the Maidenhead high school and then served as a cadet on H. M. S.
School Ship Conway. Naval life having a particular attraction for
him, he entered the mercantile marine and served for some time
in sailing vessels of the White Star line. He was an officer in
connection with various steamship lines and was doing service on
boats which carried British troops during the South African war.
In 1901 he joined the Canadian Pacific steamship lines and served
as an officer on various ships until he was appointed to his
present important position of assistant superintendent in 1908.
Mr. Eliott’s naval career includes the following appointments:
midshipman, R. N. R., 1890; appointed acting lieutenant in H. M.
S. Jupiter in 1900, having gone through the gunnery and torpedo
course; received naval reserve decoration for fifteen years’
service in commissioned rank; retired in 1912 as commander.
In 1908, in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Eliott married Miss Edith
Aspden, a daughter of Thomas Aspden, of Lancashire, and later of
Chicago, Illinois, and Toronto. Mr. Eliott is a member of the
Church of England and upholds conservative principles at the
polls. His club is that of the Commercial Travelers of Montreal.
AURELIEN BOYER.
Aurelien Boyer, a man of recognized professional ability and
prominence, who since 1899 has been an associate member of the
Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, was born in Montreal and
pursued his education in schools of the city. He was graduated
with honors as civil engineer and metallurgist from Ecole
Polytechnique, a department of Laval University, with the class
of 1896 and at once entered upon the active work of his chosen
profession. He was in charge of the survey and location of the
Yukon telegraph line and resigned from the department of public
works of Canada after his appointment as superintendent of
government telegraphs and cables for Quebec and the maritime
provinces. In 1905 he was chemical engineer and local manager of
the A. D. Gall Petroleum & Chemical Company, having charge of
their wood distillation plant at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and in
1909 became vice president and chief engineer of the Duckworth
Boyer Engineering & Inspection Company, Ltd., which was later
consolidated with the Canadian Inspection Company, Ltd., under
the name of the Canadian Inspection & Testing Laboratories, Ltd.
Of the latter company he is now vice president and treasurer.
Scientific knowledge, acquired skill and ability have brought him
to a place in the front rank of those who are engaged in similar
enterprises in the province.
In June, 1903, Mr. Boyer married Madame Elmira Corinne Dufresne,
of Three Rivers, Quebec. He belongs to the Engineers Club
and the Winchester Club. He is now a member of the board of
administration of L’Ecole Polytechnique and a director of
Association des Anciens Elèves de L’Ecole Polytechnique.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES GEORGE ROSS.
Lieutenant Colonel James George Ross, president of the Ross
Realty Company, Ltd., and favorably known in Montreal as a
prominent figure in financial circles, was born in this city,
October 18, 1861, a son of the late Phillip Simpson and Christina
Chalmers (Dansken) Ross, both of whom were natives of Scotland.
His early education was acquired in private schools, with
later attendance at the high school of Montreal and subsequent
attendance at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, from
which he was graduated with the class of 1881.
Mr. Ross went to the northwest upon an extended trip with a
view to settling there, but returned to Montreal and associated
himself with his father, who was a representative of the
profession of chartered accountant. Shortly afterward he was
admitted to partnership with his brother, the business being
carried on under the firm style of P. S. Ross & Sons, and on
the death of his father he became the head of the firm. He
is a chartered accountant and a member of the Association of
Accountants and is a fellow of the Dominion Association of
Chartered Accountants. Aside from his business in that connection
he is president of the Ross Realty Company, Ltd., and as such
figures prominently in real-estate circles, negotiating and
managing many important property transfers.
Mr. Ross has always evinced a great interest in military matters.
In 1879 he joined the Ontario Field Battery, retiring in the year
1883. In 1884 he held a commission as officer in the Victoria
Rifles, retiring in 1891 with the rank of captain. In 1898 he
joined the Fifth Royal Highlanders and in 1899 was gazetted
captain while in August, 1906, he was promoted to the rank of
major and in May, 1909, was made lieutenant colonel. In 1907 he
received the Long Service medal for officers having served for
twenty years. He is in active connection with the Montreal Board
of Trade and is a director of the Crown Trust Company. His
interest and support extend to charitable and benevolent projects
and he is a life governor of the Montreal Western Hospital.
Fraternally he is a Scottish Rite Mason, while in club circles he
is widely and favorably known, his membership being in the St.
James Club, Canada Club, Beaconsfield Golf Club, Canadian Club,
Montreal Curling Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, Montreal
Amateur Athletic Association, Westmount Athletic Club and the
Junior Army and Navy Club of London, England. In his younger days
he was very active in athletic sports, especially in running, and
he handled the snowshoe with expert skill. In 1887 it was claimed
that he was “the best man in Canada who ever strapped on a racing
shoe.” In the winter of 1888 he accompanied Lieutenant Schwatka
in the explorer’s trip through the Yellowstone Park and was the
only man who came out in as good shape as he went in.
[Illustration: LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES G. ROSS]
In March, 1891, Mr. Ross married Miss Alice Margaret Monk,
daughter of the late John Monk, an advocate of Montreal, and they
have two daughters, Marjorie and Evelyn.
THOMAS MUSSEN.
One of the best known merchants of the past generation in
Montreal, and a man whose well ordered life and high business
principles commanded the respect of all who knew him, was born in
1804, in Yorkshire, England, and came to Canada with his parents
in 1817, the family home being established in the south part of
the province of Quebec near the Vermont line.
Thomas Mussen early entered business life in Montreal, becoming
a clerk with the firm of William Smith & Company with whom he
remained for about ten years. He was careful with his earnings
and in 1827, he had saved sufficient capital to enable him to
purchase a small stock of dry goods, opening a store on St. Paul
Street, near Jacques Cartier Square, then the heart of the retail
district.
The business prospered from the first and when larger quarters
were demanded he removed to Notre Dame Street, at the corner of
St. Gabriel, being the first merchant to locate on Notre Dame
Street, and afterwards located at the corner of St. Lawrence
boulevard and Notre Dame Street, where he continued until 1865.
In that year the store was removed to Craig Street, near St.
Lawrence boulevard, where he continued until his new building was
erected at the corner of St. Lambert and Notre Dame. There the
business was successfully continued by him until his death April
5, 1892. Each removal had indicated a demand for larger quarters.
The business was marked by continuous growth and development
under the strong guiding hand of Mr. Mussen, who came to be
ranked with the leading merchants of the city. His store was one
of the leading commercial establishments of the province. After
the death of Mr. Mussen, the business was carried on by his sons,
William W. and Henry S., until 1900 when it was discontinued, the
brothers retiring from active business. William W. Mussen died in
1904 and Henry S. Mussen passed away in 1912.
Harold Beaufort Mussen, son of William W., and a well known
insurance and real-estate broker of Montreal, after acquiring his
education in the schools of his native city, entered the employ
of the Canada Atlantic Railway, where his developing powers
and ability won him promotion until he became general agent. He
continued with them until October, 1904, when after a service of
twelve years he withdrew to engage in business on his own account.
PETER LYALL.
In the death of Peter Lyall Montreal lost a citizen who left
the impress of his individuality for good upon the community in
which he lived. He was a man of fine personal appearance, and his
splendid physique was an indication of the strength of his mental
and moral nature. For many years he was connected with business
interests as a prominent contractor, being the head of the Peter
Lyall & Sons Construction Company, Ltd. While in his seventieth
year at the time of his death, he had always remained in active
connection with his business until a few days prior to his demise.
Scotland numbered Mr. Lyall among her native sons, his birth
having occurred at Castletown, Caithness, Scotland, where he
gained a practical knowledge of the contracting business before
crossing the Atlantic in 1870. When he sought a home in the
new world Montreal was his destination and he made his initial
step in circles here in the employ of his cousin, the later
Peter Nicholson. Six years were sufficient to bring him a wide
acquaintance that he believed justified him in embarking in
business on his own account. He was joined by his two sons,
William and Traill O. in 1892, who are still connected with the
business that was established in Montreal in 1876. The third son,
Peter D. Lyall, is head of a large contracting firm in Winnipeg.
From the time that he started out independently Peter Lyall was
successful and his name figured prominently in connection with
building operations in Montreal and this part of Canada. He kept
in close touch with all phases of the business and with all
progressive steps therein. Many of the business structures of
Montreal still stand as monuments to his ability, his energy and
his notable ambition. He carried out the erection of the Quebec
Bank Building, the Royal Victoria Hospital, Macdonald Engineering
buildings at McGill, the Sun Life building, the Canada Life,
the Grand Trunk general offices, the Coristine building, the
new Board of Trade, the Stock Exchange, the Guardian Life, the
Dominion Express and Transportation buildings, and hundreds of
others. Some of the finest residences of the city also stand as
monuments to his handiwork, notably among which are the homes of
the late Sir Edward S. Clouston and George L. Cains. From the
time that he started out in business his rise was continuous. It
was soon evident that he understood the building business, both
from a scientific and practical standpoint, that his reliability
made him worthy of a liberal patronage, and that his energy
and indomitable spirit made possible the prompt and faithful
execution of his contracts. Success came to him soon and was well
merited, so that he gained place among the prosperous residents
of the city. His ability in management, his power of carefully
formulating plans and then executing them with determination
was seen in his cooperation in the organization of a number of
companies which have constituted leading factors in industrial,
commercial and financial circles. He was one of the promoters of
the Lachine Rapids Hydraulic & Land Company, formed in 1896, and
of the Midway Land Company in the same year. He was one of the
organizers of the Laprairie Brick Company in 1904.
Mr. Lyall was united in marriage to Miss Christina Oman, who,
like her husband, was a native of Castletown, Caithness,
Scotland. They became the parents of three sons, William and
Traill O., of Montreal, Peter D., of Winnipeg and a daughter,
now Mrs. D. W. Lockerby, of Montreal. Mr. Lyall possessed a
social nature that found expression in his membership in the
Canada, Reform, Canadian, Country and Engineers Clubs. His kindly
disposition made him a favorite in all circles, and among no
class of people was he more appreciated than by his own employes.
He was deeply interested in all that pertained to affairs of
government and to municipal progress. For many years he was a
prominent member of the liberal party, earnestly striving to
promote its success, and in 1904 he unsuccessfully contested the
St. Antoine district for the Dominion parliament. At one time he
was president of the Montreal Reform Club and at all times took
a firm stand in opposition to misrule in public affairs and in
support of all that he believed would uphold the honored tenets
of government and promote the best interests of the people in
general. For two years he was a member of the Montreal city
council and brought his splendid business acumen to bear on
civic problems, proving himself one of the strongest men at the
council table. He was afterward eagerly besought to again become
a member of the council but declined. He took a deep and helpful
interest in the Citizens Association, being in hearty sympathy
with its purpose, and at the time of his demise was one of its
vice presidents. Above and beyond all this Mr. Lyall was known
as a man of most generous and benevolent spirit, ever seeking
to promote the welfare and happiness of his fellowmen. He could
not listen unmoved to a tale of sorrow or distress, and to the
extent of his ability he extended a helping hand to the needy. He
gave not only freely of his money but also a large portion of his
time to good works. He was president of the Protestant Hospital
for the Insane at Verdun, and his efforts were a potent force
in making it one of the excellent institutions of its character
in the country. The Western Hospital found him equally helpful
and generous. Thus he made his presence felt beneficially in
commercial, political and philanthropic circles. To know him was
to esteem and honor him by reason of what he accomplished and the
methods he pursued. The most envious could not grudge him his
success, so honorably was it won and so worthily used.
ALFRED B. DUFRESNE.
In insurance circles in Montreal and among business men in
general the name of Alfred B. Dufresne is well known because of
his activity in the field to which he directs his efforts. He was
born April 13, 1874, at Joliette, Canada, a son of J. Alfred and
Honorine (Delfausse) Dufresne, who now reside in Montreal. He
was educated in Plateau Academy and at the age of eighteen years
began work as a clerk in the office of the Alliance Assurance
Company in Montreal. During the twelve years he served the
company he won promotion from time to time until he became chief
clerk, his capability and fidelity thus winning him recognition
and gaining for him substantial advancement. In 1903 he was
appointed inspector for the Mount Royal Assurance Company and
so continued until 1907, when he was appointed chief specific
rating inspector of the Canadian Fire Underwriters Association.
In 1908 he was appointed manager of the Montreal-Canada Fire
Insurance Company, filling the position for two years, or until
1910, when he took up general agency work, now representing the
Northwestern National Insurance Company, the Montreal-Canada Fire
Insurance Company, the Anglo-American Fire Insurance Company, the
Protection Fire Insurance Company and the Rimouski Fire Insurance
Company, with offices in the Duluth building.
On the 12th of October, 1909, Mr. Dufresne was married to Miss
Gabrielle Mathieu, and to them have been born two daughters,
Jacqueline and Françoise. The family reside at No. 171 Esplanade
Avenue, and Mr. Dufresne is a member of the St. Denis Club. Much
of his life has been passed in the city where he now resides,
and his admirable traits of character, as well as his business
ability, have gained him firm hold on the regard and good-will of
all with whom he has been associated.
CHARLES ALBERT DUCLOS.
The name of Charles Albert Duclos figures in professional circles
in Montreal as that of a lawyer whose ability has won for him a
large clientage. He is a man of scholarly attainments, which,
added to his knowledge of the law, has gained him prestige among
the successful advocates of the city. A native of Joliette, P.
Q., he was born on the 3d of August, 1861, his parents being
the Rev. R. P. and Sophie A. Jeaureneaud Duclos. The father was
a French-Canadian, while the mother was born in Switzerland.
The Rev. R. P. Duclos has devoted his life to the work of
the ministry as a representative of the Presbyterian church.
Realizing the value of education as a factor for success in any
chosen field of labor, the father provided his son with good
opportunities in that direction and, after attending the Montreal
high school, Charles A. Duclos entered McGill University, in
which he pursued the arts course, winning the B. A. degree in
1881, and then entered upon the study of law, winning the B. C.
L. degree, with the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal in 1884. His
high standing in scholarship constituted the basis upon which
his friends builded their belief in his successful future, and
the faith which they manifested has found justification in
his professional career. Following his graduation he at once
entered upon active practice in Montreal, where he has remained
continuously since. Aside from his practice he is the vice
president of the Ross Realty Company, which was organized in
1906, and in that connection he has displayed sound business
judgment and enterprise.
In June, 1889, Mr. Duclos was united in marriage to Isabella
Spence, a daughter of G. M. Holbrook, of Ottawa, and they reside
at No. 488 Elm Avenue, Westmount. Mr. Duclos’ fellow citizens of
Westmount called him to the office of mayor, in which he served
in 1905-6, giving to the city a businesslike and progressive
administration. He is a conservative in politics, and he stands
for all that means progress along material, intellectual,
political and moral lines. His religious faith is that of the
Presbyterian church. His social connections are with St. James,
Canada, Royal Montreal Golf, St. George Snowshoe Clubs, of
Montreal; and the Rideau Club, of Ottawa. Appreciative of the
social amenities of life and readily recognizing and appreciating
these qualities in others, he has gained many friends in these
organizations. However, he regards the practice of law as his
real life work and bends his energies, in major part, toward
his professional duties. He was created king’s counsel in 1903,
and the years of his active practice now cover nearly three
decades--years in which he has made continuous advancement as the
result of constantly developing power in the line of his chosen
profession.
[Illustration: CHARLES A. DUCLOS]
REV. CANON JOHN MACPHERSON ALMOND.
Rev. Canon John Macpherson Almond, rector of Trinity church,
Montreal, is a man whose practical piety has been demonstrated in
many ways, as a traveling missionary, on the field of battle, in
the pulpit and in quiet work among his people. His name stands as
a synonym for sincerity of purpose, upright living and breadth of
mind, and his accomplishments have already been important enough
to form a notable part of the history of the Anglican church in
Canada. Canon Almond was born in Shigawake, Quebec province, July
27, 1872, and is a son of James and Mary Ann (Macpherson) Almond.
He studied in the University of Bishop’s College at Lennoxville,
from which he was graduated B. A. in 1894 and M. A. in 1901. He
was ordained deacon in the Anglican church in 1896 and priest
in the following year, being stationed first as a missionary in
Labrador and becoming afterward traveling missionary for the
Quebec diocese. In October, 1899, he was commissioned chaplain to
the Royal Canadian Regiment and accompanied it to South Africa,
where he was chaplain to the Nineteenth Brigade, composed of
the Gordons, Cornwalls, Shropshires and Canadians. His conduct
during the campaign received high praise, more particularly in
connection with his attendance on the enteric fever patients
at Bloemfontein, and he was given a medal for courageous and
untiring work in all conditions of danger both from the enemy and
from disease and discomfort.
Returning to Canada in December, 1900, Canon Almond was made
assistant curate at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Quebec, and as
such remained one year, after which he was appointed rector
at Grand Mere. In 1904 he was transferred to Montreal, where
he has since filled the position of rector of Trinity church,
winning the love, respect and confidence of his parishioners
and the high regard of all who have an opportunity of knowing
his honorable and upright life. Canon Almond is a preacher of
great power and forcefulness and has won a wide reputation as a
speaker, delivering among others the oration at the decoration
of the soldiers’ graves in Montreal on Victoria Day, 1905. He
was elected president of the South African Veterans Association
of Montreal in 1908 and of the Last Post Association two years
later. Since March, 1911, he has held the office of chaplain,
with the honorary rank of captain, in the Sixth Duke of
Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars. In 1912 he was appointed
chaplain of the Montreal jails. Archdeacon Ker has called him
“a splendid preacher,” and the Toronto Globe speaks of him as
“a man of zeal, practical piety and unselfishness, with a knack
for executive work”--tributes which he has won by most able
and untiring work in many fields. Canon Almond was married in
October, 1901, to Nellie Estelle, daughter of H. G. Beemer of
Quebec.
WILLIAM LANGLEY BOND, K. C.
William Langley Bond, one of the well known advocates of
Montreal, belongs to an old Canadian family, his parents being
Lieutenant Colonel Frank and Mary (Scott) Bond. Colonel Bond is a
well known financial agent and stockbroker of Montreal and is the
eldest son of the late Archbishop Bond, Primate of All Canada,
and Eliza (Langley) Bond. The father has been connected with
banking and financial interests for many years and has also been
prominent in military life.
William L. Bond was born in Montreal, January 20, 1873. He
attended the high school in Montreal and then entered McGill
University, from which he received the degree of B. A. in 1894
and of B. C. L. in 1897. In 1898 he became an advocate and
shortly thereafter a member of the legal firm of Atwater, Duclos,
Bond & Meagher, of Montreal. Among the famous cases which he
argued was the Cantin case, which was tried before Jl. Comte, P.
C., England. In November, 1911, he was appointed a K. C.
For a number of years Mr. Bond was captain and adjutant of the
Prince of Wales Fusiliers. He is also honorary treasurer of the
Province of Quebec Rifle Association. In his religious faith he
is an Anglican and was elected lay secretary of the Montreal
Synod in 1907 and also church advocate. In 1910 he was made a
governor of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College. Mr. Bond
is prominent in club life, being a member of the committee of
St. James, and a member of the Reform, the Arts, and the Winter
Clubs. He is a great friend of outdoor sports and the lines
along which he seeks recreation are indicated by his membership
in the Royal Montreal Golf Club, the Montreal Curling Club and
the Forest and Stream. He also belongs to the Montreal Military
Institute and is an honorary member of the Polo and Country Club.
ROBERT ANDERSON BECKET.
Robert Anderson Becket, did much to promote musical talent,
directly assisting many young musicians, and thus his loss was
distinctly felt in musical circles, when death called him on the
6th of May, 1910. He had passed the seventy-fifth milestone on
life’s journey, his birth having occurred in Scotland, December
30, 1834. His father, James Becket, came to Canada with his
family in 1841 and was connected with the customs department
at Montreal, where Robert A. pursued his education in private
schools. He was a young man in his twenty-fourth year, when on
January 11, 1858, he wedded Anne Wilson, born in Bellemeana,
Ireland, a daughter of Samuel Wilson.