regard is indicated in works written of him ere his demise, which
occurred on October 1, 1909. Morgan in his volume of Canadian
Men and Women said, “by the Irish community of Montreal he was
regarded as one who had stood the test of devotion to their
common fatherland, but it is to Canada that he has given his
best service and by his fellow-Canadians, without distinction of
origin or creed, he is held in the highest esteem and honor.”
A Montreal citizen wrote of him, “he bears a character without
reproach and is as popular in legal and political circles as
he is respected.” The Montreal Gazette said editorially, “no
constituency in Canada has ever had a representative who gave up
more of his time, his talent and his energy to the promotion of
its interests than did Mr. Curran during the thirteen years he
has enjoyed the confidence of his electors. His genial kindly
nature, his large-heartedness, his conspicuous liberality
of mind, absolutely free from every trace of bigotry, and
his splendid oratorical powers caused him to be in constant
requisition whenever men were gathered together in the promotion
of worthy objects for the discussion of public affairs or the
advancement of the material and social welfare of the country.”
The Montreal Herald concluded an admirable eulogy with the
following paragraph: “Unselfishness and genuine consideration
for others, probably explained his personal popularity and his
political success. He used to say that the man in public life
erred in dodging office seekers. ‘When I saw one who looked as if
he wanted to get at me I always went to him first, and gave him
his chance to speak,’ he once explained. He gave freely of his
presence where he thought a good cause could be served, or a good
example be set. He did his duty, as he saw it, without flinching.
He was a good citizen, and he leaves a name to be held in honor.”
PIERRE-CHRYSOLOGUE LACASSE.
Pierre-Chrysologue Lacasse, who follows the profession of notary
in Montreal, is widely and favorably known in this city. He
enjoys a representative clientele and his practice is extensive
as he has gained a wide reputation on account of his extensive
knowledge, which is based on a thorough education. The Lacasse
family is an old and distinguished one in Canada, the first
ancestor to come to this country being Antoine Lacasse, also
called Casse or Cassé, who came to this country from Douai
(French Flanders) about 1650, or more correctly, between 1639
and 1665. This statement is based upon a reference made in an
appendix to the History of Canada by Abbé Ferland. The paternal
grandfather, François Lacasse, was born at St. Vincent de Paul
(Jesus Island) and the forefathers were born in the same parish.
The maternal grandfather, Joseph Brissette, was a native of St.
Cuthbert, of the county of Berthier, where his ancestors also
were born. The father of our subject, Narcisse Lacasse, was born
on February 5, 1821, of the marriage of François Lacasse with
Thérèse Bastien and died on December 27, 1892. He was a notary,
receiving his commission on June 15, 1849. The mother, Mathilde
Brissette, was born on November 1, 1820, a daughter of Joseph
Brissette and Marie Lavoie. She died in Montreal on August 29,
1911, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-one years. The father
followed his occupation in the parish of Ste. Elizabeth, in the
county of Joliette, where his wife was born.
Pierre-Chrysologue Lacasse was born on January 7, 1866, at Ste.
Elizabeth, county of Joliette, in the province of Quebec, and in
the acquirement of his education attended the model school of
Ste. Elizabeth, also receiving private tuition. In furtherance
of his knowledge he then attended Joliette College, now known
as the Seminary of Joliette, and Laval University at Montreal,
graduating with the Bachelor of Arts degree from the latter
institution in 1885. From the same institution he received
his degree of LL. B. in 1891. However, on June 3, 1890, he
had already been commissioned a notary and has followed that
profession ever since. On January 29, 1891, he was admitted to
the study of law for the profession of advocate. His professional
reputation is of the very highest character and he has also
extensively engaged in real estate and in dealing in bank and
insurance stock. Among important estates which he has handled as
testamentary executor were those of John Pratt, Thomas Philippe
Barron, L. C. Gravel and others.
The position conceded him by the profession is evident from
numerous important official and semi-official positions which
he has held. He was elected a member of the board of notaries
for the district of Montreal in 1897, 1900, 1903, 1906, 1909 and
1912. He was a member and afterwards president of the committee
of discipline and also of the committee of surveillance of said
board and a member and afterwards president of the commission
for the admission to the study of the notarial profession, which
position he now holds. In his political views he is independent,
giving his support to measures and candidates as dictated by his
judgment. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church. Mr.
Lacasse was connected with military life during a few years as
lieutenant in Company 4, Eighty-third Battalion of Infantry of
Joliette.
A man of wide experience and with a wide outlook upon life, he is
interested along lines of endeavor that touch upon the progress
of the city and can always be found among those who loyally
support any movement undertaken for public betterment. He is
highly respected and esteemed in the city where he is widely
known and enjoys the confidence and good-will of the foremost
citizens of Montreal.
ARTHUR A. BROWNE, M. D.
The tendency of the age is toward specialization and the
professional man who achieves distinction usually concentrates
his efforts not upon the broad field of his profession but upon
some particular branch thereof, and thus develops a proficiency
which he could not otherwise hope to attain. Such was the
record of Dr. Arthur A. Browne, educator and practitioner, who
gained eminence as an obstetrician. He practiced for more than
forty years in Montreal, entering upon the active work of the
profession in early manhood. He was born in Eastern township,
in 1848, and was descended from Irish parentage, and of a
family whose name figures prominently in military circles. His
more specifically literary course was completed by graduation
from McGill with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1866. A year
or two thereafter was devoted to business but feeling that a
professional career would prove more congenial, he entered upon
the study of medicine and was graduated M. D., C. M., in 1872.
He then spent a year abroad, during which time he investigated
the methods of eminent physicians and surgeons of the old
world, after which he opened an office in Montreal. The usual
experiences of the professional man were his. He had to work
his way upward in face of competition with men who had long
been in the profession and had well established reputations.
The conscientious care which he gave to the cases entrusted to
him at length won him recognition and his practice grew until
it became one of the largest in the city. As time passed he
concentrated his efforts more largely upon obstetrical diseases
until he gained a wide and most enviable reputation in that
field, his opinions coming to be regarded as authority upon
many involved and intricate questions relating thereto. In 1883
he was appointed professor of obstetrics at McGill University,
succeeding the late Professor Duncan MacCallum, at the same time
taking charge of the University Maternity Hospital. Three years
later, however, owing to his growing practice, already extensive,
and his distaste for the drudgery of teaching, he resigned his
professorship. Yet, he was always intensely interested in McGill
and her welfare, and no function held by the medical department
was thought to be complete if Dr. Browne was absent. He was
not only thoroughly informed concerning his chosen calling
but possessed a fine literary mind and his broad reading made
him one of the best informed men on general literature among
the practitioners of medicine and surgery in Montreal. He was
a student of the classics, and all these things had influence
to make him a noble-minded man, whose life exemplified the high
principles which constituted the basis of his character. He
possessed an artistic taste that found expression in his intense
admiration of the beautiful in both art and nature. Moreover,
keen sympathy was one of his strongly marked traits and featured
as one of the elements of his success. He might well be called
“the beloved physician,” for his cheery presence as well as
his scientific skill brought comfort and assurance to many
households. He inspired and encouraged his patients and thus
assisted them far on the road to recovery.
In Montreal, in 1878, Dr. Browne was married to Miss Jane Labatt,
of London, Ontario, and their children were: H. Dalzell, of
Montreal; R. Russell, of Bassano, Alberta; Captain G. Sackville
Browne, of B Battery, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, of
Kingston; and F. Dora.
Dr. Browne held membership with the Masonic fraternity and in
his life exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft. He had
passed the sixty-second milestone on life’s journey when his
death occurred January 26, 1910. His eminent ability gained him
honor, his kindliness and consideration won him gratitude and
friendship; and thus it is that his memory is cherished and
remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him.
THOMAS MCDOUGALL.
Important corporation and financial interests have felt
the stimulus of the enterprise, keen business insight and
intellectual force of Thomas McDougall, who is known in literary
as well as financial circles. He was born at Three Rivers, P. Q.,
May 21, 1843, a son of the late John McDougall, a merchant of
Three Rivers, who sat in the Canadian parliament from 1851 until
1854 and a brother of the late Hon. Justice McDougall of Aylmer,
P. Q. For many years Thomas McDougall was in the service of the
Quebec Bank and was agent of that institution in 1870. Later he
became manager at Montreal and in 1894 was made assistant general
manager, from which position he was advanced to that of general
manager in December of the same year. He continued actively in
control of the extensive and important financial interests that
came under his guidance until 1909, when he resigned but remained
a director of the bank. With him close reasoning has become
habitual, and he has therefore found ready solution for difficult
and involved financial problems. He was chairman of the clearing
house at Montreal and was active in the meeting of bankers,
convened to revise the banking act in 1890. In 1898-9 he was
president of the Canadian Bankers Association, which indicates
his place of prominence and influence in the moneyed circles of
the country. He is still a member of the advisory board of the
Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, is vice president
of the Shawinigan Water & Power Company and a director of the
Asbestos Corporation of Canada.
In many public connections outside the field of business and
finance his name has figured prominently and his labors have
been effectively and helpfully felt. In 1908 he was the general
treasurer of the Quebec tercentenary committee. He possesses
literary taste in high degree. He has written on banks, bankers
and banking, being the author of a well known article entitled,
T. Pomponius Atticus, a Roman Banker.
Mr. McDougall was married at Three Rivers, P. Q., to Miss Helen
Baptist, a daughter of the late George Baptist. His religious
connection is with the Presbyterian church and in club circles
he is well known as a member of the St. James Club of Montreal
and the Quebec Garrison Club of Quebec. His social qualities and
marked ability along many lines as well as his important business
interests have gained him the prominence which is today his.
JEAN BAPTISTE DAVID LEGARE.
Jean Baptiste David Legare, one of the most successful
real-estate promoters in the city of Montreal, was born in the
parish of Sillery, near Quebec, June 7, 1865. Fortune did not
smile on him for many years. His father having died when the son
was an infant of but three months, he was reared in the home
of his maternal grandfather, F. Cote, of St. Foy. While there
he acquired his elementary education and later attended the
academies at Sillery and Quebec. Manifesting laudable ambition
from early youth, at the age of eighteen years he began business
life as a clerk in the general store of Louis Bourget in Quebec.
Subsequently he was employed in the wholesale dry-goods houses of
P. Garneau and William McLimont & Sons in Quebec. Later he became
a representative of large grain and flour mills and also became
proprietor of a wine and vinegar manufactory in Quebec. Fate was
against him and he failed for seventy-two thousand dollars. This
would have utterly discouraged and disheartened many a man of
less resolute spirit, but an optimistic nature would not allow
Mr. Legare to acknowledge defeat and still held before him the
promise of later success. He then engaged in promoting various
undertakings in Quebec, but still the results were not such as
were desired.
In 1908 Mr. Legare came to Montreal and continued in the
promoting business, making a specialty of real estate. This
proved to be the turning point in the career of Mr. Legare and he
has since gradually but surely advanced to the goal of success.
In the past five years he has made over three hundred thousand
dollars and when the sum he had acquired was sufficient to cancel
all of his indebtedness he made a special journey to Quebec for
that purpose. Mr. Legare says that through all of the dark days,
when the storm clouds gathered about him that threatened disaster
and defeat, it was his wife’s encouragement and her faith in
his future that buoyed him up and made possible his ultimate
prosperity.
The principal companies which Mr. Legare has successfully
promoted during the past five years are: The Greater Montreal
Land Investment Company, Limited; and The Chateauguay Garden
City Company, Limited. He was also the promoter of the town
of Chateauguay. He is the owner of twenty-seven lakes on the
seigniory of Mille Isles and the water rights pertaining thereto.
A strong man physically and mentally, his optimistic temperament
makes him an ideal promoter. The various business enterprises
which he has promoted during his career have contributed a great
deal toward the development of the natural resources of the
Dominion.
[Illustration: JEAN BAPTISTE D. LEGARE]
Mr. Legare was married in Quebec, in 1891, to Alda Garneau,
daughter of Charles Garneau, ex-sergeant of arms of the Quebec
assembly. Upon the maternal side she is descended from the De
Villers and the De Lachevrotiere families, both being of the
noblest families of France. Mr. and Mrs. Legare are parents of a
daughter, Yvonne, who was married in 1913 to Dr. Rene Turcot, and
they reside in Quebec.
JOHN ALEXANDER GORDON, D. D.
One of the greatest individual forces in the promulgation of
Baptist doctrines in Canada, a man who has worked long and
earnestly in the promotion and spread of Baptist principles,
giving of his unusual talents, his great energy and tireless
labor to the cause, is Rev. John Alexander Gordon, for fourteen
years pastor of the First Baptist church in Montreal and now
the incumbent of the chair of pastoral theology at Brandon
Theological College, active in the work of the foreign missionary
societies and in the spread of temperance doctrines throughout
the Dominion.
Dr. Gordon is of Scottish ancestry and was born in Uigg,
Prince Edward Island. He acquired his early education in the
public and high schools of his native province and in Acadia
University, graduating with the degree of B. A., and acquired
his theological training in the Newton Theological Seminary in
Newton, Massachusetts. He was ordained to the Baptist ministry
in 1875 and has since been prominent and active in the work of
the Baptist church. He received the honorary degree of M. A. from
Acadia College in 1894 and the honorary degree of D. D. from the
same institution in 1904. Previous to his ordination he had been
engaged in the mercantile and commission business at Montague,
Prince Edward Island, and his first ministerial charge was as
pastor of the church in that community. He was afterward called
to Milton church, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where he remained from
1880 to 1885, after which he went to St. John, New Brunswick,
serving as pastor of the Leinster Street Baptist church, and from
there went to the First Baptist church, Charlottetown, Prince
Edward Island, remaining there until 1893, when he became pastor
of the Main Street Baptist church at Charlottetown. In 1899 he
was called to Montreal as minister of the First Baptist church
of this city, a position which he held until June, 1913, when he
accepted the chair of pastoral theology at Brandon Theological
College. Dr. Gordon has been found most earnest, zealous and
consecrated in his work and has been carried forward by the force
of his ability and the extent of his interests into important
relations with religious work of many kinds, notably that of the
local branch of the Lord’s Day Alliance, of which he is vice
president; the Prisoners’ Aid Association, of which he is also
vice president; the Grand Ligne Missionary Society, of which he
is president; and the Maritime Baptist Union. No individual has
done more powerful or effective work than he in the propagation
of Baptist doctrines or in the promotion of the church’s
interests for he was in 1906 appointed a member of the committee
on Church Union and two years later was one of the promoters and
a member of the committee which organized the Baptist Union. He
is a governor of Acadia University and is especially interested
in the work of the Foreign Mission Board of Ontario and Quebec,
of the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Moral and
Social Reform Council. He has written a “History of the First
Baptist Church of Montreal,” published in 1906, and in August,
1908, entered a vigorous protest against the celebration of high
mass on the Plains of Abraham as a part of the tercentenary
celebration.
Dr. Gordon married at Kingsborough, Prince Edward Island,
Margaret Ford, eldest daughter of the late John Ford, and to
them were born five sons: John, a resident of Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island; Dr. Alvah H., of Montreal; Peter W., of
Calgary; Herbert F., of Winnipeg; and Walter H., city editor
of The Gazette of Montreal. Dr. Gordon has been a lifelong
temperance worker and reformer and has accomplished a great deal
of excellent work along this line, being uncompromising in his
attitude toward the liquor evil and battling against it always to
the extent of his great ability. In Montreal he is known as a man
whose actions conform closely to his principles and whose energy,
aggressiveness and untiring activity have been elements in the
accomplishment of great and lasting work.
CHARLES HENRY GOULD.
Charles Henry Gould, librarian of McGill University and president
of the American Library Association, 1908-09, is son of Joseph
G. and Abigail (DeWitt) Gould, the latter a daughter of the late
Jacob DeWitt, M. P., of Montreal. Born in Montreal on the 6th of
December, 1855, Charles H. Gould pursued his education in the
city schools through successive grades until he completed the
high school course, after which he entered McGill University
and was graduated B. A. with first rank honors in 1877, also
winning the Chapman medal in classics. Through the succeeding
scholastic year he devoted some time to post-graduate work in
physics. With the completion of his education he entered business
circles, in which he continued for several years. He afterward
took up the study of library economy and also spent some time in
travel before entering upon his present connection as librarian
of McGill University. For twenty years he has filled his present
position with eminent ability, having entered upon his duties in
September, 1893. He was made governor’s fellow in 1891. There is
no Canadian, perhaps, who has made a more thorough study of the
work and opportunities of the librarian than has Charles Henry
Gould, and realizing the deficiencies of many who undertake the
librarian’s task, he founded the McGill School for Librarians
in 1904. His prominence in his chosen field is indicated in his
election to the first vice presidency of the American Library
Association for 1907 and 1908 and his subsequent election to the
presidency for 1908-9. He has continued his labors at McGill
although offered the appointment of associate librarian of the
public library of Brooklyn, New York, in 1908, and that of
librarian of the Toronto public library. A fellow of the American
Library Institute, he belongs to the Champlain Society, was
president of the Bibliographical Society of America 1912-13
and is a member of other bodies which have for their basis the
promotion of scientific and literary knowledge. He is also a
member of the University Club, and the Canada Journal names him
as a loyal and valuable citizen.
DONAT BRODEUR, K. C.
Specializing in the field of civil and commercial law, Donat
Brodeur has gained recognition as a man capable of handling
intricate and involved legal problems. He is a native of
Montreal, born in March, 1863. His preliminary education
was acquired in St. Mary’s Jesuit College, with the later
professional course in Laval University, from which he was
graduated with the degree of B. C. L. with the class of 1887.
He was called to the bar at the beginning of the succeeding
year, and since that date he has practiced his profession
continuously in this city, now covering a period of a quarter
of a century. Each year has found him in a point in advance
of that which he occupied the previous year both in knowledge
and in the nature and importance of his practice. He is a well
known writer on legal subjects and a frequent contributor to
legal periodicals. He has also lectured on law topics before the
Canadian Accountants Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He
has ever been a student of his profession, constantly broadening
his knowledge by wide reading and research, and the care and
precision with which he prepares his cases constitute a strong
element in his success.
Attractive social qualities are the basis of his personal
popularity, making him a valued member of different social
organizations.
ROBERT FOWLER.
Robert Fowler, a merchant, was born in Montreal, November 17,
1851, and died in April, 1903. He was a son of Robert J. Fowler,
who was born in England in 1818 and was educated there. He was
brought up in the cathedral, having from the age of ten years
made his own way, becoming a choir boy in the church. In 1847 he
crossed the Atlantic going to Sorel, Canada, with Sir Benjamin
Levine and his staff, to teach the daughters music. In 1849 he
came to Montreal and was the first instructor of the city to
hold musicales. For forty years he was professor of music in the
normal school and at different times was organist in nearly all
of the churches of the city. He could play any instrument and was
recognized as the best instructor in music, by far, of his day.
He was also known to some extent as a composer and, in a word,
his musical talent was highly developed, while his professional
labors and influence were an element in promoting and cultivating
musical tastes and standards in the city. His was an artistic
nature. He wielded the painter’s brush with skill and he was,
moreover, a great naturalist. He took deep interest in the city’s
improvement and in all projects for civic betterment. He held
membership in Christ Church Cathedral, renting a pew there
for thirty-five years. His life thus became a potent force in
the artistic and moral progress of the city. He was married in
Weymouth, England, to Miss Annie Wadsworth and they became the
parents of five children, who reached adult age but only one,
Annie, is now living. The others were William, Susan, Robert and
John Henry. The death of the father occurred March 14, 1900, and
the mother passed away in 1911.
Robert Fowler supplemented a public-school course by study in the
normal school of Montreal and started in the business world as an
employe in Robertson’s dry-goods store, in which he acquainted
himself with every phase of the business and gained practical
experience which made him a successful merchant when he started
out on his own account.
He carefully saved his earnings until his frugality and economy
had brought him sufficient capital to become a partner in the
purchase of a stock of goods and the establishment of a store.
The firm of Fowler & Leishman was then organized for the conduct
of a retail dry-goods business and after a few years Mr. Fowler
was able to purchase his partner’s interest becoming sole
proprietor. He then devoted his entire time to the business and
enjoyed a liberal patronage, deriving a fair and gratifying
profit from his investment.
In Montreal in 1892, occurred the marriage of Robert Fowler and
Miss Amy Hamilton, a daughter of Robert Hamilton. Their three
children were Gordon, Wallace and Doris.