wilmot, and all hope he may be long spared to enjoy the honors he has earned, and of which he is most deserving.
Rogers, Lieutenant-Col. Robert Zacheus, Grafton, Ontario, is a younger brother of Henry C. Rogers, who is referred to at length on page 147. He was born at Grafton, Northumberland county, Ontario, 29th March, 1842. His education was completed at Upper Canada College in 1859, and soon afterwards he was entrusted with the management of the farm and business of his father, whom he succeeded. He was among the first to take advantage of the military training offered by the School of Instruction established by the government at Toronto in 1864, and subsequently took an active part in the volunteer movement of 1866, serving as a lieutenant during the Fenian raids of that year. After nineteen years’ service as a captain in the 40th Northumberland battalion V.M., he assumed the command of the same in compliance with the request of his brother officers, some of whom were senior to him. In politics, he has always taken an active part on behalf of the Conservative party, and for eight years was the chosen leader of the county organization in support of the government of Sir John A. Macdonald. In the spring of 1880 he organized an expedition to colonize and develop the valley of the Souris river, in the Canadian Northwest, which had been partly surveyed the previous season and most favorably reported on. The point selected as the business centre was called Millford, near the mouth of the Souris—at which place he started a saw mill in June of that year, and erected the first frame building west of the old province line, range 13 west of Winnipeg, and south of the present main line of the C. P. Railway. The following year he added the pioneer flour mill of the district to his establishment, and for five years carried on an extensive business, and in many ways took an important part in promoting the advancement of that very promising agricultural district. This enterprise, however, did not prove a financial success, and Mr. Rogers was forced reluctantly to abandon the idea of making that his future home. In September, 1867, he married Isabella, eldest daughter of the late Sheriff Waddell, of Chatham, Ontario, and granddaughter of the late Captain William Waddell, of the 1st Royal Dragoons, a veteran of Waterloo fame.
Bourgeois, George A., M.D., C.M., Three Rivers, was born at St. Grégoire, county of Nicolet, P.Q., on the 1st of October, 1822. His father was Jacques Bourgeois, a farmer, and his mother Magdeleine Bourke. He took a classical course at the Seminary of Nicolet. He adopted the medical profession, received his license to practise on the 1st of March, 1844, and began his professional career in his native parish, where he practised from that year till 1867, inclusively. He then entered the civil service and was deputy commissioner of crown lands for the province of Quebec from the 2nd of November, 1867, to the 2nd of October, 1869, during which period he resided in the city of Quebec. He was director of the cadastral operations in the district of Three Rivers, from the 1st of August, 1870, to the 1st of September, 1878. He was inspector of the post offices of the Dominion of Canada in the postal division of Three Rivers, from the 26th of July, 1879; and also in the Quebec postal division from the 12th of February, 1886, to the 12th of July, 1887. He has been a resident of Three Rivers since May, 1872. Dr. Bourgeois travelled in Europe during the years 1869 and 1870, and visited England, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. On the 27th of April, 1886, he was created Knight Commander of the religious and military order of the Holy Sepulchre, and also an honorary member of the order of the Chevaliers Sauveteurs des Alpes Maritimes, on the 11th of July of the same year. In May, 1885, he received from the Victoria University the degrees of M.D. and C.M. He was married on the 24th of September, 1844, to Mary Esther Lucinda Whitney, who died on the 14th of September, 1868. He was again married to Mary Malvina Ernestine Rivard Dufresne, on the 22nd of October, 1870. In religion Dr. Bourgeois is a Roman Catholic.
Brooks, Hon. Edward T., Sherbrooke, Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, was born at Lennoxville, county of Sherbrooke, on the 6th of July, 1830. His father, Samuel Brooks, was a native of Massachusetts, and a member of the Brooks family with which the Adamses of that state are connected. He was a member of the Canadian assembly for Sherbrooke for many years, the last term being from 1844 until his death in 1849. His mother was Elizabeth Towle. The subject of this sketch was educated at Dartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1850; studied law with Judge J. S. Sanborn, of Sherbrooke, and Andrew Robertson, Q.C., of Montreal; was admitted to the bar of Lower Canada in 1854, created a Queen’s counsel in 1875, and electedbâtonnierof St. Francis bar the same year. He has always had an honorable stand at the bar of his district, and has done a highly remunerative and straightforward business. In ability he stands in the front rank in his part of the province. He was vice-president of the International and Waterloo, and Magog Railways; president of the Sherbrooke Rifle Association; the Fish and Game Protection Society, and the Plowmen’s Association; solicitor for the Eastern Townships Bank, the head-quarters of which are at Sherbrooke, and trustee of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville. He is a man with a great deal of public spirit and very highly prized as a citizen. He was first elected to parliament for his present seat by acclamation in 1872, and was re-elected in the same manner in 1874, and again at the general election in September, 1878. He was the author of the amendment to the law of libel, passed in 1874, and seconded Sir John A. Macdonald’s motion condemning the act of Lieutenant-Governor Letellier, of the province of Quebec. He was a Conservative, and a steadfast and earnest supporter of the policy of that party, believing the best interests of the country are promoted by protecting home industries and encouraging internal improvements. These were his views, as many of his friends know, long before they were embodied in the so-called “national policy,” and were made a distinct party issue. Mr. Brooks was elevated to the bench of St. Francis district on the 1st October, 1882. He was married in 1856, to Sarah Louise, daughter of Eleazer Clarke, revenue inspector and high constable, Sherbrooke, and they have three children.
Cooke, Richard S., Advocate, Three Rivers, was born at Three Rivers, province of Quebec, on the 23rd of January, 1850. He is the son of the late John Richard Cooke, a saddler by trade, and Marie Emilie Cloutier, and nephew of the late Right Rev. Thomas Cooke, first bishop of the diocese of Three Rivers. Mr. Cooke received his early education at the Christian Brothers’ School, and went through a regular course of classical studies at the St. Joseph College, taking first prizes every year at both institutions, and distinguishing himself among his schoolmates by his talented application. He was admitted to the bar in July, 1874, and has practised his profession without interruption since then, making a specialty of commercial law business. From 1874 to 1879 he practised with the Hon. H. G. Malhiot (then a member of the Quebec government, and now mayor of Three Rivers), under the name and title of Malhiot & Cooke. Mr. Cooke was an alderman of the council of Three Rivers from 1880 to 1885, and was chosen as pro-mayor and president of the finance committee. He has been connected with nearly every amateur association of his native city, and founded the Three Rivers Fish and Game Club, duly incorporated and holding fishing rights on Lake Archange and others in the province of Quebec. He has taken a prominent and very active part in all political and municipal matters, and has always been an independent supporter of the Conservative party, and an earnest advocate of progress in municipal affairs. Mr. Cooke is an eloquent and impressive speaker, and as such is highly appreciated and generally considered to be an undoubted authority on financial matters. He has visited nearly every important place in Canada, the United States and Europe. He belongs to the Roman Catholic church, of which he is a strict member, but thoroughly liberal in his views, and in no way given to bigotry. Mr. Cooke married on the 23rd August, 1877, Louisa Lajoie, only daughter of the late J. B. Lajoie, first mayor of Three Rivers, but unfortunately lost both his wife and newly-born child the following year. His efforts and energy greatly assisted in the building of the Lower Laurentian Railway, extending from the Piles branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway towards Lake St. John, on part of which trains are running through the parishes of St. Tite and St. Thècle. Still in the prime of life, and possessing an unusual amount of energy and talent, Mr. Cooke will no doubt occupy a prominent position in the affairs of his country.
MacGillivray, Hon. Angus, of Antigonish, N.S., was born at Bailey’s Brook, Pictou county, N.S., on the 22nd January, 1842. He is of Scottish extraction, his grandfather, Angus MacGillivray, having emigrated from Arisaig, in Inverness-shire, Scotland. His father and mother were named John and Catharine MacGillivray. When a mere lad, Angus removed, in 1845, with his parents to Antigonish, where he has since resided. He received his education at St. François-Xavier College, Antigonish—where his studies embraced the languages, mathematics, and philosophy—and from this institution he graduated with the degree of M.A. The counties of Antigonish and the eastern portion of the county of Pictou are largely peopled with Scotch Catholics, and a man of Mr. MacGillivray’s abilities would naturally possess a great influence among his coreligionists. The inhabitants of Pictou county are said to be more Scotch than the Scotch, no less an authority than the late Rev. Norman McLeod, the eminent Scottish divine, having pronounced them to be as tenacious of Scotch prejudice and national custom and turn of thought and speech as any section of the people in old Scotland. Gaelic is commonly spoken by all classes; original Gaelic poems are often to be seen in the weekly newspapers of Pictou and Antigonish; and Highland gatherings, those nuclei of national sentiment and national manly contests, are celebrated every year in either of the eastern counties or in Prince Edward Island. “Tigh-Dhe” (House of God) is the inscription cut in the granite over the portal of the great cathedral in Antigonish, which edifice is considered to be the largest and handsomest religious structure in Nova Scotia. After graduating, Mr. MacGillivray entered upon the study of the law in the office of H. (now judge) Macdonald, and finished in the office of Blanchard & Magher, Halifax, was called to the bar on the 22nd of July, 1874, and immediately afterwards formed a partnership with A. McIsaac (now judge of the County Court). A dissolution taking place on the elevation of Mr. McIsaac to the bench, Mr. MacGillivray formed another partnership, and is now head of the law firm of MacGillivray & Chisholm, barristers, etc. Being a most popular man in his professional and social relations, he was returned to the House of Assembly by acclamation at the general election in 1878, and was re-elected in 1882. In February, 1883, he was elected speaker of the house, and discharged the duties of that responsible office with great discrimination and acceptance until the dissolution in May, 1886. Being again nominated by his constituents, he contested the county at the general election on the 15th June, 1886, and was returned at the head of the poll, the vote standing—Angus MacGillivray, 1,378 votes; C. F. McIsaac, 1,273, defeating C. B. Whidden, 900; and R. McDonald, 487. He was appointed a member of the Executive Council in the Hon. Mr. Fielding’s cabinet, on the 28th June, 1886. Yielding to the urgent solicitations of his party, he resigned his seat in the Nova Scotia legislature in January, 1887, in order to run for the House of Commons at Ottawa at the general election, his opponent being the Hon. John S. D. Thompson, minister of justice. Even against so strong a man, the Hon. Mr. MacGillivray polled 1,207 votes, being defeated by only 40 votes. However, being again nominated for a seat in the local house, there was no one bold enough to take the field against him, and he was returned by acclamation on the 1st March, 1887. On the 7th March following he was reappointed a member of the government. Hon. Mr. MacGillivray was one of the commissioners appointed by the government in 1878 to investigate the claims of laborers and others against absconding and insolvent contractors on the Eastern Extension Railway; and in October, 1887, he was one of the delegates to the Inter-Provincial Conference held at Quebec. He is connected with improvements relating to agriculture, and takes part in the better encouragement of that industry. In religion he is a Roman Catholic, and in politics a Liberal. He married, on the 5th February, 1878, Maggie, daughter of the late Alexander McIntosh, of Antigonish. This lady died on the 8th September, 1879. On July 15th, 1884, he married May E., daughter of John Doherty, of New York.
Castle, Rev. John Harvard, D.D., Principal of McMaster Hall, Toronto, was born in Milestown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1830. He received his early education at the Central High School of Philadelphia. In the year 1847 he entered the University of Lewisburg, Pa., where he graduated with honors in 1851, and from that institution of learning he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1866. He completed his ministerial studies at Rochester Theological Seminary, N.Y., in 1853, and was licensed to preach by the Broad Street Church, Philadelphia, the same year. He was ordained at Pottsville, Pa., where he labored for two years and a half, after which he took charge of the Baptist Church at Newburgh, N.Y. In 1859 he returned to his native city and entered upon the pastorate of the First Baptist Church, West Philadelphia, where he remained for fourteen years, universally beloved by the members of his church and community. Here he gave much time and labor to the missionary cause and educational interest, serving on the boards of the publication and education societies, and the general association. He was also a trustee of the University at Lewisburgh, and of Crozer Theological Seminary. He served as moderator of the Philadelphia Baptist Association, and was also elected president of the ministerial conference. In the spring of 1871 he commenced a tour of Europe. In 1872 he was urgently invited to take charge of the Jarvis Street Baptist Church of Toronto, Ontario, which invitation he accepted after mature consideration, and commenced his pastorate on 1st February, 1873. In this field of labor he remained in close and affectionate relations with his congregation for years, although strongly urged to accept the principalship of the Woodstock College. When its Theological department was removed to Toronto on the completion of McMaster Hall, the leading men of his denomination turned to him as eminently fitted to become the principal. This position he accepted, and has filled, as also the chair of systematic theology and pastoral theology, with that success which was expected of him. A secular journal of Toronto, under date of October 5th, 1877, thus speaks of him: “Into the work of the denomination and all Christian movements he has thrown himself with all his heart and has become a leading spirit therein. His congregation has increased rapidly, and erected a handsome church building at the cost of $100,000, of which the Hon. Senator McMaster contributed $35,000 towards it; this building is now one of the recognized sights of the city. He is a strong temperance advocate, and a consistent enemy of frivolity of all descriptions. His oratorical powers are of a high order, his enunciation being singularly distinct, and his manner graceful and effective. Though an earnest upholder of the doctrines of his denomination, he seldom gives utterance to any remarks which members of other communions cannot listen to without impatience. Never slow to do battle when controversies arise, he proves an adept in polemics, but is ever ready to recognize and admire all that is Christ-like beyond his own ecclesiastical boundaries.” Mr. Castle was joined in wedlock on the 15th of September, 1853, to Mary Antoinette Arnold, of Rochester, N.Y., by whom he has five children, two daughters and three sons.