bookkeeper for his uncle, J. C. Becket, on St. James Street
in Montreal, but in the year of his marriage, removed to
Belleville, Ontario, where he embarked in business on his own
account conducting a music and stationery store, for about eight
years, or until 1866, when he returned to this city and became
manager for the D. Morris Ice Company. Some time passed and he
became owner of this enterprise, in which connection he built
up a large and profitable business. He organized a joint stock
company called the City Ice Company, Limited, and devoted all of
his time to the conduct of his business, carefully directing its
interests. He was a progressive man and was especially active
along musical lines, doing much to help young musicians. He was
also a prominent figure in quartet and choir work and there was
perhaps, no one who did more to stimulate among the young, a love
for music of the higher class, than Mr. Becket.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Becket were born twelve children, of whom five
are living: Christina A.; Dr. George C., of East Orange, New
Jersey; Ralph A., of Montreal; Fred M., of Niagara Falls, New
York; and Frank W., of New York. The family attend the Erskine
church, of which Mr. Becket was a prominent member and elder,
his religious faith constituting the root from which sprang his
many good deeds, wrought along lines of continuous benefit to his
fellowmen.
HAROLD EARLE WALKER.
Harold Earle Walker, practicing at the bar of Montreal as a
member of the law firm of Chauvin, Baker & Walker, was born in
Westmount, Quebec, in 1882. His father, James Robert Walker, a
native of the city of Quebec, became senior partner of the well
known firm of J. R. Walker & Company of Montreal and is not
only well known in business circles but also through his active
connection with public affairs. At one time he was mayor of
Westmount and has taken an active part in furthering matters of
civic virtue and civic pride. He married Agnes Cooper Earle.
After attending the Abingdon school, Mr. Walker became a student
in McGill University, completing the arts course in 1904 and the
law course with the class of 1907. His standing is indicated
by the fact that he won the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal and
the Macdonald scholarship. Following his graduation with the
class of 1907, which was indicative of the completion of the
thorough course of law prescribed by McGill, he was admitted to
the bar and after a year spent in France returned to Montreal to
enter upon the active practice of his profession, which he now
follows as a member of the law firm of Chauvin, Baker & Walker.
An extensive practice is fast adding to his experience and
developing the powers with which nature endowed him.
In Montreal, in 1911, Mr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss
Hazel A. Hart, a daughter of R. A. Baldwin Hart. His religious
faith is that of the Presbyterian church, and something of the
nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that he is a
member of the Beaconsfield Golf Club. He is a typical young
professional man of the age, alert, energetic, watchful of
opportunities. His friends anticipate for him future success, and
the record he has already made shows that he has taken a far step
in advance since entering upon the active practice of law.
JOSEPH BOWLES LEARMONT.
The history of a country is no longer an account of wars and
conquests, but is a record of notable business activity, of
intellectual, aesthetic and moral progress and political
management and control. While never active in the field of
politics, Joseph Bowles Learmont was not only highly successful
where his tastes led, but was as well one of the foremost
merchants of the city, and well known in the business community
of Montreal. He cooperated in various interests having broad
humanitarianism as their basic principle, and he was a
connoisseur on rare books and engravings. His interests were wide
and varied and brought him into close connection with many of the
leading citizens of the Dominion.
Mr. Learmont was a native of Montreal. From the beginning of his
business career success attended him so that he at length was
numbered among the city’s most substantial business men. In all
his career there was no esoteric phase, his advancement having
been through constructive and progressive methods. Studying the
demands of the times and the conditions of trade he was no small
factor in the growth and development of the extensive wholesale
hardware business of Caverhill, Learmont & Company, of which Mr.
Learmont was the senior member. This well known house succeeded
Crathern & Caverhill (which was established in 1854) and occupies
a foremost position in its line, with a reputation for commercial
integrity second to none.
Successful business man that he was, commerce constituted but one
feature in the life of Mr. Learmont. He was of decided literary
tastes and was frequently heard on literary and historical
subjects. He was, moreover, the author of a most interesting
paper on folk lore, in which extended mention is made of the
folk lore of Canada. Another paper of equal interest from his
pen is on The Canadian Indian. Mr. Learmont was widely known as
a collector of rare books and manuscripts, etchings, engravings
and autograph letters, his knowledge of such being that of a
connoisseur. His collection of Bibles comprised more than one
hundred rare volumes. He also wrote on engravings, translations
of the English versions of the Bible, children’s elementary
books, etc.
Mr. Learmont’s keen interest in matters historic was probably
best shown in his purchase of Quebec House, the home of Major
General James Wolfe, Westerham, Kent, England. The motive which
inspired him to make the purchase was to secure the property
for the Canadian people, to be held by them in perpetuity
“irrespective of race, language or creed.” His desire was that
the Canadian people maintain it so that it may be open to
visitors and free to all that are interested in Canada. Mr.
Learmont always manifested the keenest interest in anything
associated with Wolfe and had made a collection of engravings of
the famous general. He also possessed an excellent painting of
Wolfe’s father, the work of Sir James Thornhill.
[Illustration: JOSEPH B. LEARMONT]
Mr. Learmont was a member of the council of the Montreal Art
Association and treasurer of the local branch and one of the
council of the Archaeological Institute of America. He likewise
became one of the early members of the Antiquarian Society of
Montreal.
Mr. Learmont was first married to Miss Amelia Jane Holton, a
daughter of the late Hon. L. H. Holton, M. P., a prominent
parliamentarian and statesman. Following her death, he married,
in 1882, Charlotte Smithers, a daughter of the late Charles
F. Smithers, president of the Bank of Montreal. Mr. and Mrs.
Learmont were always in full accord concerning religious and
charitable work. He was connected with the Congregational church
and a generous supporter of church and benevolent enterprises.
Mrs. Learmont is particularly well known in efforts to ameliorate
the conditions of life for the unfortunate. She is interested
in the movement for providing playgrounds for children; is
vice president of the Montreal Day Nursery; vice president of
the local branch of the Needle Work Guild, and president and
convener of the local branch of the ladies’ committee of the
Victorian Order of Nurses. She is likewise a director of the
City Improvement League; was one of the directors of the Royal
Edward Institute, and is one of the honorary presidents of the
Young Women’s Christian Association. She was one of a deputation,
headed by the Countess of Aberdeen, who presented Queen Alexandra
an address of congratulation from twenty-five hundred women of
Canada.
Mr. Learmont was a member of the committee of management of the
Montreal General Hospital; a member of the board and a governor
of the Montreal branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses, and a
director of the Charity Organization Society. He belonged to
the Montreal Board of Trade, of which he was for two years a
councilor, and in more strictly social lines was a member of
the St. James, Mount Royal, Montreal and City Clubs. He was
termed “a man of exquisite taste and deep knowledge on special
subjects.” He was an advocate of all that is most progressive and
beneficial, never choosing the second best but seeking out those
things which are most beneficial to the individual and to the
community, recognizing every man’s relation and obligation to his
fellowman.
Mr. Learmont died March 12, 1914.
FREDERICK WILLIAM THOMPSON.
Centuries past the history of a country consisted of a record
of wars and conquests--the contest of man with man; today the
history is the record of man’s contests with material forces
and those who are making the history of a country are the men
who are controlling its important agricultural, commercial and
professional interests. It is they who are shaping the annals of
the nation and those who rise to leadership in any given line are
the men who are preparing the records that in years to come will
be eagerly read as the history of the past. In this connection
the name of Frederick William Thompson stands prominently forth,
for he became one of the foremost figures in connection with the
milling industry of Canada. He was born in Montreal, January 16,
1862, and was but in the prime of life when he passed away in
London, England, May 7, 1912. His parents were the late Andrew
and Josephine (DeLesperance) Thompson. The son was educated in
Montreal and in Brooklyn, New York, living for some years in the
latter city. Subsequently he returned to Montreal and entered
the service of the Exchange Bank as a clerk, remaining with
that institution for seven years. It was thus that he gained
his preliminary business experience which he later turned to
account in the management of milling operations. In 1882 he
joined the Ogilvie Mills in Winnipeg, becoming general manager
of the Ogilvie Milling Company in 1888. Following the death
of W. W. Ogilvie in 1900 the entire company’s interests were
consolidated and the business purchased by Mr. Thompson and C. R.
Hosmer. In 1911 the Ogilvies were made millers to the King. The
business gradually grew and developed and became a focal point
in the milling industry of the country, setting the standard for
activity along that line. Mr. Thompson was active in coordinating
forces and in developing an enterprise which became second to
none in all Canada. He had wonderful powers of organization
and could unite seemingly diverse elements into a unified and
harmonious whole. He considered no detail as too unimportant to
claim his attention, while, at the same time, he gave due regard
to the major points in his business. His executive force and
management were many times called forth in other connections.
He had voice in the control of many important business and
financial interests and in affairs of a public and semi-public
character. He was a director of the Canadian branch of the
Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company, the Montreal
Transportation Company, the Canadian Appraisal Company, the
Electric Flour Patents Company, the E. N. Heney Company, the
Royal Bank of Canada, the Manitoba Assurance Company, and was
president of the Keystone Transportation Company and of the
Canada Appraisal Company. He was also the originator of the
Kaministiqua Power Company and of a large number of other
enterprises which contributed to the history of the country in
its commercial and financial development.
As stated, Mr. Thompson was a prominent figure in relation to
many public and semi-public interests. He was a governor of the
Winnipeg General Hospital; and a life governor of the Protestant
Hospital for the Insane, the Western Home and the Boys’ Home.
In 1908 he lectured on Plain Business Facts. He was president
of the Winnipeg Industrial Exchange Association and of the
Winnipeg Board of Trade. He was likewise a vice president of the
Winnipeg Rowing Club; president and patron of the local branch
of the Royal Caledonia Curling Club, and honorary president of
the Winnipeg Hockey Club. He was a director of the Montreal
Association for the Blind, governor of the Montreal Western
Hospital, councilor of the Montreal Board of Trade, and in
Montreal no less than in Winnipeg he was greatly interested in
all public enterprises and philanthropic undertakings. In 1903 he
was a delegate to the Fifth Commercial Congress of the Empire.
In the previous year Mr. Thompson received the Prince and
Princess of Wales, now King George and Queen Mary, at the Ogilvie
Mill in Winnipeg and subsequently presented the Princess with
the picture of the largest flour mill in the British Empire. It
was in the same year that the largest shipment of flour to South
America from the Dominion of Canada was made.
In 1882 Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Wilhelmina
Reid, a daughter of the late William Reid of Bedford, province of
Quebec, and their children were Marion, Fred, Alice and Helen.
The first named became the wife of D. C. Rea, of Winnipeg,
manager of the Royal Bank. Mr. Thompson was prominently known in
club and social circles, holding membership in the St. James,
Mount Royal, Canada, Forest and Stream, Royal Montreal Golf,
Montreal Jockey, and Auto and Aero Clubs; Montreal Amateur
Athletic Association; the Montreal Curling Club; the Rideau Club
of Ottawa; the Constitutional of London; Manitoba of Winnipeg;
and the York Club of Toronto.
Perhaps no better estimate of the life and character of Mr.
Thompson can be given than by quoting from an editorial which
appeared in one of the papers at the time of his demise and which
read:
“Death has within a year robbed the Canadian milling industry of
its two most prominent leaders. During the years which brought
Robert Meighen and Frederick William Thompson to the top, the
flour milling industry underwent an expansion and consolidation
second only to that of the transportation industry and the
metal industries. The process was peculiarly favorable to the
rise of men of strong personal character and large intellectual
capacity. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the leaders
of the industry taking a larger part in the public life of the
country than those of almost any other business. Without ever
seeking office or public honors, for which indeed the cares of
his business left him no time, the late Mr. Thompson exercised a
very wide and effective influence upon the beliefs and policies
of Canada in business matters. When he spoke it was not as a mere
expert miller, but as an authority of the widest knowledge; and
as he never wasted a public utterance by dealing with any matter
on which he was not perfectly informed, he was listened to with a
respect which neither his wealth nor his business success alone
could have commanded. There are men still living who can remember
when the flour milling of Canada was carried on in hundreds
of small local mills under separate ownership. The process of
centralizing the industry has been pretty well completed now;
such companies as that of which Mr. Thompson was the active head
are national in their scope and the extent of their properties.
“He has been cut off in the prime of life and it is difficult to
conjecture what further progress of organization he might have
participated in, had he lived. Whatever it might be, we can be
sure that the interests of Canada would have been advantaged, for
he was a thorough Canadian by birth and by conviction and ever
regarded the milling industry less as a source of wealth than
as a factor in Canada’s greatness. In these days the best and
most practical form of patriotism is frequently to be found in
business.”
WILLIAM H. HOPE.
William H. Hope, for more than thirty years an active business
man on St. Catherine Street, near Mansfield, was born, March
9, 1840, in the north of England, and died September 11, 1903,
so that his life span compassed sixty-three years. He came to
Montreal as a young man and on July 26, 1878, was married in
this city to Miss Mary E. Percy. Their family numbered seven
children: Lena, who is Mrs. Thomas Bradley, now a resident of
New York city; Eva, the wife of Rev. Hunter Laverie, of Forest,
Ontario; William G., of Portland, Oregon; Adam V., who died in
infancy; Sadie, who is the wife of George Wanless, of Outremont;
Clifford R.; and Elsie.
Mr. Hope was a well known business man, conducting an art store
at one location for over thirty years. His business integrity was
above question and he was respected by all who knew him. In his
political faith he was a conservative, but did not take an active
part in politics. He was interested, however, in the promotion
of athletic and outdoor sports for the young. A man of domestic
taste, he found his greatest happiness at his own fireside, doing
everything in his power to promote the welfare of his wife and
children. He held membership in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church
and his life was actuated by high and honorable principles that
made him a thorough gentleman, courteous, kindly and considerate
at all times.
JAMES O’CONNOR.
Prominent in the business and financial life of the city, James
O’Connor was numbered among Montreal’s well known and successful
business men. He was born at St. Alphonse, province of Quebec,
and when a young man in his teens, came to Montreal at which
time his capital was but little more than his energy, pluck and
determination. From the time of his arrival here his attention
was largely concentrated upon business affairs and he wisely
improved his time and opportunities, thus advancing step by step
until he reached the plane of affluence. For many years he had
charge of the wholesale pork packing house on Williams Street and
there laid the foundation for his fortune.
For a number of years before his death, Mr. O’Connor had largely
confined his business activities to the stock market, where he
was a prominent figure. While a man of sound judgment and keen
business sagacity, one of his strongest characteristics was
his great courage and persistency. During the great financial
depression of 1907, when security values were slumping in a
manner that brought financial ruin to many, Mr. O’Connor’s
fortune suffered a large shrinkage. He had confidence in the
future, however, and the pluck to hold on, with the result that
he recouped his losses and added substantially to his fortune,
which was estimated at over a half million dollars at the time of
his retirement.
He was one of the largest individual holders of Dominion Steel
preferred and also an extensive holder of the common stock. He
was likewise a heavy stockholder in the Dominion Coal Company.
All his life he was a man of business, which through careful
attention brought him substantial as well as honorable success.
Mr. O’Connor was a figure that attracted attention and he made
lasting friendships in business as well as in private life.
He was known as a man of his word, and always ready to lend a
helping hand to those less fortunate in life’s battle. Many of
his acts of kindness and substantial assistance were known only
to the recipients. His acquaintance was large and included the
prominent business and public men of his time.
[Illustration: JAMES O’CONNOR]
Mr. O’Connor held membership in St. Anthony’s Catholic church and
in politics he was a conservative. In his habits and tastes, he
was most domestic, finding his greatest pleasure in administering
to the welfare and happiness of his family. The most envious
could not begrudge him his success, so honorably was it won and
so worthily used for the benefit and assistance of others. His
nature was one of extreme generosity and his example is worthy of
emulation.
His sudden death on April 15, 1909, left a widow, a son and two
daughters. James O’Connor is a resident of Montreal; Margaret
resides at home; and Laura Esther is now Mrs. G. F. Hemsley.
Mrs. O’Connor previous to her marriage which took place in St.
Patrick’s church, Montreal, was Miss Catherine Curran, a daughter
of John Curran, a prominent and distinguished citizen of this
city.
HARRIS VINEBERG.
Among the mercantile institutions of Montreal is that of H.
Vineberg & Company, clothing manufacturers for the trade, the
inception and building up of which business is entirely due to
the indefatigable efforts of H. Vineberg. The firm occupies
what is known as Vineberg’s building, eight stories in height.
Hundreds of young men have learned their trade and received their
start in this establishment, and that many of them today occupy
creditable positions in life is in a measure due to the lofty
principles which are the policy of the firm. Many have profited
by Mr. Vineberg’s kindly advice, who took an interest in each
employe of his large enterprise and who, moreover, often helped
them to begin their career in the right direction. Mr. Vineberg
has aided many men who are today prominent in professional life
in the city and has ever taken a deep interest in charitable and
church organizations, having particularly given his aid to those
who came to this country in straitened circumstances in order to
enjoy the privileges of British freedom, British institutions and
the prosperity held out to all who but want to grasp it in the
vast Canadian commonwealth.
Harris Vineberg was born in 1855, on the 25th of December, a
Jewish feast day called Chanuka, in Zidugira, Russian Poland.
Zidugira means Jewish bush, and his ancestors owned the vast
forests in Poland from which this name is derived. It may be
mentioned in this connection that the cable address used by the
house of H. Vineberg & Company today is “Zidugira,” perpetuating
in a manner the memory of that place which gave birth to him and
whence he sallied forth into the world to build his fortune. It
seems that this reverent attitude toward his birthplace, toward
his parents and toward his people has been the guiding star over
Mr. Vineberg’s career, the star which has led him to the goal.
His parents were Lazarus and Malca Vineberg, the former of whom
died in Palestine in 1901 and the latter in 1882.
Their son Harris received a strictly orthodox education from
private teachers. After having mastered the curriculum he
assisted his father in the lumber business for the last two years
which he spent in his native land. However, the young man could
not content himself with the limitations which hedged him in on
all sides under Russian rule and, coveting the opportunity of a
wider sphere of action, he made up his mind to seek that country
under which the greatest personal liberty, the greatest freedom
of thought, the greatest tolerance of religious views prevailed.
With an eye to the practical, he selected that part of the empire
which seemed to him to hold out the greatest opportunity.