practice in Montreal. His offices are located at No. 13 La Patrie
building and he makes his home at No. 1136 Galt Street, town of
St. Paul, Montreal. He was born in the parish of St. Barthélemi,
in the county of Berthier, on the 30th of November, 1887, a son
of Edmond and Marie Louise (Denis) Lafontaine, the father a well
known citizen of Montreal.
Adrien Lafontaine enjoyed a very thorough education. He attended
the Academy of St. Barthélemi and from the College of Montreal
obtained the degree of Bachelor of Letters in rhetoric and
philosophy, studying there during the years 1908 and 1909 with
the Fathers of St. Sulpice. He then entered Laval University of
Montreal, where he pursued his legal studies and from which he
graduated in 1912 as licentiate in law (LL. L.). On the 9th of
July, 1912, he submitted to examinations before the chamber of
notaries and was thereupon received as a notary, establishing
himself as a practicing lawyer on the 30th of October, 1912. His
excellent legal equipment gives promise of a distinguished career.
Mr. Lafontaine is interested in a loan company and a mining
company. He has been a notary public since the 12th of
July, 1912. On March 1, 1913, he joined the Independent
Order of Foresters and has been elected to the office
of secretary-treasurer of the Préfontaine Court of that
organization. Since October 1, 1912, he has been vice president
of the Parish Circle of the town of St. Paul. Mr. Lafontaine is
prominent among the professional men of the city and has many
friends among the younger generation of lawyers. He has already
succeeded in gaining a great amount of confidence and good-will
among the general public.
JAMES G. DAY.
James G. Day was born in Montreal, December 12, 1834. He had
therefore passed the seventy-second milestone on life’s journey,
when called to the home beyond. He was one in a family of nine
children, whose father, John J. Day, was born in London, but came
to Montreal and was one of the most active men of his time in the
city. He was particularly interested in all things pertaining to
its welfare and progress and his aid in public movements was of a
beneficial character.
James G. Day was educated in Montreal and took the law course at
McGill University. He was admitted to the bar in Montreal. He
engaged in the practice of his profession until 1866, when he was
compelled to abandon it because of poor health. After spending
one year in the United States he returned to Montreal and became
a member of the firm of Hutchins & Company, wholesale tea
merchants, and there continued for a few years. He then engaged
in the coal business until his failing health caused him to seek
a change. He then located at Troy, New York, and there resumed
the practice of law, so continuing until his death, January 6,
1907.
It was while a resident of the United States that he was married
in Bloomington, Illinois, to Miss Ellen E. Lewis, a daughter of
Dr. William Lewis, who was an English Army surgeon and spent
twenty years in the West Indies. He was afterward stationed for
a time at Halifax and subsequently removed to Chicago, where he
lived prior to establishing a home in Morris, Grundy county,
Illinois, where his remaining days were passed. He was very
active in his profession, being recognized as an able and eminent
medical practitioner.
Mr. and Mrs. Day had three sons: Dr. John L. Day, engaged in
the practice of his profession in Westmount; Albert J. Day, who
is with Greenshields & Company; and Maurice Baldwin Day, acting
manager of the Bourbonniere branch of the Union Bank of Canada,
at Montreal.
HENRY MILES.
Henry Miles in 1895 became one of the founders of the firm of
Leeming, Miles & Company of Montreal, importers and manufacturers
of drugs, chemicals and proprietary articles in the drug and
grocery lines. He has since been an active factor in the
successful control of the business and to other fields of
activity has extended his efforts with equally desirable results.
He was born in Lennoxville, P. Q., May 8, 1854. His father, the
late Henry Hooper Miles, D. C. L., LL. D., a well known historian
and for twenty-five years vice principal of Bishop’s College at
Lennoxville, afterward became secretary of the Protestant section
of the department of public instruction for the province. He
married Elizabeth Wilson, daughter of Dr. William Wilson, of
Sherbrooke, Quebec.
In the Lennoxville grammar school their son Henry Miles pursued
his preliminary education, which was supplemented by study in
the high school of Quebec and in the Laval Normal School of the
same city. His early business experience came to him through
association with the firm of Lyman, Sons & Company, of which he
became manager and managing partner, his association with the
house continuing from 1870 until 1895, when he separated his
interests and in the latter year organized the firm of Leeming,
Miles & Company of Montreal for the importation and manufacture
of drugs, chemicals and proprietary articles in both the drug
and grocery lines. After continuing for a considerable period as
managing partner he was elected to the presidency of the company
on incorporation. He is also engaged in the manufacture of
medicines as proprietor of a business conducted under the style
of Dick & Company and he is publisher and editor of the Montreal
Pharmaceutical Journal. Even this does not compass the extent
of his business activity, for he is president of the National
Hydro-Electric Company, Ltd., and managing director of the
Carillon Construction & Development Company, Ltd.
[Illustration: HENRY MILES]
Moreover, Mr. Miles is actively and helpfully interested in
organizations for the benefit of trade and business conditions.
He is a member of the Chambre de Commerce, was treasurer of
the Montreal Board of Trade in 1897-98, was vice president in
1899-1900 and in 1901 became president. The present magnificent
Board of Trade building stands as a monument to his energy. He
is still an active member of the organization, and since 1901 he
has been president of the Montreal Business Men’s League, which
has been instrumental in effecting many municipal and other
reforms. He is likewise president of the Proprietary Articles
Trade Association of Canada, secretary-treasurer of the Montreal
Industrial Exhibition Association and in 1900 was a delegate to
the International Commercial Congress at Philadelphia. In 1905 he
was honorary treasurer of the Hon. John Young Monument Committee.
Aside from all these interests of a semi-public character his
activities have been salient features in the attainment of
success for other organizations and for the public good. He
has filled the office of justice of the peace and is consul in
Canada for Paraguay. He was one of the founders of the Montreal
Philharmonic Society and for a time was director of Trinity
church choir, both of which indicate his deep interest in music.
He represented the Montreal Board of Trade at the funeral of
King Edward in London, England, in May, 1910. Fraternally he
is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, in sympathy with the purposes of
those organizations. His religious faith is that of the Anglican
church, and he was for many years warden of Trinity church and
the Church of St. James the Apostle. He has also been a member
of the synod. His political belief is that of the liberal party.
He belongs to the Canada, Montreal and Country Clubs, and those
who meet him in these different organizations find him a social,
genial companion. He has been a thorough and discriminating
student of many questions that pertain to Canada and her welfare,
carrying his researches far and wide. In 1880 he was the author
of the Prize Questions in Canadian History, having won the
first prize, and in 1900 he published an Address on Commercial
Education, indicating deep insight into and thorough knowledge
of the question. He made the customs’ tariff a special study for
years and has written much on that subject.
Mr. Miles was married in 1875 to Miss McGregor, of Montreal.
Nature endowed him with qualities, which developed through
persistent energy and laudable ambition, have brought him into
prominent relations. Inheriting the strong intellectual force
of worthy ancestry, he has developed his talents and his powers
not only in the control and enlargement of important business
interests, but also along lines in which the general public has
been the beneficiary.
REV. DAVID BENSON ROGERS.
Rev. David Benson Rogers, since 1911 rector of St. Luke’s
Episcopal Church, Montreal, was born in Watford, Ontario, and is
a son of John B. Rogers of that city. He acquired his preliminary
education in the public schools there and after graduating from
the Watford high school entered McGill University from which
he was graduated with the degree of B. A. and with first class
honors in mental and moral philosophy, in 1906. Continuing his
studies he received the degree of M. A. in 1909 and in the same
year that of Licentiate in Theology from the Montreal Diocesan
Theological College. He was made deacon in the Episcopal church
in 1908 and received full orders in 1909 and in the former year
was appointed assistant in Grace church, Montreal. In this
position he did sincere and earnest work until 1911 when his
ability and zeal were recognized in his appointment as rector of
St. Luke’s church. He possesses true religious zeal, is earnest,
God-fearing and unostentatious in the discharge of his duties and
has already accomplished a great deal of consecrated work among
his people whose love he holds in large measure. He is moreover
a man of initiative spirit and administrative ability, and under
his able management the business affairs of the church have been
carried forward in an orderly and systematic manner.
On the 19th of April, 1911, Mr. Rogers was united in marriage
to Miss Florence Ethel Hurd, eldest daughter of Henry Hurd of
Montreal. Mr. Rogers is widely and favorably known in Montreal
among his own people and among those of all denominations,
and his influence is felt as a potent force in the moral
development of the community. The doctrines which he professes
he consistently practices, and at all times his life has been
actuated by high and honorable purposes and characterized
by kindly actions and consideration for others. He realizes
fully the obligations which devolve upon him and finds it a
privilege to bring his fellowmen to a knowledge of truth and an
understanding of those principles of life which bring men into
more harmonious relations with the divine law.
CHARLES H. MAGUIRE.
Charles H. Maguire, who figured prominently in insurance circles
in Montreal, was born in Quebec in 1858 and died at The Glade,
Boisbriand, province of Quebec, July 31, 1907. His father was
Hon. Judge Maguire of the superior court of Quebec, a very able
and distinguished citizen and jurist, who was born April 15,
1810, and died July 5, 1880. He married Miss Frances Horan, also
of Quebec.
Their son, Charles H. Maguire, was educated in the seminary of
that city and for a few years was connected with the bank there,
thus receiving his initial business training. About 1897 he came
to Montreal and engaged in the insurance business as a member of
the firm of Esinhart & Maguire, which succeeded the late Walter
Kavanagh as chief agents for the Scottish Union & the National
Insurance Company of Edinburgh. They also became chief agents for
the German-American and the Rochester German Insurance Company,
conducting an insurance business of large proportions, his name
becoming a synonym for successful achievements in insurance
circles.
Mr. Maguire was also active in interests of the city and his
devotion to the public welfare was manifest in many tangible
ways. He was fond of outdoor sports, especially those of an
aquatic character. He always adhered to the religious faith in
which he was reared--that of the Catholic church.
Mr. Maguire was married twice. In Quebec he wedded Miss Mountain,
who is survived by two children: Eustace J. Maguire, now living
in Denver, Colorado; and Sister Mary of the Annunciation, of the
Congregation of Notre Dame. In Montreal, in 1904, Mr. Maguire
wedded Henrietta Kavanagh, a daughter of Henry Kavanagh, who was
born in Carlow, Ireland and came to Montreal in 1838.
LOUIS J. LORANGER, LL. D., K. C.
Louis J. Loranger, a man distinguished by scholarly attainments
and a wide knowledge of commercial law, is practicing at the
Montreal bar as the senior partner in the firm of Loranger,
Loranger & Prud’homme. Born on the 22d of September, 1870,
the eldest son of Hon. Louis Quesime and Marie Anne Rosalie
(Lafranboise) Loranger, of whom more extended mention is made
elsewhere in this work, in the city which is still his place
of residence, he has here since remained, and the record of
his progress is a familiar one to many of his contemporaries,
who recognize the fact that native talent well developed and
opportunities carefully improved have brought him to his present
creditable position as a representative of the legal profession.
He was a student in St. Mary’s College of Montreal and afterward
in Laval University, from which he received the degrees of B.
A. and M. L. A., a special examination later bringing him the
LL. D. degree. He was called to the bar on the 10th of January,
1894, and for eighteen years was a partner of Mr. Justice
Beaudin. Their practice was extensive and of a most important
character. His present position as legal adviser to La Chambre de
Commerce and to the Citizens’ Association and the Association of
Architects indicates his rank among the foremost members of the
Montreal bar. He is also vice president of the International Law
Association and a member of the council of the bar. He was made a
king’s counsel in 1910.
Mr. Loranger is a conservative in politics and is president of La
Jeunesse Conservative. He belongs to the Conservative Club, Le
Club Cartier, the Union Catholique and L’Alliance Nationale. The
name is today an honored one in legal circles not only in Canada
but throughout America, for he has a wide acquaintance among the
eminent representatives of the bar south of the border.
WALTER KAVANAGH.
Walter Kavanagh was one of the best known representatives of
insurance interests in Canada. For a quarter of a century he had
been chief agent for the Scottish Union & National Insurance
Company, for which he did a large business. He also held the
chief agency of the German-American company and recently had
been appointed to the same position with the Rochester German
Insurance Company.
Mr. Kavanagh was of Irish extraction, of which he gave evidence
in his brightness, warmth of heart, geniality and lively wit,
which will long be remembered by those who were his social
associates. As an insurance agent he was full of energy,
aggressive, and thoroughly in earnest in promoting the interests
of the companies he represented. It is but natural that such
success as attended the efforts of Mr. Kavanagh should have
created heart burnings in those who had not the ability to reach
his plane in the insurance world, and that his position should
have been at times jealously envied it is superfluous to mention,
for there were many who tried to emulate his success and many who
sought to rival his popularity. Mr. Kavanagh died November 22,
1905.
FRANCIS WOLFERSTAN THOMAS.
The world has little use for a misanthrope. The worth of the
individual is largely judged by what he has accomplished in
behalf of his fellowmen and, as a modern philosopher has put
it: “Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to
the world through us is the measure of our success.” Judged by
this standard Francis Wolferstan Thomas was a most successful
man. Along strictly business lines, too, his advancement was
continuous until he stood among the prominent representatives of
banking interests in the country, the growth and development of
The Molson’s Bank of Montreal being attributable in large measure
to his efforts and sound business judgment. He was born at
Moorwinstow, Cornwall, England, January 9, 1834, and was educated
at King Edward VI School in Sherburne, Dorsetshire. It was the
family wish that he should enter the priesthood of the Anglican
church; and later he was intended for the army, but before a
commission was procured he came to Canada, arriving here in
October, 1851. He came of ancestry honorable and distinguished.
His paternal grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Thomas, a fellow
of Oxford and vicar of Tidenham in Gloucestershire. He married
Elizabeth Wolferstan, of Hartland, Devon, and their family
included Rev. Francis Wolferstan Thomas, who became rector of
Parkham, North Devon. He married a lady of the ancient and
important family of Shearrue, whose seat is at Woodlands,
Cornwall. They were the parents of Francis Wolferstan Thomas.
The latter came to Canada with the intention of following
agricultural pursuits, but gave up that plan and turned his
attention to engineering, securing temporary employment with the
Grand Trunk Railway Company. Soon afterward, however, he sought
other employment and his native talents and training gained him
recognition in appointment to a position in the Bank of Upper
Canada. A year later James Stevenson, the cashier of the Quebec
Bank, who was then managing the Bank of Montreal, offered Mr.
Thomas a position, which he accepted. He was afterward rapidly
promoted in recognition of his ability and the rapidity with
which he mastered the various phases of the banking business,
until in 1865 he was appointed manager of the London branch of
the bank in western Canada. In 1870 the position of cashier in
Molson’s Bank was offered him and after carefully considering
the subject of making a change he at length accepted, and the
continuous growth and development of the bank from that time
until his death testified to his ability, resourcefulness
and initiative. He occupied a commanding position in banking
circles, his opinions being largely accepted as authority upon
all vital questions of the financial world of Canada. He was
also a director of the Canadian Life Assurance Company. His high
standing among the financiers of the country is indicated in
the fact that in 1896 he was honored with the presidency of
the Dominion Bankers Association, and he was also a member of
the council of the Montreal Board of Trade and chairman of the
bankers’ branch of the Board of Trade. He was likewise a director
of the Montreal Cemetery Company.
[Illustration: F. WOLFERSTAN THOMAS]
In 1861 Mr. Thomas was married to Harriet Amelia Goodhue, a
native of London, Ontario, and third daughter of the late Hon.
George Jarvis Goodhue, M. L. C., and a representative of one
of the distinguished families of Salem, Massachusetts. Nine
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, of whom four are
living. Mrs. Thomas ably seconded her husband in his many
philanthropic and beneficent efforts. She has served as manager
of the Ladies’ Benevolent Society for thirty-four years and was
its treasurer for nineteen years; she was first directress of the
Mackay Institute for Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind; first
directress of the Church Home; and president of the Montreal
School of Cookery, founded by the Princess Louise. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas held membership in the Church of England. Probably
no other man in the city led such an active and useful life in
respect to charities and public movements having to do with the
upbuilding and welfare of Montreal. For years he was a prominent
member of the Good Government Association. He was also a director
of the Art Association and was a member of the council of the
Board of Arts and Manufactures. No good work done in the name of
charity or religion ever sought his aid in vain. He was a member
of the committee of managers of the Montreal General Hospital
and of the St. John’s Ambulance Association, and thus he reached
out in helpful spirit toward the unfortunate. He was treasurer
of the Church Home, treasurer of the Protestant Hospital for the
Insane, treasurer of the Andrews Home, treasurer of the Murray
Bay Convalescent Home, president of the Mackay Institute for
Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind, and vice president of the
Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In
1894 he was elected president of the Montreal General Hospital
and the following year was chosen president of the St. George
Society. He was for many years an exemplary representative of the
Masonic fraternity and was district deputy grandmaster of the
London district. One of his most successful accomplishments was
the erection of the Montreal General Hospital Jubilee Training
Home for Nurses in 1897. While eminently successful in business,
he regarded his banking interests as but one phase of life, and
it never was allowed to overshadow his duties to his fellowmen.
It would be more just to say that it was a deep interest in
mankind rather than a sense of duty that prompted his active
support of and cooperation in the many movements with which
he became allied--movements which seek to ameliorate the hard
conditions of life for the unfortunate, to advance the interests
of science, to promote civilization and uplift mankind.
Mr. Thomas passed away on May 18, 1900, and the Montreal Star in
an editorial said: “In mourning the death of Mr. F. Wolferstan
Thomas, Montreal sorrows for the loss of one of her most
prominent and useful citizens. A successful banker Mr. Thomas
was, as the growth of Molson’s Bank under his guidance shows;
but he was more than that. He was a citizen in the fullest sense
of that much abused word. At every point he bore the duties
that attach to citizenship duties, that far too many busy men
neglect. Then he was a philanthropist, as his long and valuable
services in connection with the General Hospital, the Mackay
Institute and the other establishments founded for the succor of
the sick and suffering abundantly demonstrate. The mere list of
the associations for the good of his fellowmen with which he was
actively connected, make up a long paragraph. As his sympathies
enrolled him among the forces which ease the grind of life for
the unfortunate, so his stanch integrity and keen judgment
classed him with those who made for honest government and just
laws.
“His influence for good--both the good that smiles in charity and
the good that is stern against aggression--will be missed in the
community; as his tall straight figure will be missed from the
streets and from such assemblies of citizens as gather for deeds
of brotherhood and public benefit.”
REV. JOHN C. BROPHY.
Rev. John C. Brophy, pastor of St. Agnes’ Catholic church in
Montreal, exemplifies in his beneficial, upright and useful life
the high ideals of the priesthood he represents and has become a
force in the spread of Catholic doctrines and the promotion of
Catholic education among the people of the city.
St. Agnes’ parish was organized in 1905 of English-speaking
people, and the services were held first in a room in St.
John Baptist church. Later the congregation, which has grown
continually since the foundation of the parish, gathered in a
hall in St. John Baptist Market where they listened to the wise
counsel of the founder and first parish priest, Rev. W. J. Casey.
He died May 13, 1912, and was succeeded by Rev. John C. Brophy,
the present incumbent, who has proved a worthy follower in his
footsteps. Father Brophy has about five hundred Catholic families
under his charge and has already accomplished excellent work
among them, holding their love and respect in large measure. He
has taken a great interest in the cause of Catholic education
and has carried forward the work along this line, begun by his
predecessor, by his able superintendence of the Olier School
for boys, and the Sacred Heart Academy for girls. This latter
institution is under the direction of the sisters of the Holy
Names of Jesus and Mary.