MONTREAL
From 1535 to 1914
BIOGRAPHICAL
VOLUME III
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
MONTREAL VANCOUVER CHICAGO
1914
[Illustration: RICHARD B. ANGUS]
BIOGRAPHICAL
RICHARD BLADWORTH ANGUS.
“No man in Montreal and very few in Canada have had a fuller,
riper and more successful career than ‘the man of peace,’ as
he is known in business circles.” So writes the Toronto Globe
of Richard Bladworth Angus, and there is little to add that
would describe the man more accurately. A purposeful man, a
deep thinker, a man of the highest principles, Mr. Angus is
representative of the empire builders of Canada. Beginning his
career in a humble station, he has climbed the ladder of success
rung by rung until he reached the ranks of men like the late
Lord Strathcona, and the present Lord Mount Stephen, with whom
he labored in building the most important railroad lines in the
Dominion and with whom he stood for all that which has made
Canada the great empire that it is today. Not only has Mr. Angus
been prominent as a builder and financier of great rail lines,
but he has given of his time and means toward the establishment
of great institutions to care for the sick, to bring education to
all those who may seek it, to promote and disseminate a thorough
understanding of art--in short, to promote the intellectual as
well as the material welfare of that most enterprising of all
British peoples--the Canadian nation.
Richard B. Angus was born in Bathgate, Scotland, May 28, 1831,
and educated there. While in his native country he was employed
by the Manchester & Liverpool Bank for some time and in 1857
entered the offices of the Bank of Montreal in Canada. To the
present generation the name of R. B. Angus has been rightly
considered a synonym for the financial activity instituted by the
Bank of Montreal, for he has been connected with that institution
since 1857, having come out from Scotland to accept a position in
the bank in which at a later date he was to be for many years the
guiding hand. His keen mind, his adaptability to new conditions,
his shrewdness and his careful weighing of important questions
assured him of quick promotion and four years after he became
connected with the institution he was placed in charge of the
Chicago agency, in 1861 and in 1863 was agent for the bank in New
York.
During his sojourn in Chicago Mr. Angus became acquainted with
the spirit of the great west and what it was hoped might be
accomplished there. He saw the states of Illinois and Iowa
budding forth from prairie to splendidly developed communities
and reasoning by analogy he recognized what the future had in
store for the Canadian west following the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway. The splendid financial standing of the
Canadian Pacific Railway Company today is also in a measure due
to the wisdom of this man, whom no doubt Sir Thomas Shaughnessy
considers one of his wisest counsellors.
In 1864 Mr. Angus returned to Montreal to become second assistant
manager of the Bank of Montreal, was later appointed assistant
manager and became manager in 1868. In 1869, or two years after
the union of the British North American colonies, Mr. Angus was
appointed general manager of the Bank of Montreal, a position
which he held until November 1, 1879. It is said that during
these ten years his advice was sought many times by the different
finance ministers of the Dominion not only as regards federal
loans but also concerning the general financial policy of the
country. Although a native of Scotland, where free trade exists,
Mr. Angus looked with favor upon the protectionist program,
which triumphed in Canada on the 18th of September, 1878. He
saw therein a means whereby the Dominion could become a great
manufacturing country, and he has lived long enough to see the
splendid fruition of that policy.
After his ten years’ tenure of office as general manager of
the Bank of Montreal Mr. Angus was called to another sphere of
usefulness. When several prominent men connected with the Bank of
Montreal bought out the Dutch interests in what was then called
the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway, those interested,
realizing the ability of Mr. Angus as a financier and organizer,
asked him to leave the bank and become the representative of
their interests in St. Paul. Accepting the management of the
railway, his great success during the two years of his residence
in the American northwest has become a part of the history not
only of the American but also of the Canadian northwest. Mr.
Angus was one of the first promoters of the Canadian Pacific
Railway. He was among the earliest to recognize the stupendous
success which would attend the project if there was carried out
an enlightened policy of settlement and industrial expansion.
A syndicate was formed, with Mr. George Stephen, later Lord
Mount Stephen, and Mr. Donald A. Smith, later Lord Strathcona,
as its leading spirits. Mr. Angus was one of the original
body and he has remained in connection with the incorporated
company ever since as one of its directors. He advised upon the
strategic points where the chief entrenchments of the first
transcontinental road should be laid out and he pointed out the
spots where the Bank of Montreal could most effectively plant
its branches. This policy of his had a great deal to do with
the expansion which has brought the capitalization of the Bank
of Montreal and the Canadian Pacific Railway up to the present
colossal figures.
As general manager of the Bank of Montreal Mr. Angus served
under four presidents, namely, T. B. Anderson, E. H. King, David
Torrance and George Stephen, now Lord Mount Stephen, and he and
the latter are the only ones of the number yet living. He also
sat as director with Lord Strathcona and Sir George A. Drummond,
succeeding the latter to the presidency of the bank July 22,
1910. All admit that no one of that galaxy of financiers who have
year after year sat at the historic round table ever rendered
greater service to the institution than R. B. Angus.
At an age when most men throw off official cares and
responsibilities to enjoy the leisure which prosperity has
brought them Mr. Angus in his octogenarian prime took up as
cheerfully as would a man of forty the principal position in
Canada’s foremost financial institution. In November, 1913, on
account of advancing years and a desire to be relieved of all
financial burdens of a public character, Mr. Angus resigned the
presidency of the Bank of Montreal, but remains a member of the
board and continues to give the institution the benefit of his
ripe, wide and valuable experience.
That worth hath its reward is evident in Mr. Angus’ career, who
is rated today as one of the richest men in Montreal. However,
he seems to consider himself more in the light of a steward of
his vast property interests, for he freely and liberally has
given of his means and made handsome contributions to numerous
institutions. Among these is the Montreal Art Association, of
which he was formerly president and to which he gave money and
several valuable paintings. He also supported McGill University
with a considerable sum and gave to the Alexandra Contagious
Diseases Hospital of Montreal, of which he is a governor and
was a founder. He was president of the Royal Victoria Hospital,
which institution he also has liberally supported, and is a
vice president of the Royal Victorian Order of Nurses. The
Charity Organization Society, of which he is a director, has
also benefited in a material way and by his timely advice. Mr.
Angus was also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital. An
honor to his race and one of the foremost representatives among
Scotchmen in Canada, he served several times as president of the
St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal. Mr. Angus was governor of the
Fraser Institute Free Public Library and is an honorary member of
the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montreal.
Among commercial and financial institutions with which he has
been or is connected are the Canadian Pacific Railway Company,
the Laurentide Paper Company, the Dominion Coal Company, the
Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the Dominion Bridge Company, the
Royal Trust Company, the Grand Falls Power Company, the Pacific
Coal Company, the Canadian Salt Company, the Northwest Land
Company and the London & Lancashire Life Assurance Company.
Mr. Angus has always taken a deep interest in public institutions
and was one of the chief promoters of the board of control in
Montreal, which was founded in 1909. He has ever placed his
services at the disposal of such affairs as have made for a
greater and better Canada. In 1910 knighthood was offered to him,
but he declined the honor.
Among the clubs of which Mr. Angus is a member are: the St.
James, of which he was formerly chairman; the Mount Royal, of
which he was a founder and of which he has served as president;
the Montreal Jockey; the Auto and Aero Club; the Forest and
Stream Club; and the Winter Club. He also is a member of the
Rideau Club of Ottawa, the Toronto Club, the York Club of Toronto
and the Manitoba Club of Winnipeg.
On June 13, 1857, Angus was married to Miss Mary Anne Daniels,
who died March 13, 1913. To them were born three sons and six
daughters, two of the latter being deceased.
In religious matters Mr. Angus adheres to the stern faith of his
fathers, being a Presbyterian. It may be said of him that in all
fields in which he has exerted his activities he has excelled.
Quiet in demeanor, he is purposeful and unconsciously exerts an
influence which makes for domination. That this domination is
always used to good purpose and for the benefit of his country
and its people stands to his high credit. Sir Sandford Fleming
paid him high compliment as a banker in the words that he is
a man who “in every way is a credit to the great institution
over which he so worthily presides,” and the Montreal Star
characterizes him as “one of Canada’s prominent and most highly
respected financiers.” Mr. Angus is a true Scotchman, a truer
Canadian, but best of all--a man worthy of the name.
LEONIDAS VILLENEUVE.
From a comparatively humble position in business circles Leonidas
Villeneuve advanced until he ranked with the millionaire
merchants of Montreal and throughout his entire career his record
was such as any man might be proud to possess, bringing to him
the respect of colleagues and contemporaries. The record of his
career, showing the steps in his orderly progression, may serve
as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others and in
this biography finds its chief motive and value.
Mr. Villeneuve was born in Terrebonne county, at Ste. Anne des
Plaines, a son of Joachim Villeneuve, who was a farmer there. His
boyhood and youth were uneventfully passed, but when twenty years
of age he determined to try his fortune in the commercial field.
He was attracted to the lumber business and, believing that he
would find it congenial and profitable, he established a small
lumberyard north of Mount Royal Avenue, in the ownership and
conduct of which he was first associated with the late Senator J.
O. Villeneuve. Gradually he advanced toward the goal of success,
his business growing with the development of the district. He
remained at its head until his death, eventually conducting an
extensive business under the name of the L. Villeneuve Company.
This brought him substantial returns and his fortune also arose
through his wise and judicious investments in real estate. From
time to time he added to his holdings and, when there was a
real-estate boom in the district, he had extensive holdings, a
portion of which he sold, realizing therefrom a handsome fortune.
Mr. Villeneuve was a prominent figure in local circles in
connection with the growth and progress of his section. When the
district north of Mount Royal Avenue gradually developed from
a sparsely settled region into a fast growing town he was one
of the leading spirits in planning roadways, parks and public
improvements. To him in great measure it is due that, with its
wide streets and well built homes, Laurier ward is among the most
attractive in this city. He was for twenty years associated with
the municipal life of Ville St. Louis, first serving as alderman
and afterward for three terms as mayor.
In politics Mr. Villeneuve was a stalwart conservative, but while
working actively in the party and doing everything in his power
to promote its growth and secure its success, he could never be
tempted to try his fortune in either the federal or provincial
fields, although he was requested on many occasions to carry the
party banner. He was universally respected for his unswerving
business honesty and uprightness, and upon these qualities as a
foundation he builded his success, which placed him among the
leaders in his particular line in eastern Canada. His sound
judgment enabled him to correctly value those things which go to
make up life’s contacts and experiences. His opinions were sound,
his enterprise unfaltering and his activities were of a character
that contributed to the public welfare as well as to individual
success. Mr. Villeneuve was a member of the Roman Catholic
church, and took a great deal of interest in church affairs.
[Illustration: LEONIDAS VILLENEUVE]
Mr. Villeneuve was married twice. His first wife was Malvina
Joyal, a sister of Dr. Joyal, of Montreal, and to them was born
a son, J. Arthur, who was educated in Montreal and traveled
extensively with his father in Europe. He married Miss Yvonne
Lariviere, of Montreal, and has a son, Jean Leonidas, born
July 11, 1913. J. Arthur Villeneuve is vice president of the
L. Villeneuve Company and of the Eagle Lumber Company and is a
worthy successor of his father in connection with the lumber
industry of the country. For his second wife Leonidas Villeneuve
chose Dame Exilda Bergeron, who also survives. His life of
intense and intelligently directed activity brought him success
and, moreover, he always followed constructive methods in his
business career, so that his path was never strewn with the wreck
of other men’s fortunes.
HENRY R. GRAY.
Tangible evidence of the public spirit of Henry R. Gray is found
in his service as chairman of the board of health and the radical
and effective measures which he took in preventing the spread of
a small-pox epidemic. He did equally efficient work in promoting
sanitary conditions in Montreal along various lines and at the
same time he occupied a prominent position as a representative
of the pharmaceutical profession. He was born December 30, 1838,
in Boston, Lincolnshire, England, and pursued his education at
Standard Hill, Nottingham, the head master of the school being
William Goodacre, the well known author of several standard
educational works. He was afterward articled for five years to
William March, chemist and apothecary, at Newark, England, and
subsequently pursued a course of lectures on chemistry under the
celebrated Roscoe in Manchester.
Coming to Canada when twenty-one years of age, Mr. Gray
established his business in Montreal in 1859 and for several
years devoted his attention to the study of sanitary science
and particularly to the question of the sanitation of cities.
He was connected with every movement to improve the sanitary
condition of Montreal and his labors were of far-reaching
benefit. He became one of the originators of the Pharmaceutical
Association of the province, of which he was elected secretary
and later treasurer and vice president. He was next called to
the presidency, serving for three consecutive years and also as
a member of the board of examiners. He became one of the charter
members of the Montreal College of Pharmacy and for two years was
its president.
In 1884 he was elected alderman of the St. Lawrence ward and soon
afterward was unanimously chosen by the city council as chairman
of the local board of health, serving in that difficult position
during the whole of the disastrous epidemic of small-pox which
devastated the city and province in 1885 and 1886. When the
disease broke out and the death rate amounted to twenty-five per
day, there was little civic organization to prevent the spread
of disease or further the promotion of sanitary conditions.
Vaccination was opposed, but Mr. Gray organized a vigorous
campaign to stamp out the disease and obtained the passage of
by-laws insisting on free and compulsory vaccination. He also
organized a civic hospital and insisted on all the small-pox
patients being sent to the isolation hospital. Through this and
other emergency methods he allayed the general fear and stamped
out the disease. It was in that year that he succeeded in getting
a by-law through the city council requiring all household refuse
to be cremated, and shortly afterward crematories were erected
and a contract for five years’ collection and cremation given out.
After having served a three years’ term as alderman Mr. Gray
declined reelection. He was appointed by the government a justice
of the peace and a member of the council of public instruction
for the province of Quebec and was elected to represent it on
the corporation of the polytechnic school of this city. He was
likewise a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital and
the Notre Dame Hospital. When the public health act passed the
legislature, shortly after the small-pox epidemic, Mr. Gray, who
in addition to his aldermanic duties had been a member of the old
central board of health for the province, was appointed a member
of the new provincial board of health then created and remained a
member until his death. In 1885 he was elected membre honoraire
de la Société d’Hygiène Française of Paris, France. After his
retirement from the city council he was requested by a number
of leading citizens of all parties and creeds to accept the
nomination of mayor, but owing to business reasons he was obliged
to decline.
Mr. Gray married Miss Catherine Margaret McGale, the youngest
daughter of the late Dr. Bernard McGale, who was a member of
the army medical staff. Mr. Gray died February 18, 1908, and
is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son, Dr. H. R.
Dunstan Gray. The memory of his well spent life is cherished by
all who were his contemporaries and his colleagues, and the worth
of his work is recognized by all who know aught of the history of
Montreal.
JAMES JOHNSTON.
Throughout an active, commercial career James Johnston was
engaged in importing and dealing in English and foreign dry
goods, in which connection he built up an enterprise of extensive
and gratifying proportions, his becoming one of the leading
commercial houses of Montreal. He was born March 20, 1849, a son
of James and Mary (Burns) Johnston, both of whom were natives
of Scotland, who, coming to the new world in early life, were
married in Montreal. The father, who was born in 1819, passed
away in this city on the 27th of May, 1882.
Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, James
Johnston pursued his education in the schools of Montreal and
Quebec and, entering business circles, he became connected with
the firm of James Johnston & Company, importers of and dealers in
dry goods of English and foreign manufacture, of which his father
was the head. After the death of his father he became head of the
business, devoting his entire attention to the development of a
trade which grew to large and gratifying proportions, making his
one of the leading dry-goods establishments in the city. Since
his demise the store has been sold and is now conducted under the
firm style of W. R. Brock Company, Ltd.
Mr. Johnston was married in Montreal, in 1876, to Miss Agnes
Grant Robertson, a daughter of Andrew Robertson, who was a
prominent resident of this city. By this marriage there were
eight children of whom seven are living. The family circle was
broken by the hand of death when on the 14th of July, 1899,
James Johnston was called to his final rest. His interests and
activities, aside from business, are indicated by the fact that
he held membership in the St. James Club, the Metropolitan
Club, the Hunt Club, the Forest and Stream Club, and St.
Paul’s Presbyterian church. He was always actuated by high and
manly principles and worthy motives, and he left to his family
the priceless heritage of an untarnished name as well as the
substantial reward of his business enterprise and sagacity.
MICHAEL JAMES WALSH.
Michael James Walsh is prominent along various lines of activity
in Montreal, where he is widely known as a successful insurance
broker but has also actively participated in an important way in
political and governmental affairs and is moreover widely known
in fraternal circles. Of good Irish stock, he has brought the
sturdiness of his ancestors to the task at hand and has attained
a success which entitles him to consideration as one of the
substantial men of his community and a power for progress and
improvement in the political field.
A native of Montreal, Michael James Walsh was born on the
2d of September, 1858, a son of Mark and Catherine (Nolan)
Walsh, both natives of County Wexford, Ireland. The father was
prominent as a contractor and everywhere in this city respected
as a successful business man. Michael J. Walsh received his
education at St. Ann’s parish, Christian Brothers School, and
upon discontinuing his lessons became connected with the Grand
Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railways, remaining for about ten
years in their employ in their store departments. He then set
out independently, becoming an insurance broker, and by native
shrewdness and ability to understand commercial conditions has
succeeded in building up a business which ranks him among the
foremost men in his line in Montreal. When his private affairs
permitted him to devote some of his time to the public weal
he entered politics with the same zest as he displayed in his
private business affairs and as a result was elected alderman of
the St. Ann’s ward on February 1, 1902, continuing in that office
for four years or until February 1, 1906, and doing valuable work
in promoting measures which have been of far-reaching benefit
to the city. On November 25, 1904, he was also elected a member
of the Quebec provincial legislature and on December 28, 1908,
reelected to that office, continuing therein until May 15, 1912.
His legislative career has been one of success and his record has
been so clear that his constituents may well be proud of their
representative. He has done much in supporting valuable bills,
especially those undertaken in the interest of his constituents,
and has ever been active in committee rooms and on the floor of
the house in sustaining or promoting constructive legislation.
His political position is that of a liberal, and he always has
been a stanch supporter of that grand man of the liberal party,
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
On October 9, 1882, at Montreal, in St. Henry parish church, Mr.
Walsh was married to Mary Jane Barry, a daughter of David Barry,
mechanical superintendent of the Canada Sugar Refinery, and Mary
O’Leary, both natives of County Cork, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Walsh
became the parents of two sons. Joseph Christopher Barry Walsh,
B. A., B. C. L., is a well known notary public. The other son
born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Walsh is David Robert Barry
Walsh, who graduated from Loyola College and is now successfully
engaged in the insurance business, being inspector for the Royal
Exchange Association. Both sons are young men of excellent habits
and qualifications.
As the years have passed Mr. Walsh has become connected with
a number of outside interests and is now a director in the
People’s Mutual Building Society and for many years has been a
member of the Montreal Board of Trade, doing in that connection
important work in promoting commercial expansion. Fraternally he
is very prominent and has held high offices in the Knights of
Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Catholic Mutual
Benefit Association, the Canadian Order of Foresters, the Royal
Guardians, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and in St. Patrick’s
Society. A man of varied and important interests, Mr. Walsh has
made an honorable record in business as well as in municipal
and provincial politics and enjoys the full confidence of the
best classes of population. In him there is strongly developed
the quality of loyalty, and it is his devotion to a cause which
has led him into the important relations with which he is now
connected. He may justly be classed with Montreal’s leading
citizens, and the position which he has attained is the more
creditable as it has been brought about entirely by his own
efforts.
JAMES BELL, M. D.
Notable service in the field of abdominal surgery won for Dr.
James Bell an international reputation. His broad study and
research made him a scientist of renown and his opinions were
largely accepted as authority by the profession which recognized
him not only as an eminent surgeon, but equally capable educator.
He was born at North Gower, Ontario, in 1852, and after acquiring
his early education in local schools and by private tuition,
he entered McGill University and was graduated as Holmes’ gold
medallist in 1877, a fact indicative of the excellent work which
he had done in his student days. He was immediately appointed
house surgeon in the Montreal General Hospital, which position
he held until 1882, gaining that broad practical experience and
knowledge which only hospital practice can bring. In 1880 he
became medical superintendent of the Montreal General Hospital
and in 1885 was appointed to the position of assistant surgeon,
followed by appointment as surgeon a year later. He filled
the position with distinction for eight years and then became
surgeon of the new Royal Victoria Hospital in 1894, remaining
in that connection until his demise. As the years passed his
skill and ability constantly increased and developed and his
reputation spread abroad until he was acknowledged not only one
of the eminent surgeons of Canada, but also, by reason of his
specialty in abdominal work, as one of the most distinguished
representatives of the profession on the American continent. He
became just as widely known in connection with surgical work for
the treatment of gall stones and kidney diseases. In addition
to his other hospital service he was consulting surgeon of the
Children’s Hospital. After going to Victoria Hospital he remained
a consulting surgeon of the Montreal General Hospital and also
acted in a similar capacity at the Maternity Hospital.
[Illustration: DR. JAMES BELL]
His connection with McGill University was equally brilliant,
for through many years he was one of its able educators in the
medical department. In 1888 he was appointed associate professor
of clinical surgery. In 1890 he was made assistant professor of
surgery and clinical surgery; in 1895, professor of clinical
surgery, and in 1907, professor of surgery and clinical surgery.
He held membership in the American Surgical Association and the
Canadian Surgical Association, and he served as surgeon major
in charge of the field hospital corps in the Riel rebellion,
receiving a medal for his services, while between 1880 and 1888,
he was surgeon to the Sixth Battalion of Fusiliers. He was
the author of various valuable papers, including one entitled
Tubercular Family History, and his contributions to the press
have ever been eagerly received. He was the author of the chapter
on Surgical Diseases and Wounds of the Kidneys and Ureters
in American Practice of Surgery as well as numerous valuable
treatises on the kidneys. He was a member of the Genito-Urinary
branch of the American Medical Association in which he
represented the Canadian Medical Association. As a diagnostician
he had few equals and he possessed a medical technique that was
marvelous. One of his strongest traits of character was his utter
fearlessness. He spoke his own mind and was seldom misunderstood.
He never catered to cheaply acquired popularity or public opinion
and always had the courage of his convictions. He spoke what he
thought to be the truth no matter who it opposed or offended.
He thoroughly detested sham or deceit and was self-contained,
quiet and self-reliant in connection with all of his professional
service.
Dr. Bell was married in June, 1889, to Miss Edith Mary Arnton,
the eldest daughter of the late John J. Arnton, of Montreal, and
they had one son, James Stuart Ethelwyn Wallace, who was born
February 15, 1899, and in accordance with the wish of his father
is preparing for the medical course at McGill. Dr. Bell was a
member of a number of the leading clubs, including St. James, the
Montreal Jockey, the Mount Royal and the University Clubs. He was
for more than twenty years one of the enthusiastic members of the
Montreal Hunt Club and for many years followed the hounds. He
greatly enjoyed outdoor life, much more than so-called society
and said with Byron,
“I love not man the less but nature more.”
He was fond of hunting and fishing and it was his custom each
year to hunt big game in New Brunswick where he was often a guest
at August Belmont’s private shooting preserve. Dr. Bell was also
a member of the Chapleau Club in the Laurentians where he went
for his fishing. His country home, Saraguay, was his residence
during four months in the year for more than eighteen years. Here
he maintained a fine breeding establishment of driving and saddle
horses and was able to gratify the great pleasure his excellent
stock afforded him, for he was a lover of a good horse.
No man ever more fully, however, recognized the duties and
obligations of the profession or more conscientiously met them.
The regard entertained for him by his professional brethren is
indicated in the fact that Dr. C. E. Church termed him “the
ablest surgeon in America,” while Dr. T. G. Roddick said, “the
death of Dr. James Bell is a distinct loss to the medical and
surgical profession. He was a man of marked ability, with
conscientious devotion to his work, which earned him the respect
of his fellows, as well as success amongst his patients. And
he was not only respected by the profession throughout the
country, but loved by his friends.” In comment upon his death the
Montreal Gazette wrote, “One of the men who have done much for
the advancement of the medical profession in Canada passed away
yesterday when Dr. James Bell, in the ripe fullness of a useful
career, was carried off by appendicitis. It was by a curious
irony of fate that Dr. Bell died most unexpectedly at the Royal
Victoria Hospital, in whose wards still lay many upon whom he had
operated, and whose lives he had probably saved by his skill.
For many years Dr. Bell had been recognized as one of Canada’s
leading surgeons, in fact one of the greatest surgeons in
abdominal work on this continent and his services were in great
demand, not only in Montreal, but wherever the work of a skillful
scientist whose immediate judgment and power might be efficacious
to save human life, was needed. Day by day he had been working in
the operating room of the Royal Victoria Hospital and the sick
rooms of patients, in circumstances where a single mistake might
mean loss of life. The strain was much greater than ordinary
people could have imagined. He was one of those men who devoted
themselves to their work so well and performed it so efficiently
that there was no need to fight for prominence. His work was such
that it inevitably grew. As his ability became known his services
became more in demand and in a quiet and conscientious way he
gradually became one of the recognized surgical authorities of
his time and one of the busiest. Not only in Montreal but in many
parts of Canada he was called upon wherever there was a stern
fight against death, and frequently he was called to exercise
his skill even farther afield in the United States. Those who
knew him as either surgeon or as friend will remember him as one
who knew his work and did it well, without thought of public
recognition.”
Dr. Bell was actively engaged in professional duties almost
to the closing hours of his life. On the last day he visited
Victoria Hospital he performed an operation in the forenoon. In
the evening of the same day he was taken ill and the end came
a few days later. The board of governors of the Royal Victoria
Hospital caused to be made a bronze bust of Dr. Bell which was
placed in the main hall of that hospital. The significance of
this action is better understood when it is known that but one
other bust is there shown--that of Queen Victoria.
JOSEPH OVIDE GRAVEL.
Joseph Ovide Gravel, for many years manager and executor of the
John Pratt estate in Montreal and prominently connected with
other important corporate and business interests of the city, was
born here in 1839. He acquired his education in the commercial
schools of the city and in 1854 began a business career which
brought him constantly increasing prominence and prosperity.
From that date until 1863 he was connected with the firm of
Benning & Barsalou and was then made secretary-treasurer of the
Canadian Rubber Company, taking an active part in the affairs of
that concern until 1899. He was later a director in the Canadian
Linseed Oil Mills, a trustee of the Guardian Assurance Company,
president of the Sincennes-McNaughton line and of the Dominion
Oil Cloth Company. He became known as a reliable, forceful and
discriminating business man, one who always carried forward to
successful completion whatever he undertook, and he made his
ability and insight the basis of a substantial and well deserved
success. He married Aurelie La Rocque. His son, C. E. Gravel, is
now in charge of the Pratt estate and is ably carrying forward
his father’s work in its management.
JOSEPH LOUIS ARCHAMBAULT.
Joseph Louis Archambault, of Montreal, whose reputation as a
distinguished and able lawyer has made him well known throughout
the province and who is now filling the position of city
attorney, was born at Varennes, June 19, 1849, a son of the late
J. N. A. and Aurelie (Mongeau) Archambault. The father, who was
“a patriot of 1837,” became president of the provincial board of
notaries in Quebec and was a distinguished representative of his
profession. The son supplemented his early education by study
in the College of St. Hyacinthe and in broad literary training
laid the foundation upon which he has built the superstructure
of professional knowledge. He pursued his law studies under the
direction of the late Sir George Cartier and at the same time
followed the law course in McGill University, which conferred
upon him the B. C. L. degree in 1871. The same year he entered
upon active practice as an advocate and has since remained
a member of the Montreal bar, although his growing powers
and capabilities have won him place among the leaders of the
profession in the province. He was created a king’s counsel
by the Marquis of Lansdowne in 1887 and became a member of
the council of the bar in 1889. For some years he filled the
position of crown prosecutor for the district of Montreal and has
frequently pleaded before the judicial committee of the privy
council in England, having charge of important cases from Canada.
He became city attorney of Montreal in 1898 and in the discharge
of his official duties has won high honors and encomiums. He has
always enjoyed a large private practice and in following his
profession has been associated successively as law partner with
Sir J. A. Chapleau, Q. C., the Hon. J. A. Mousseau, Q. C. and the
Hon. W. W. Linch, Q. C. He has written quite extensively on legal
subjects for the newspaper and magazine press and is the author
of a number of published volumes, including: Jacques Cartier,
an Historical Drama (1879); Etude Legale sur l’Université Laval
à Montreal (1880); Institutions Municipales (1887); Le Barreau
Canadien au Conseil Privé (1889); Généalogie de la Famille
Archambault, 1620-1890 (1891); La Bourgeoisie au Canada, Two
Lectures (1894); The Criminal Forum in Canada (1895); and Etude
de Moeurs Judiciares (1897). His opinions upon involved legal
questions are largely accepted as authority by the profession
and the public. He served as batonnier or president of the
Montreal bar in 1912 and 1913. In addition to his law practice he
is one of the directors of the Rolland Paper Company.
Mr. Archambault was married in Montreal in June, 1873, to Miss
Ernestine, the eldest daughter of the late Senator Rolland,
of Montreal. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Archambault are
Catholics, and his political belief is that of the conservative
party. He belongs to the Canadian Club and those who meet him
socially find him an entertaining, genial and cultured gentleman
whose ways are those of refinement and whose word no man can
question. The Montreal Star has said of him: “His career has
been marked with continuous success and great devotion to the
legal profession.” His prominence is the logical outcome of well
developed talents and powers and he is justly accounted today one
of the leaders of the provincial bar.
JOHN CLEMENT NEUFVILLE BADGLEY.
The Badgley family is one of the old and prominent families of
Montreal, their connection with the city’s history dating back to
1785.
Four generations of this family have been prominently identified
with the city’s business and professional interests. John C. N.
Badgley, active in business circles for many years, remained a
resident of this city from his birth on December 7, 1856, until
his death on March 7, 1906.
He was a son of the Hon. William Badgley, D. C. L., one of the
eminent representatives of the judiciary of the province, and a
nephew of Dr. Francis Badgley, one of the most prominent members
of the medical profession of his day and an early member of the
McGill College faculty. Dr. Badgley died in England where he
resided the latter years of his life.
Hon. William Badgley, whose entire life was spent in Montreal,
was born in this city, March 27, 1801, his parents being Francis
and Elizabeth (Lilly) Badgley. The father, a representative of
an old Derbyshire family, was born in London and for years was a
well known Montreal merchant. He was likewise a recognized leader
in political circles and represented his city in the provincial
parliament from 1801 until 1805. The father of the Hon. William
Badgley, Francis Badgley, was one of the early settlers of
Montreal, arriving in 1785. Francis Badgley became one of the
prominent fur merchants in Montreal and married Elizabeth Lilly,
daughter of John Lilly.
William Badgley, after pursuing his more specifically literary
education with the Rev. Alexander Skakel, studied law in Montreal
and was admitted to the bar in November, 1823. He entered at
once upon active and successful practice, was created queen’s
counsellor in 1847 and received the honorary degree of Doctor
of Civil Law from McGill University in 1843. For about twenty
years he practised his profession in Montreal and gained
distinction as a barrister. He was also the author of a work
called Remarks on Registrar’s Office which was published in
1837. In 1840 he was called to public life in his appointment
as commissioner of bankrupts, in which capacity he served until
1844, when he was appointed circuit judge. He was also secretary
of the Constitutional Association which aided in the reunion
of the Canadas in 1841 and two or three years before that act
was consummated he was one of the delegates sent to England to
further the movement. He continued upon the bench as circuit
judge until 1847 and then resumed the private practice of law.
Judicial honors, however, were again conferred upon him when
on the 27th of January, 1855, he was appointed puisne judge of
the superior court of Lower Canada, so continuing until the
1st of September, 1862, when he was transferred to the court
of queen’s bench as temporary assistant judge. Later he was
appointed puisne judge of that court on the 17th of August, 1866,
and after presiding over its proceedings for eight years was
retired on a pension in June, 1874, because of partial deafness.
Devotedly attached to his profession, systematic and methodical
in habit, sober and discreet in judgment, calm in temper,
diligent in research, conscientious in the discharge of every
duty, courteous and kindly in demeanor and inflexibly just on all
occasions, these qualities enabled his honor, William Badgley,
to take first rank among those who have held high judicial
offices in the province. His reported opinions are monuments to
his profound legal learning and superior ability. They show a
thorough mastery of the questions involved, a rare simplicity of
style and a remarkable terseness and clearness in the statement
of the principles upon which the opinions rest. His name is
also interwoven with the history of legislation for he sat for
Missisquoi in the Canadian assembly from 1844 until 1851, and
for the city of Montreal from the latter date until the general
election in 1854. He was a member of the executive council and
attorney general for Lower Canada from April 23, 1847, to March
10, 1848. He always gave stanch allegiance to the conservative
party, feeling that in its principles lay the strongest elements
of good government. His fraternal connections were with the
Masons, and he was district and provincial grand master for
England from December, 1849, until his demise.
With him passed away one of the links which have bound the
bustling men of middle age today with a generation of which
the youth of today know but very little, of men more proud and
precise in their manners than we are, and whose courtesy and
politeness was a part of their daily life. The loss of their
influence and example is no small one.
In 1834, in London, England, Judge Badgley was married to Miss
Elizabeth Taylor, the eldest daughter of Lieutenant Colonel J. W.
Taylor of the Twentieth Regiment B. N. T. Six children were born
to this marriage; the wife and mother passed away in 1874.
John C. N. Badgley, youngest son of the Hon. William Badgley,
pursued his education in Montreal high school and McGill
University after spending some time as a student at Port
Hope. When a young man he engaged in the coal business and
was connected with that department of commercial activity in
Montreal throughout his entire life. He became one of the active
business men of this city, his energy and enterprise leading him
into important, commercial relations and winning for him a high
standing as a business man and citizen.
He married Miss Mary E. Badgley, a daughter of Francis H. and
Margaret (Drummond) Badgley of Ottawa.
John C. N. Badgley not only figured prominently in commercial
circles but was also a well known member of the Board of Trade,
a past master of St. Paul’s Lodge of Masons and a member of the
Christ Church cathedral. His death on March 7, 1906, left a
widow, son and daughter. The latter, Elizabeth Ruth, married
October 10, 1913, John William Shaw of Montreal, while the
former, Clement Montagu, was born September 17, 1886, in Montreal
and is the fourth generation of the Badgley family that have
been connected with Montreal’s business interests. He finished
his education in this city and after spending some time in
travel abroad, concluded to enter upon a business, rather than
a professional, career. He was in the employ of the Liverpool
& London & Globe Insurance Company for a time, after which he
became assistant head clerk for the Atlas Insurance Company.
With the valuable experience thus gained, Mr. Badgley entered
the insurance and real-estate business on his own account, and
at once secured a clientele that gave him a high position among
the best class of men in this line of business. He subsequently
became associated with David A. Lewis, as the firm of Lewis
& Badgley, in real estate and insurance, with offices in the
Merchants Bank building.
Mr. Badgley is a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic
Association, and the Canadian Club.
JAMES ROSS.
For almost a half century James Ross was intimately associated
with the growth and development of Canada and was an active
factor in establishing, building and promoting many of the
leading national and municipal railways of the country. It was
under him that Sir William Mackenzie started his career and
subsequently he cooperated with him in various enterprises
throughout the world. He was also a long-time associate of Sir
Sandford Fleming, Sir William Van Horne, Sir Thomas Shaughnessy
and Lord Strathcona, more particularly in the ’80s, in the
building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was also actively
interested in the executive control of the Montreal and Toronto
street railways from 1892. The extent and importance of his
business interests and investments made him therefore a most
prominent factor in the upbuilding and development of the country
and his name is inseparably interwoven with the history of Canada.
Mr. Ross was a son of the late Captain John Ross, merchant
and ship owner, and Mary B. (McKedie) Ross, formerly of
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. His birth occurred in the year 1848
at Cromarty, Scotland, and after attending Inverness Academy in
his native land he continued his studies in England. His initial
step in the business world brought him into connection with
railway, harbor and water works in Great Britain. Following his
arrival in America he was appointed, in 1870, to the position of
resident engineer of the Ulster & Delaware Railway, of which road
he afterward became chief engineer. In 1872 he acted as resident
engineer of the Wisconsin Central Railway and subsequently
held a similar position with the Lake Ontario Shore road. It
was not long before his efficiency as an engineer won him wide
recognition and he was offered the position of chief engineer of
the Victoria Railway, of which he subsequently became general
manager. He was one of the most successful railway builders and
owners in the Dominion, the construction of the Canadian
Pacific over the Rockies being due to his power of organization
and engineering ability, and when Sir Donald Smith, later Lord
Strathcona, drove the last spike of the road, no one of that
historic group held a higher place in public regard in Canada
than Mr. Ross.
[Illustration: JAMES ROSS]