X. ARTHUR ROBICHONX. ARTHUR ROBICHON
X. ARTHUR ROBICHON
The name of Duncan McDonald has long figured prominently in connection with transportation interests. He has displayed a spirit of enterprise and initiative in all that he has undertaken, has operated along broad lines and has carefully planned and executed important projects. He is now devoting his attention to the supervision of various interests with which he is identified following his retirement from the management of the Montreal Street Railway Company. His investments largely have to do with transportation interests. He is president of the Montreal Tunnel Company, which has reached a very active stage in its development, and it is Mr. McDonald’s purpose to give special attention to the rapid inauguration and execution of the work. He is also largely concerned in several real-estate companies that are dealing with central Montreal property, as well as large subdivisions in outlying municipalities. He is the president of the Pre-payment Car Sales Company with offices in the Hudson Terminal building at No. 50 Church Street, New York, this being the operating company for all the various “Pay-as-you-enter,” “Pay-within” and other styles of pre-payment cars that are being so rapidly adopted by the cities on this continent. He is also connected with the International F-A-Y-E Tramcar Company, Limited, Broad Street Place, London, E. C.
Mr. McDonald’s operations in real estate have been of a mammoth character. He was the original promoter of Dominion Park, which in its development and sale has netted a splendid income for the investors, and he is at present vice president of that enterprise. He is also a director of several industrial and transportation companies. He belongs to the Institute of Civil Engineers of France and to the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Great Britain, connections which indicate the recognition of his high standing and notable ability in the fields into which he has directed his efforts.
Joseph Philippe Lamarche, a well known notary of Montreal, was born in St. Henri de Mascouche, L’Assomption county, Quebec, January 29, 1866. His grandfather, Louis Lamarche, was a farmer of L’Assomption county. His father, Joseph Olivier Lamarche, now eighty-one years of age, was for many years a notary at St. Henri de Mascouche, where he yet resides. He married Helene Mount, a sister of Dr. Mount, of Montreal, and her death occurred in April, 1874. To them were born three children: Joseph Philippe; George, a residentfarmer of St. Henri de Mascouche; and Joseph S., a notary of Montreal. The father has been a lifelong conservative in politics and for many years was secretary and treasurer of the municipality of St. Henri de Mascouche. In fact, he has been a prominent figure in political, official and business circles there and is today one of the honored and venerable citizens.
Joseph Philippe Lamarche was educated in the parochial schools of his native town and in L’Assomption College, which he attended for six years, his course there being supplemented by two years’ study in the Ottawa University. During the succeeding three years he was a student in the office of Coultee & Lamarche, notaries of Montreal. In 1890 he won the degree of Baccalaureatus in Legibus. In 1890 he began the practice of his profession in St. Henri de Mascouche, where he continued until 1903, when he removed to Montreal, where he has since successfully practiced. He is thoroughly versed in the principles of the profession and his ability is attested by his liberal clientage.
Mr. Lamarche was married in St. Henri de Mascouche to Marie Rose Lambert, and to them have come four children, Helene, Lambert, Philippe and Rita. In politics Mr. Lamarche is a conservative and at the present writing he is filling the office of commissioner to the superior court for the district of Montreal, his creditable record commending him to the further support and confidence of the public.
Sir Joseph Hickson, who in 1890 received the honor of knighthood at the hand of Her Majesty in recognition of ability displayed in the management of important and extensive railway interests, is classed with those to whom Canada owes much of her greatness and her prosperity. He was born at Otterburn, Northumberland, England, in 1830, and acquired his education there. Throughout his entire business career he was connected with railway interests, first entering the service of the North Eastern Railway of England and thus gaining his elementary knowledge of railway management and operation.He left that corporation to accept a position with the Maryport & Carlisle Railway, in which capacity he served with credit until 1851, when he went to Manchester and entered the service of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. Promotion rapidly followed in recognition of his capability, indefatigable energy and perseverance, so that after ten years he became assistant to the general manager, in which position his labors engaged the attention of Sir Edward Watkin, chairman of the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada, who proffered him the position of chief accountant of the Grand Trunk in December, 1861.
He left England for the new world in the following January and made his way to Montreal, where he continued to reside until called to his final rest. Here his ability and power soon gained further recognition and he was made secretary and treasurer of the company, in which capacity he continued until the resignation of C. J. Brydges, managing director of the Grand Trunk, in 1874, when Sir Joseph Hickson succeeded as general manager of the road and system. The policy which he inaugurated was soon felt as a dominant power in active managementand cooperation. One of his first acts was to sell to the federal government the line between Point Levis and Riviere du Loup and with the proceeds of this transaction he changed the old gauge of the road to the standard gauge of American lines and thus effected connection with Sarnia and Chicago. The wisdom of this move was soon manifest as it opened up a new field of enterprise to the company and marked the beginning of that policy of affiliation and connection which resulted to the benefit of both countries before Sir Joseph Hickson ceased to be an active factor in the control of an immense system embracing five thousand miles of track in the United States and Canada. Sir Joseph served as general manager until 1890, when he retired from his arduous position after receiving, early in that year, knighthood from Her Majesty, the late Queen Victoria, in recognition of the ability which he had displayed in the management of the Grand Trunk Railway System and of the valuable service he had rendered in developing Canada and her resources. Under his management the road had been rapidly and substantially improved and extended, connections with other lines being formed which have proven of great value in later years. Perhaps the most valuable work which he undertook and accomplished was the establishment of the direct line to Chicago wholly under control of the Grand Trunk system. By this master stroke was secured the best paying portion for carrying freight and at the same time gave to Canadian steamship companies a large amount of the freight which they carried across the Atlantic. It was while Sir Joseph Hickson occupied the position of general manager that the length of the road in its main and collateral lines was extended from one thousand three hundred and eighty-three to three thousand four hundred and eighty-seven miles. In railway management he studied each vital question from every possible standpoint and with almost judicial accuracy passed judgment upon the important matters at issue. He was largely instrumental in carrying forward the great engineering undertaking known as the St. Clair tunnel, which was completed in 1890 at a cost of three million dollars. His work elicited attention from one end of the country to the other, and he became one of the foremost representatives of railway interests on the American continent.
SIR JOSEPH HICKSONSIR JOSEPH HICKSON
SIR JOSEPH HICKSON
On the 17th of June, 1869, Sir Joseph Hickson wedded Catherine, the eldest daughter of the late Andrew Dow of Montreal. Mrs. Hickson is a native of this city and was educated here. She has been prominently identified with the Montreal League for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and was one of the promoters of the Royal Edward Institute in 1909 and an active supporter of various other similar bodies. She is also the vice president of the Montreal branch of the Needlework Guild of Canada and has been termed by one of the city papers “a queenly hostess.” Sir Joseph and Lady Hickson had two sons and a daughter. The eldest, Joseph William Andrew Hickson, was educated at McGill University, winning the B. A. degree on completing the course in mental and moral philosophy in 1893, while in 1896 his alma mater conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. He won the Ph. D. degree in 1900 at the universities of Berlin, Freiburg and Halle. He was lecturer and tutor in the philosophical department of McGill University from 1900 until 1905, assistant professor of psychology and lecturer on philosophy at McGill from 1905 until 1909 and has since been assistant professor of metaphysics and logic. He is a contributor to the University and other magazines and reviews, is a councillor to the Economic andStatistical Society, is a member of the University Club and a member of the board of management of the House of Industry and Refuge. He is an enthusiastic mountain climber and a well known clubman, belonging to the Mount Royal, University and Political Economy Clubs of Montreal and the Alpine Club of Banff. The second son, James Claud Hickson, graduated B. A. from McGill in 1895 and, receiving the B. C. L. degree in 1898, is now engaged in active practice as a member of the law firm of Hickson & Campbell. He was created K. C. in 1909 and is a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital. He is well known as a clubman, his membership being in Mount Royal Club, Canada Club, Montreal Hunt Club, Royal Montreal Golf Club, Montreal Curling Club,Lafontaine Club, Montreal Jockey Club, Montreal Racquet Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, University Club, and Constitutional Club of London, England. The daughter, Miss Mary Elizabeth Hickson, is well known as an author, having early contributed tales and sketches to the magazines. She is also the author of two charming stories of French-Canadian life, “Madame Janvier’s Church” and “The Call of God.”
Sir Joseph Hickson served as justice of the peace for Montreal and was interested in several banking, commercial and industrial enterprises which he represented on the directorate. He was appointed by the Dominion government as president of the royal commission on the prohibition of the liquor traffic. He stood for all those interests which are effective forces in the progress and upbuilding of city, province and country, and the position which he filled was one of influence and honor.
Herbert Brown Ames, a deep student of the science of government and avowed in his opposition to misrule in public affairs, has, through his practical efforts, the result of keen insight into situations, been instrumental in bringing about various needed reforms and improvements. His public addresses, too, have aided largely in shaping public opinion on the side of right and order, and thus his value as a citizen can hardly be overestimated.
He was born in Montreal, June 27, 1863, his parents being the late Evan Fisher and Caroline Matilda (Brown) Ames, both of whom were born in the United States. After mastering the elementary branches of learning Herbert B. Ames became a student in Amherst College, of Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1885 with the Bachelor of Arts degree. He afterward studied the French language and literature in France, and made his initial step in business circles as a representative of the wholesale firm of Ames-Holden, Ltd., of Montreal, with which he was actively connected until December, 1893. He is still arepresentative of that corporation and one of its directors and is likewise a director of the Dominion Guarantee Company, the Great West Life Insurance Company, the Royal Victoria Life Insurance Company, and a number of other prominent business concerns. As a merchant he has established a reputation that places him in a prominent position among the leading and representative business men of the city. His efforts in that direction wouldalone entitle him to distinctive mention in the history of Montreal, and yet this is but one phase of his activity. He is perhaps even more widely known because of his connection with efforts put forth in opposition to misrule in municipal affairs. He was particularly active in that direction during his service as alderman from 1898 until 1906, during which time he promoted and advocated many reform measures and projects, always working along conservative lines. He was chairman of the municipal board of health from 1900 until 1904, and again his service was of notable value to the city. He had previously filled the position of secretary of the Good Government Association and was president of the Volunteer Election League, which bodies effected many reforms in civic administration. His name is widely known, and in fact he has been heard in many centers as a lecturer on Canadian political history and on problems of municipal government. He has been a frequent contributor to the press, and among his notable articles are: The Machine in Honest Hands, published in 1894; The City Below the Hill, A Sociological Study, published in 1897; The City Problem; What is it?, in 1901; and The Housing of the Working Classes, in 1907. These show wide research and deep insight into existing conditions and point out various practical methods of improvement.
Mr. Ames was appointed a member and protestant secretary of the council of public instruction for the province of Quebec in 1895. The following year he was elected to the presidency of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Montreal, and the extent and importance of his work is further indicated in the fact that he is a governor of the Montreal Dispensary and of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. He delivered an address in London, England, before the chamber of commerce on trade interchange in 1904, and was presented with a silver bowl by the same body in acknowledgment of his personal services in connection with the visit of that organization to Canada in 1904. In 1909 he went as a delegate to the Imperial Commercial Congress at Sidney, New South Wales, and as a member of that body moved for the appointment of an advisory imperial council to consider questions of imperial interest, especially those tending to promote trade between the various parts of the empire.
Since the general election of 1904 he has sat for the St. Antoine division of Montreal in the house of commons in the conservative interests, and in March, 1909, succeeded in securing the appointment of a committee for the revision of the assets of the Dominion. He is a very active worker in support of conservative measures and movements, and his life work indicates his recognition of the fact that education along broad lines and political activity are the sources of a country’s power and the foundation upon which is builded its business. He was appointed one of the representatives of the house of commons at the coronation of King George in London in 1911.
In May, 1900, Mr. Ames was united in marriage to Miss Louise Marion Kennedy, a daughter of John Kennedy, C. E. They occupy an attractive home at No. 26 Ontario Avenue, Montreal. Their religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Ames holds membership in a number of the leading clubs of the city, including Lafontaine, University, Montreal, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht and St. James Clubs. He is a man of indefatigable energy and unquestionably a force to be reckoned with in the public life of Canada. Eventhose opposed to him politically recognize that he is a man to be trusted, that what he promises he will do. His position is never an equivocal one and in his entire career there is no esoteric phase.
Ernest Nicholson Brown was born in Lower Newcastle, New Brunswick, on the 12th of July, 1867. His father, Robert Brown, went from Dumfries, Scotland, to Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1823, and settled as a young man in Miramichi, New Brunswick, in 1835. He married Ann Noble, of United Empire Loyalist descent. Her grandfather fought on the British side at the battle of Bunker Hill. James Nicholson, an uncle of Robert Brown fought at the battle of Trafalgar and the medal awarded him for his services on that occasion is now in possession of Mr. Brown.
After attending the high school at Chatham, New Brunswick, Ernest N. Brown entered Dalhousie University at Halifax, from which he was graduated in 1889 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He followed that course with post-graduate study at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, after which he was engaged for some years in teaching. In 1902 he won the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law upon the completion of the regular course in law in McGill University. He was admitted to the bar in the province of Quebec in 1902 and for two years was in practice in the office of Duncan McCormick, K. C., while subsequently he became a member of the firm of Patterson & Brown, and in 1908 he became a member of the firm of Brown & Staveley.
Mr. Brown is a liberal in politics, and his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In 1904, Mr. Brown married Miss Elizabeth Malcolm Fraser, a daughter of the late John Fraser of Lachine Rapids, author of “Canadian Pen and Ink Sketches”, “Historic Canadian Ground” and various articles dealing with points of interest in Canadian history, especially those connected with the scenes of his boyhood in and about Lachine.
The name of Charles Bernier is a synonym for efficiency in architecture in Montreal. A native of the province of Quebec, he was born at St. Jean Port Joli, on the 17th of December, 1866. His father, Francis Bernier, was a contractor and builder at St. Jean Port Joli and there died. The mother bore the maiden name of Virginie Deschene.
Charles Bernier was educated in the schools of his native town and in the Christian Brothers school at L’Islet. When fifteen years of age he went to Quebec, where he entered the office of David Ouellet, a well known architect, with whom he remained as a student for three and a half years. Through the ensuing year and a half he was in the office of Ferdinand Peachy, a noted architect of Quebec, and then, splendidly qualified for the profession, heentered upon active practice, which he successfully followed alone in Quebec until June 24, 1903, when he came to Montreal. Here in connection with Charles Brodeur he formed the partnership of Bernier & Brodeur, which connection was maintained for seven years, and during that period their offices were removed to 70 St. James Street. Through the three succeeding years Albert Menard was associated with Mr. Bernier in the firm of Bernier & Menard, and since Mr. Menard’s death Mr. Bernier has continued alone. He is accorded a large clientage, for his ability places him among those foremost in the ranks of the profession. On all sides may be seen splendid evidences of his handiwork as exemplified in some of the most beautiful and substantial structures of Montreal.
CHARLES BERNIERCHARLES BERNIER
CHARLES BERNIER
Mr. Bernier was married in this city to Alma Dionne, daughter of Octave Dionne, of Quebec, and they are parents of three daughters, Adrienne, Alice and Anna. The religious belief of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Bernier belongs to Lafontaine Club and to the Royal Arcanum. He is a man of refined, cultured tastes, quiet in manner and a deep student of subjects relating to the profession, in which his standing is among the highest.
Hon. Amedee Geoffrion, one of the recorders of Montreal, was born at Varennes, in the province of Quebec, February 6, 1867, and was educated at L’Assomption and Laval University. Liberal training qualified him for the profession which he determined to make his life work and in 1889 he was called to the bar. He began the practice of law at the age of twenty-one and from the beginning made continuous progress. He was made King’s Counsel in 1905.
His activity, too, has been largely manifested along other lines. Not a little of the progress made on the south side of the river in recent years is due to his efforts and public spirit. A consistent supporter of the progressive policy of the government of Sir Lomer Gouin he has, since elected for Vercheres in 1908, been identified with many noteworthy public projects that have assisted materially in the development and improvement of the rural districts. The movement for the improvement of existing highways in the county of Vercheres has found in him a warm supporter. He has served the municipality of Longueuil with efficiency and manifest approbation, first in the capacity of recorder and afterward in that of mayor, holding the latter position since 1908. He stands for all that works for civic betterment and improvement and is a close student of the vital problems affecting the welfare of city, province and nation. During the years of his mayoralty he has been the head of a highly progressive administration. It has been during this period that the electric railway has been brought to the town and that electricity has been installed for lighting purposes, while cement sidewalks have been laid and the work of improvement has been otherwise carried on along most progressive and beneficial lines.
In September, 1912, Mr. Geoffrion was appointed by Quebec to the position of recorder of the city of Montreal and is now filling that office with the same capability and fidelity that he has displayed in other positions. None question his public spirit nor his knowledge of the law, and he stands today with those whose success has been builded upon the foundation of ability and laudable ambition.
Lyon Cohen, merchant and contractor, of Montreal, Quebec, is a member of L. Cohen & Son, coal merchants, and of W. R. Cuthbert & Company, brass founders, and is proprietor of the Freedman Company, wholesale clothiers, the Hibbard Company, Ltd., railway contractors, and General Improvement & Contracting Company, Ltd., dredging contractors.
This has been termed the age of commercialism and it is the old world’s belief that new world residents are engrossed in money-making to the exclusion of almost everything else. There are many examples, however, to the contrary, and the life record of Lyon Cohen is one which proves that while successfully conducting business affairs, time may also be found for active cooperation in movements that tend to promote intellectual and moral progress, or which relieve distress among the unfortunate ones of the world, for he has done much philanthropic and charitable work, while at the same time he has wisely and capably managed important mercantile interests. He was born in Poland, Russia, May 11, 1868, a son of Lazarus Cohen. In early childhood he was brought to Canada and attended the McGill Model School and also the Catholic Commercial Academy of Montreal. He became a member of the firm of L. Cohen & Son in 1891, and from the time when he put aside his text-books and entered business circles his progress has been continuous.
Mr. Cohen has attained a prominence in Montreal social and business circles that necessitates a mention of him in any publication undertaking to represent the leading citizens of the city. He has been prominently identified with almost every movement looking to the betterment of Jewish conditions in this country, and his labors have been effective forces in promoting the welfare of those of his faith. He was one of the founders of The Jewish Times of Montreal, and he was president for three years, 1904-5-6, of Shaar Hashomayim congregation, the largest and most prominent Jewish congregation in Canada. Interested in the welfare of his people wherever they are found, he is treasurer of the Canadian committee of The Jewish Colonization Association of Paris, and was secretary of the Jewish rights committee. He is a life governor of The Montreal General Hospital and of The Western Hospital, and was elected president of The Baron de Hirsch Institute of Montreal in 1908. He did such splendid work in that connection, that he was four times reelected, serving until the end of 1912. Upon his voluntary retirement he was presented with an illuminated address and handsome silver service. He is prominently identified with a number of movements; is member of juvenile court committee; member of executive of Child’s Welfare Association, and was chairman of publicity ofChild’s Welfare Exhibition, 1912; member of executive of Montreal improvement committee; honorary chairman of North End Synagogue; honorary president of Young Men’s Hebrew Association; and chairman of Committee to Federate Jewish Charities.
Mr. Cohen is a member of The Montefiore Club, of which he is a past president; he is also an ex-president of The Montreal Reform Club, being a liberal in politics. A love of progress actuates him in all he does. He could not be content to move forward at the pace which many men assume. He must all the time be up and doing, for he is a man of action rather than theory, and at all times the end accomplished indicates the wisdom of the methods he has followed.
Mr. Cohen was married in February, 1891, to Miss Rachel Friedman, a daughter of the late Noah Friedman. They have four children, Nathan Bernard, Horace Rives, Lawrence Z. and Sylvia L. Mrs. Cohen is also interested in charitable work and is the founder and president of The Jewish Endeavor Sewing Society. The family residence is at 25 Rosemount Avenue, Westmount, Quebec.
Under the name of Zigmond Fineberg & Sons is conducted a growing real-estate and brokerage business. Mr. Fineberg was born in March, 1863, in Poland, Russia, his parents being Moses Nathan and Agnes Fineberg, the former a merchant. Among his ancestors were rabbis, physicians and lawyers and capable business men. He pursued his education in Suvalk, Russia, and became a government roads contractor of that country.
Attracted by the opportunities of the new world, and prompted by laudable ambition to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic, Mr. Fineberg came to Canada, settling in Montreal, where he embarked in business as a clothing merchant in 1887. About seventeen years were devoted to that undertaking, years which brought him a substantial measure of success and led to his activities along still broader lines. It was in 1904 that he turned his attention to real estate, becoming a real-estate broker and finance agent, business being now conducted under the firm style of Z. Fineberg & Sons at No. 62 St. James Street. He is thoroughly informed concerning property values, knows the real estate that is upon the market and has himself been a large investor, not only in real estate, but in railway shares, so that his stocks and property holdings make him one of the prosperous citizens of Montreal. Moreover, in 1910, he founded the Montreal Free Loan Association, of which he is the president. He belongs to the Montreal Board of Trade and is connected with many institutions of a public nature, being formerly a director of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, a life governor of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, of the Hertzl Dispensary and of Mount Sinai Sanitarium. He likewise belongs to the Montreal Citizens’ Association. He is an ex-member and vice president of the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, and he now holds membership in the McGill College Avenue Synagogue.
In his native city of Prenn in 1885, Mr. Fineberg was married to Miss Jennie Kirschberg, a daughter of the late Abraham Kirschberg. The children of this marriage are: Joseph, Nathan Samuel, Aaron Harry, Moe Newton, Agnes and Max. The second son has won the degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Common Laws and is now engaged in the practice of the legal profession.
Mr. Fineberg has held the offices of justice of the peace and commissioner of the superior courts since 1903. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Odd Fellows society and the Canadian Order of Foresters, and exemplifies in his lifethe beneficent spirit underlying those organizations, recognizing the brotherhood of mankind and the obligations of mutual helpfulness and kindliness.
Matthew A. Sammett, one of the most competent electrical engineers in Canada, was born at Baku, Russia, on the 2d of November, 1872. He was educated in a technical school in his native land and in 1893, when a young man of twenty-one years, came to the new world. He continued his education by attendance at night schools for a time and afterward entered the University of California, where he pursued a four years’ course, which he completed by graduation with the Bachelor of Science degree in 1899. He immediately put his theoretical training to practical test and joined the staff of the General Electrical Company of Schenectady, New York, in which connection he obtained thorough familiarity with modern electrical machinery and general engineering practice. The ability which he displayed in that connection won him promotion to the engineering department and in that position he made a close study of the design of some of the alternating current machinery now in universal use. Each step in his career has been a forward one, and each change in his business connections has marked an advance. In 1902 he joined the engineering staff of the Lachine Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company and after its amalgamation with the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company was given charge of the testing department of the new organization, his work embracing the testing of the various kinds of electrical apparatus used in the transformation, control and measurement of electrical energy. He also designed a complete line of highly efficient transformers for lighting and power service.
During 1905 and 1906 Mr. Sammett conducted a popular course in applied electricity at the Montreal Young Men’s Christian Association.
In 1908 Mr. Sammett opened an office as consulting engineer in Montreal and in this connection has gained a large and distinctively representative clientage, including the Amalgamated Asbestos Corporation, Ltd.; The Asbestos & Asbestic Company, Ltd.; The St. Francis Hydraulic Company, Ltd.; The Brompton Pulp & Paper Company; The Maritime Coal, Railway & Power Company, Ltd.; The Dominion Marble Company, Ltd.; The Smart-Woods Company, Ltd. He has also been retained in connection with municipal electrical undertakings. The practice of his profession now makes heavy demands upon his time andenergies, and in addition he is well known as a contributor to the technical press of the United States and Canada. He has also prepared and read many scientific papers before engineering bodies and is known personally or by reputation to the entire electrical profession on the American continent. He has formed many warm friendships by keeping in close touch with the progress of his profession as a member of the Canadian Electrical Association, the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
MATTHEW A. SAMMETTMATTHEW A. SAMMETT
MATTHEW A. SAMMETT
Mr. Sammett married Miss Eleanor Horwitz, and their children are four in number, Frank Edward, Hazel, Helene and Pearl. Mr. Sammett is a member of the Canadian Club and possesses a genial cordial nature that has made him popular, but he prefers to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, in which he has attained notable success. He is a self-made man. Commendable ambition pointed out to him the way to success. He followed the path indicated and is today occupying an advanced position as an electrical engineer.
For nearly three-quarters of a century the name of Henry Morgan has been inseparably interwoven with the mercantile progress and advancement of Montreal and in more recent years, with the branching out of the house he founded, it has taken a foremost position, in its various lines, among the big mercantile and industrial institutions of the Dominion.
The Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, of today, is the outgrowth of a business established early in the year 1843, on Notre Dame Street, a few doors east of McGill Street, by Henry Morgan and David Smith, under the firm name of Smith & Morgan. From a small dry-goods house carrying only a limited number of lines it has developed into a great and powerful departmental store and what might be justly termed one of the mercantile successes of Montreal, whose capabilities are almost as varied as the city’s needs.
Henry Morgan, the founder of this house, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1819, and when a young man in his early twenties, came to Montreal, where he entered into the dry-goods business, as previously stated.
The original location of Smith & Morgan’s store was soon found inadequate, and in 1854 the business was removed to McGill Street, just south of St. Joseph, now Notre Dame, in a building occupied by Latineer. In 1860 an addition was made extending to Notre Dame Street and when the old American Presbyterian church, corner of Victoria Square and St. James Street, was removed, the business was transferred to that location in more commodious quarters.
In 1852, Mr. Smith retired from the business, and that same year the firm of Henry Morgan & Company was established, Mr. James Morgan of Glasgow, Scotland, a brother, becoming a member at that time. The latter, a native of Saline, Fifeshire, Scotland, had entered the dry-goods business early in life and for a number of years was a member of the firm of Muirhead & Morgan, of Glasgow. The personnel of the firm practically remained unchanged until 1876, when James and Colin D. Morgan, nephews of Henry Morgan and theformer a son of James Morgan, became members, and upon whom most of the burden of the business has fallen.
In 1891, this firm completed on St. Catherine Street, opposite Phillips Square, one of the finest business blocks in America, to which its mercantile business was transferred. This move became necessary in order to meet the requirements of a constantly growing business, and a shift in the retail section to that part of the city.
Mr. Henry Morgan, the founder of the business, died December 12, 1893, at which time the Gazette said in part: “No Montreal merchant and not many Canadian merchants could claim to be better known than Mr. Henry Morgan, who passed to his rest yesterday, after a busy, successful and well spent life of almost seventy-five years. His character was marked by many of those traits which have made men of Scottish birth so prominent a factor in the upbuilding of Montreal’s commercial prosperity. Mr. Morgan was of a somewhat retiring disposition. His store and his farm home at Maisonneuve divided his time, and though he enjoyed a very large share of public respect, he never sought to enter public life. He was unmarried. His death was due to influenza, the cause of so many deaths of prominent men lately, acting on a constitution weakened somewhat by previous illness. The funeral takes place today from St. Andrew’s church, of which he was an esteemed elder.”
The death of Mr. James Morgan had preceded that of his brother but a few months, and occurred on March 28, 1893, at which time the Gazette said in part: “By the death of Mr. James Morgan, Sr., Montreal has lost one of its oldest citizens and one who for well nigh half a century was an intelligent sharer in its commercial and industrial progress. The deceased gentleman was in his eighty-sixth year. Mr. James Morgan was a man of strong intellect, diligently cultivated, an assiduous but judicious reader until his eyesight became impaired, and his opinion on questions to which he had given thought was ever listened to with attention. With few persons was it more profitable to converse, especially on the higher themes of religion, philosophy and science. His views were broad and so was his charity. Although as a business man he had little spare time for writing, Mr. Morgan could wield an able pen and has written not only prose but poetry. He was long an esteemed member of the Church of the Messiah. But though a man of strong convictions, as he was a thorough Scotchman, neither in creed nor in nationality was he of the narrow type.”
The business of Henry Morgan & Company from its very inception, has never been at a standstill, success following the firm’s every move. In 1906 it was incorporated as a limited liability company under the present title of Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, with Mr. James Morgan, as president. The development and expansion of this firm’s interestshave come to include several large factories which it owns and operates, among these being the foremost high class wood-working plant in the Dominion, which places the company in a position to build homes as well as to decorate and furnish them even to the smallest detail. In this respect the firm has become widely known throughout Canada, and its successful undertakings include decorative schemes and interior furnishings of some of the finest homes in practically every province in the Dominion.
Its business policy has always been one of absolute integrity and business honesty, and this has exerted a strong influence upon the life of a great city. The public who come in daily contact with the various branches of this great organization readily feel that spirit of industry and enterprise that has made possible the accomplishing of great things and the building of a great business dedicated to the best interests of the public whom it serves.
In the political history of Montreal during the past half century no name has been more familiar to the people than that of the Hon. James McShane, who in all of his public connections displayed a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution combined with thorough understanding of human nature and the springs of human conduct. A firm belief in the principles which he advocated combined with the qualities of leadership enabled him to become a directing force in public affairs.
Mr. McShane was born in Montreal, November 7, 1833, a son of James and Ellen (Quinn) McShane, who came from county Armagh, Ireland, and settled in Montreal in the summer of 1833. The mother died during the cholera epidemic of 1834.
After pursuing his early education under Daniel Mahoney, a well known Irish schoolmaster of that period, and spending some years as a student in the Sulpician College, James McShane, at the age of eighteen years, joined his father who had become an extensive cattle exporter. The son eventually succeeded to the business and it is a matter of history that he was the first to export cattle to Europe, his first shipment of three hundred head being made October 5, 1874, on the steamship George, to Liverpool. For four years he also had the contract to supply the British troops when they were stationed here.
While engaged in this business Mr. McShane, with the natural love of the Celt for such matters, found time to devote to political problems and activities, both municipal and federal. In 1863 he was a justice of the peace and for twenty-one years he represented St. Ann’s ward as an alderman. During those years he became known as “the people’s Jimmie,” for he knew every man, woman and child in the ward, calling them by their Christian names and ever manifesting deep and sincere solicitude for their welfare. He possessed a wonderful gift of memory enabling him to readily recall names and faces and incidents connected with the individual to whom he was speaking. All this made him personally popular and was an effective element in his leadership.
At various periods Mr. McShane represented Montreal West and Center in the legislature, continuing to sit from 1878 until 1892. In the formation of the Mercier cabinet he accepted the important portfolio of minister of public works in which he continued in 1887-8. When the late Mr. Justice Curran was raised to the bench in 1875 Mr. McShane contested St. Ann’s division in the liberal interests against Sir William Hingston whom he defeated. In 1891 and 1892 Mr. McShane was mayor of Montreal, and his administration of municipal affairs was characterized by many needed reforms and improvements. In1887 he was a member of the Quebec Interprovincial Conference, and he was at one time president of St. Patrick’s Society. He served as an officer in the volunteer militia in the first administrative battalion in the Fenian raids of 1866 and was granted a medal for his service. He is now eighty years of age, but is splendidly preserved physically and mentally, in both regards being the superior of many men of sixty years. He possesses all the virtues and specific activities of the sons of Erin. In 1910 when he was far past the span of life allotted by the psalmist, he fell victim to an acute attack of pneumonia, but by sheer force of will passed through a crisis after he was given up by his old family physician and friend, Mr. McShane remarking that “he felt quite fit and that this business of making him stay in bed was only a joke.”
Mr. McShane has been married twice. In 1863 he wedded Elizabeth Jane Darrah, who died June 25, 1867. In 1870 he married Miss Josephine Kathleen Meron of Plattsburg, New York, who died January 1, 1910. Unto them were born six children, three of whom survive the mother: Mrs. Richard Barry of Montreal; Mrs. Henry M. Tracy of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who has two children; and Mrs. Kathleen H. Buckley of New York city, who has five children.
Hon. Jean Baptiste Archambault, judge of the circuit court of Montreal, took to his judicial duties an excellent record as a lawyer whose ability and success had won for him a foremost place among the strong and forceful representatives of the Montreal bar. A deep thinker, logical reasoner and well versed in the science of his profession, he was eminently well fitted for the judgeship to which he was appointed November 29, 1913.
He was born at St. Antoine, Vercheres county, P. Q., on the 21st of March, 1871, and comes from one of the old and prominent families of the province, one that has given to the legal profession more members than any other one family.
In the attainment of his education, Judge Archambault attended St. Hyacinthe Seminary and Laval University, winning the degrees of B. L. and B. C. L. in 1895. From the outset the science of his profession, as well as its practical phases, proved a strong attraction for him. He entered upon active practice in 1895 and soon demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with intricate and involved legal problems.
His preparation of cases was always thorough and his presentation of a cause marked by perspicuity. His standing among his professional brethren is indicated by the fact that in 1905 he was chosen by the council of the bar of the province of Quebec to assist in editing the judicial reports of the superior court and the court of king’s bench.
Vital political problems have always greatly interested him, and he has been active and zealous in support of principles in which he believes. He was a recognized leader of the conservative party in his native county and was a candidate for the legislature in 1904. He has ever been a close student of the signs of the times and the questions of the day, and although still a conservativein principle he holds to more independent views than formerly, his comprehensive study leading him to see many questions in a different light. He has been spoken of as “a man who has thought out problems for himself and is an authority on economics, political and social.” He was one of the first to advocate proportional representation in Canada, has delivered many lectures upon the subject and has written many articles which have done much to foster and promote the idea.
HON. JEAN B. ARCHAMBAULTHON. JEAN B. ARCHAMBAULT
HON. JEAN B. ARCHAMBAULT
His wide general information is one of the strong elements of his power and ability as a lawyer and jurist. His broad knowledge, which enables him to understand life in its various phases, and his masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution, are qualities which, combined with a familiarity of the law and with precedent, equip him for his work on the bench.
Judge Archambault withal is possessed of a genial nature, is kindly in spirit and unfailingly courteous. He belongs to a number of the leading social clubs and in their membership is most popular.
Sir Hugh Allan, one of the foremost men in the early development of Canada’s foreign commerce and the practical founder of the Allan line of steamships, was a man whose initiative spirit enabled him to recognize, appreciate and understand situations incomprehensible to men of less sagacity and insight. The success of his undertakings made him one of the foremost figures in the history of Canada’s commercial greatness. He stood as a leading representative of navigation interests andwas almost equally well known in banking and industrial circles. Indeed many business interests profited by his cooperation and ability and his memory is still honored by those who cherish the history of their country and recognize its real upbuilders.
The identification of the Allan family with the shipping interests of the St. Lawrence dated back to about 1825, when Captain Alexander Allan sailed up the river in the brig Favorite from Glasgow. There were no wharves then. The vessel was assisted up the St. Mary’s current by oxen. The cargo was discharged on the beach, over long planks.
Sir Hugh Allan was the second son of Captain Alexander, and was born September 29, 1810, in Saltcoats, County Ayr, Scotland. Sir Hugh Allan was in his sixteenth year, when on the 12th of April, 1826, he sailed from Greenock for Montreal on the brig Favorite, commanded by his father, and on which his eldest brother was second officer. They arrived in Montreal on the 21st of May. Hugh Allan entered the employ of William Kerr & Company, and afterward travelled for some time in the United States. He then visited Scotland and a year later returned to Montreal, where he secured a position with J. Millar & Company, shipbuilders and shippers. So excellent was his service in that connection that after four years he was admitted to partnership and following the death of Mr. Millar in 1838 the business was conducted by the firm of Edmonstone & Allan, ship agents, shipbuilders, importers and general merchants. In 1846, Andrew Allan, a younger brother of Hugh’s, was taken into the firm.It owned a fleet of fast sailing vessels of about 350 tons register, full-rigged ships which, with ice-blocks round their bows, pushed their way through the ice, so that sometimes they would arrive in port on the 15th of April. In 1853 Hugh Allan, who was a man of great tenacity of purpose, and at the same time of remarkable foresight, saw that the time had come for the building of iron ships for the St. Lawrence trade. Besides, there was the consideration that they would run to Portland in the winter time, and connect with Montreal by rail. He enlisted the support of several wealthy men, including William Dow and Robert Anderson, of Montreal, and formed the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company. The Canadian and Indian were the first two boats built by the company. The boats cost about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars each and had a speed of eleven knots. They were wonders at the time and made a great impression, as the people had not been accustomed to see iron ships.
It happened that about this time the Crimean war broke out, and the government was at its wits’ end to provide transports. The Allans went into the business and while the war lasted made large profits.
The first ocean steamship, the Genova, reached Quebec in 1853 and proceeded to Montreal, where there was great rejoicing. She was an iron boat of eight hundred tons and was succeeded by the Cleopatra and the Sarah Sands. Newer and larger vessels were built in the succeeding year and what was deemed experimental at the start became fixed features of the new navigation, which was dangerous, owing to so many sunken reefs in the St. Lawrence and the poor lighting of the river. The Canadian government made a contract with Hugh Allan for carrying the mails, paying an annual subsidy of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The Anglo-Saxon, a new boat, ran from Quebec to Liverpool in nine days on one occasion. This was thought to be wonderful, as the people had been accustomed to a voyage of forty days on the old sailing vessels. At that time the grain carrying charge was thirty cents per bushel.
The requirements of the service in 1858 demanded more accommodation, and the Allan brothers determined on a weekly service. Larger and faster boats were introduced. The government paid subsidies to the new service totaling four hundred and sixteen thousand dollars per annum. Year by year the Allans launched new boats, always bigger and faster, though speed was never the chief consideration with the company. In 1861 they had a fleet of over twenty vessels, but a sinister fortune befell the company in the first ten years of its existence. Eight ships were lost in as many years. The Indian, the Hungarian, a second Canadian, the North Briton, the Anglo-Saxon, the Norwegian, the Bohemian, all became total wrecks. The river was badly lighted, the tides did not run true, the pilots were incompetent and the compass deviated owing to some strange local attraction due, it was said, to mineral deposits in the gulf. Anyway, disaster followed disaster, and, as was said at the time, any other man than Mr. Allan would have given up in despair. But that gentleman had something of the firmness of his native granite in his composition and he never wavered. Difficulties in time were overcome, the Allans began to prosper and from this on their boats were singularly free from accidents.
To show, however, how little even the most perspicacious can see in advance of their time, it may be stated that at the banquet which the citizens tendered Hugh Allan in 1850, he said that ships of one thousand seven hundred tons werethe most suitable for the Montreal trade. He lived to see his boats grow to five thousand five hundred tons. The line prospered; the number of boats was constantly increased to meet the need; the Northwest was opened up; and the Allan boats brought in many thousands of immigrants. The building of the Parisian in 1881 was supposed to be about the last word in shipbuilding. She was far in advance of anything to be seen on the route. Today she is, by comparison with the leviathans of the route, almost as antique as the old Favorite was when steamships came in.
As prosperity came to him in one direction, Sir Hugh Allan extended his efforts into other fields. He not only kept abreast with the times but was ever in the vanguard of progress. He became president of the Montreal Telegraph Company, of the Canadian Navigation Company, the Merchants Bank of Canada, and the Lake Memphremagog Navigation Company. He was also interested in mining as president of the Mulgrave Gold Mining Company and his activities extended to the presidency of the Montreal Warehousing Company, the Vermont & Canada Marble Company, and many other business enterprises of importance. Indeed, no citizen of Canada has deserved popular recognition in larger measure than Sir Hugh, and Queen Victoria acknowledged the value of his service to his country by knighting him with her own hand in 1871.
In 1877 he decided to associate his name with the Canadian Pacific Railway enterprise. He, in fact, formed the first syndicate to build it. The fall of the Macdonald government defeated his plan.
On the 13th of September, 1844, Sir Hugh was married to Miss Matilda Smith, the second daughter of John Smith, one of the leading merchants of Montreal. They became parents of nine daughters and four sons. Sir Hugh died in Edinburgh while on a visit to Scotland on the 9th of December, 1882, having passed the seventy-second milestone on life’s journey. His remains were brought to Montreal in one of his own vessels, and laid to rest in Mount Royal cemetery. Well merited encomiums were passed upon him and high honors awaited him during his active life. He was one who pushed forward the wheels of progress. Looking into the future he saw something of the greatness in store for Canada and became a factor in the fulfillment of the progress which he believed possible for a country having the natural advantages here offered. He builded perhaps even better than he knew, for his work continues today, remaining an important element in Canada’s enterprise, activity and greatness.
Frederick Cleveland Morgan, merchant, is one of Montreal’s native sons, his father being James Morgan.Liberal educational opportunitiess were afforded him and after pursuing his education at Cambridge, where he won the Bachelor of Arts degree, he continued his studies in McGill University, which conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts. Throughout his business career he has been identified with commercial interests and is now a member of the firm of Henry Morgan & Company, Limited, proprietors of the Colonial HouseDepartment Store, which is one of the largest and best establishments of its character in the city.
In March, 1906, Mr. Morgan was married to Miss Elizabeth Marcia Shaw, the eldest daughter of C. Thaxter Shaw, of Montreal. They occupy an attractive home at No. 308 Peel Street. Mr. Morgan is a member of the University Club, Racquet Club, Forest and Stream, the Mount Royal Lawn Tennis, Arts Club, Art Association and Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. Mr. Morgan’s interest lies more in art and literature than in business affairs. He was the first secretary of the Arts Club, Limited, formed in 1913 for the purpose of encouraging art and literature.
Hon. Simeon Beaudin, puisne judge of the superior court of the province of Quebec, took to his judicial duties an excellent record as a lawyer whose ability had won for him a foremost position among the strong and forceful members of the Montreal bar, where he had been a successful practitioner for more than one-third of a century.
He was born at St. Isidore, P. Q., September 12, 1855, and comes from one of the oldest families in the province.
He supplemented his early educational privileges by a course of study in Montreal College and in 1878 was called to the bar. He immediately entered upon active practice, forming a partnership with Messrs. Loranger & Loranger, in whose office he had previously studied. One of the partners was raised to the bench and on the death of the other Mr. Beaudin succeeded to the business of the firm. His partnership relations extended until he became the senior member of the well known law firm of Beaudin, Loranger, St. Germain & Guerin. His practice was of an extensive and important character. He argued the St. Blase parish and other cases before the judicial committee of the privy council of England, and was acknowledged as a leader of the French-Canadian bar. For many years he was a member of the bar council. In 1889 he was created Q. C. by the Earl of Derby. He was batonnier of the Montreal bar in 1902 and later batonnier-general. His close conformity to the highest standards of his profession and his devotion to his clients’ interests gave to him a standing that was an honor to his profession. He was elected an honorary member of La Chambre de Commerce of Montreal in 1902 and in 1904 he became one of the incorporators of the La Presse Publishing Company. He was also one of the promoters of Lafontaine Club and he likewise belongs to Club Canadien and Pointe Claire Golf Club.
Judge Beaudin has always given his political allegiance to the conservative party. He unsuccessfully contested Laprairie-Napierville for the house of commons at the general election in 1908.
For some years previous to his assuming judicial duties in 1912, he had been frequently referred to by the press and profession as a most competent man for the bench, and of him the Montreal Witness said:“He ranks high in his profession, his thorough legal sense, knowledge of the law and extensive experience qualifying him for early judicial preferment.”