education in the Montreal high school, in 1883. He first engaged
with Frothingham & Workman after leaving school, spending a few
years with that firm before he embarked in business on his own
account as junior partner in the firm of A. C. Leslie & Company,
iron, steel and metal merchants on St. Paul Street. He then
concentrated his energy upon the development of that business
and was a very active representative of commercial interests in
Montreal until his life’s labors were ended in death. He studied
every phase of the business with which he was connected, readily
recognized and utilized advantages and by methods that neither
seek nor require disguise, won the confidence and respect of
contemporaries and colleagues.
Mr. Campbell was married in Ottawa to Miss Elizabeth Henderson
of Ottawa, whose father, John Henderson, is city clerk there.
Mr. Campbell belonged to the Canadian Club and his social
nature gained him many warm friends. He was a public-spirited
man and gave generous and helpful support to projects for
the general good. He belonged to the Board of Trade and was in
hearty sympathy with its plans for Montreal’s improvement. He was
also a member of the American Presbyterian church and his life
exemplified his belief.
[Illustration: ALBERT H. CAMPBELL]
JOSEPH ISRAEL DESROCHES, M. D.
Capable, earnest and conscientious, Dr. Joseph Israël Desroches
has for many years exercised his profession in Montreal, where he
is widely known to the general public and enjoys high prestige
among his colleagues, especially in regard to hygiene and
children’s hygiene, upon which subjects he is an expert. His
standing is quite evident from his connection with some of the
foremost societies in the medical line in the world and it is
therefore not surprising that his practice should be extensive
and representative as well as lucrative to him. Dr. Desroches was
born in October, 1850, at St. Esprit and is a son of André and
Héloïse (Mercier) Desroches, the former in his day a well known
agriculturist of St. Esprit. The Desroches family is descended
from one Jean Deroches, who was born in 1614 and in 1641 left
Ste. Lucie, near Autun, France, for Villemarie. He made the
journey with one Monsieur de Maisonneuve. In 1647 he married
Françoise Godet and this marriage was the first contract of that
kind to be registered at Villemarie. Jean Deroches had a family
of eight children, of whom his son Pierre married Marie Beaudry
on November 24, 1698, at Pointe-aux-Trembles. It was he who added
the s to the original name of Deroches. Jean Deroches died at
Quebec on August 23, 1664. This record of the early ancestors
of Dr. Desroches is to be found in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire
Généalogique, in volume I, page 184.
Dr. Desroches pursued his classical studies at the Seminary of
Joliette and received his medical education at the School of
Medicine and Surgery of Montreal. There he received his degree
of M. D. in 1877. He has ever since engaged in his profession
at Montreal and, deeply studious of mind, has ever continued
in perfecting his wide knowledge and keeping up-to-date with
the latest discoveries made in the world’s medical science. The
humane element in his nature is strongly developed and much of
his success must be ascribed to the confidence which he inspires
in his patients and which is recognized today as being one of the
larger factors in effecting a cure. Careful in diagnosis, he is
decisive in his actions after reaching a conclusion and there are
hundreds who can testify to his ability and are grateful to him
for having given them back health and happiness.
It is but natural that a man of Dr. Desroches’ ability should
turn to the scientific side of his profession, not finding his
sole satisfaction in mere attendance upon and ministrations to
the sick. In 1884 he was chosen by the Hygienic Society of the
Province of Quebec as manager of the Journal of Popular Hygiene
and had charge of this valuable medium of influence until 1895,
contributing many articles toward the enlightenment of the
general public. In 1887 Dr. Desroches was nominated an honorary
member of the Société Française of Paris and in the same year,
on the occasion of the exposition of children’s hygiene, held
in Paris, he received from the Hygienic Society for Children,
of that city, a diploma and a gold medal and was chosen a
corresponding member of the society. In 1889 he was made a
corresponding member of the Society of Physical, Natural and
Climatological Sciences of Algiers. From 1892 to 1895 and from
1898 until 1901 Dr. Desroches had charge of the medical bureau of
the province of Quebec and from 1894 until 1900 was a member of
the Provincial Council on Hygiene, of Quebec.
On February 9, 1881, Dr. Desroches was united in marriage to
Miss Albertine Groulx, a daughter of Louis Thomas and Cornélie
(Doyou) Groulx, the former a well known barrister and notary
public of Joliette. Dr. and Mrs. Desroches have the following
children, Jeanne, Gilberte, Henri, Juliette and Lucille. In
various connections the Doctor has made valuable contributions to
hygienic science and the subject of medicine and several of the
works of which he is the author enjoy a wide circulation and are
considered standard by the profession. He is a public-spirited
man, progressive not only in his profession but in regard to all
subjects that affect his home city and is ever ready to give his
warm support to worthy public enterprises. His deep knowledge
assures him of a position of distinction, while his kindly spirit
has gained him a place in the hearts of his fellowmen.
HON. HONORE MERCIER.
Hon. Honore Mercier, minister of colonization, mines and
fisheries, lawyer and legislator, recognized as one of the
liberal leaders of Montreal and also acknowledged one of the
capable representatives of the bar, was born at St. Hyacinthe,
P. Q., in 1875, his parents being the late Hon. H. M. (Count)
Mercier and Virginie (St. Denis) Mercier, the former prime
minister of Quebec and one of the eminent lawyers of the
province, of whom mention will be found elsewhere in this work.
The preparatory education of Honore Mercier was received at
St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, following which he was privately
tutored in preparation for his work at Laval University, that
institution conferring upon him the LL. B. degree in 1899. He was
made an advocate in 1900, since which time he has successfully
practiced his profession, being now senior member of the law firm
of Mercier & Beique, with offices in the Quebec Bank building.
Mr. Mercier’s knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence
is comprehensive and exact, and his ability, devotion to his
clients’ interests and the thoroughness with which he prepares
his cases have given him high standing as a representative of the
legal profession in the province.
Mr. Mercier has been a prominent figure in municipal and
provincial affairs, standing firmly in support of the principles
and measures which he deems of vital worth. He was elected to
the city council of Montreal in February, 1906, and in 1907, was
appointed a member of L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales, of
which he is secretary and treasurer, and in the work of which
institution, Mr. Mercier has proven a most capable official.
He was chosen in the liberal interest to represent Chateauguay
in the provincial parliament, where he has sat almost
uninterruptedly since 1907. On April 29, 1914, he was appointed
minister of colonization, mines and fisheries in the Gouin
cabinet. He gives earnest and thoughtful consideration to the
questions of the day and is farsighted in his outlook over the
political field with all that it implies in its relation to the
welfare, progress and prosperity of the province and dominion.
Mr. Mercier was married, in April, 1903, to Miss Jeanne
Frechette, a daughter of the late Dr. L. H. Frechette, C. M. G.
Their religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. They
occupy an attractive home at No. 408 St. Denis Street, and its
hospitality is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. They also
have a summer residence at Bellevue. Mr. Mercier is not a club
man in the usually accepted sense of the term, yet he belongs to
the Club Canadien and has social qualities that make and retain
friends.
ALFRED FOREST.
Natural ability and profound learning have placed Alfred Forest
among the well known young barristers of Montreal, where he
enjoys an extensive practice as a member of the firm of Le Blanc,
Brossard & Forest, who have offices at No. 35 St. James Street.
Well versed in the letter of the law, he is capable, earnest
and conscientious in the discharge of his duties and has been
entrusted with much important litigation since beginning his
career.
The Forest family were among those French emigrants who settled
in Acadia--now Nova Scotia--and the earliest record to be found
of them in Montreal is that of Madeline Forest, who was born in
1709 at d’Annapolis, Acadia. On the maternal side Alfred Forest
is descended from the Mousseau family, who are named among the
early settlers in the province of Quebec, the first mentioned
being Jacques Mousseau, who was married on January 25, 1694, at
Boucherville, to Marie-Ann Daunet, or Daunais.
Alfred Forest was born on the 8th of June, 1881, in the parish
of St. Patrick of Rawdon, in the county of Montcalm. His parents
were Urgel Forest, gentleman, and Eliza (Mousseau) Forest, a
niece of the late Hon. Alfred Mousseau, in 1882 prime minister
of the province of Quebec and later minister of public service
in the cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald in 1884. In 1886, when
he died, he was judge of the superior court of Montreal and was
always a leading conservative.
In the acquirement of his education Alfred Forest attended
the Seminary of Joliette and then followed the philosophical
course at the Seminary of the St. Sulpice Fathers in Montreal,
graduating in 1905 with the degree of B. A. This was followed by
a law course at Laval University, where on December 21, 1907, he
obtained his degree of LL. L. with distinction and was admitted
to the bar on the 15th of January, 1908. In 1906 he was secretary
of the law students at Laval University and in 1907 was their
president. During his law course he received practical training
in the office of the Hon. Judge Paul Martineau and with the Hon.
P. E. Le Blanc, ex-speaker and ex-leader in the legislative
assembly, with whom he is now connected under the firm style
of Le Blanc, Brossard & Forest. After settling down to his
practice no long novitiate awaited him for he soon demonstrated
his ability to cope with the most intricate legal problems. His
reasoning is sound, his logic forceful and, being a student of
humanity as well as book lore, he easily perceives the vital
point in the most difficult legal tangles. As the years have
passed he has made himself felt in the legal fraternity. Moreover
he is now connected with some of the largest interests of the
city, this connection having led him to become a director of the
Modern Gas Light, Heat & Power Company, in which organization he
served in that capacity in 1912 and 1913.
On April 30, 1913, in Montreal, Mr. Forest was united in marriage
to Miss Hélène Jondreville, only daughter of Charles Jondreville,
formerly of Paris, France. Her parents came directly from that
city to Montreal in 1880. Of a distinguished family, Mrs.
Forest is a cultured young lady of rare attainments and many
accomplishments and will no doubt take a prominent part in the
social life of the city.
Mr. Forest has always been a profound student and is an expert
on political economy. He is a member of the conservative party
and was offered the candidature in the federal election of 1911
by the electors of the county of Montcalm but declined, as his
private interests practically forebade him to divert his time. He
is an adherent of the Catholic church and holds membership in the
Canadian Club, L’Alliance Française and the Conservative Club.
Mr. Forest is loyal to the interests of Montreal, of which he is
considerate and which he always tries to promote, proving thereby
his value as a citizen. He is esteemed and respected not only
among the legal fraternity but among the general public, who have
recognized his worth as man, citizen and lawyer.
WILLIAM PATERSON.
Personally popular, William Paterson left behind him a large
circle of friends at his death on the 23d of October, 1902.
For twenty years he had been engaged in the tailoring business
in Montreal, where he enjoyed a wide acquaintance. He was born
December 2, 1858, in Montreal, a son of James Paterson, a native
of Scotland, who passed his youthful days in that country. He
there married Miss Ellen Swanson and afterward left the land of
hills and heather for the new world. To him and his wife were
born seven children.
The father was a tailor by trade and it was under his direction
and guidance that William Paterson learned the business. He
pursued a public-school education and then entered his father’s
shop, devoting many decades to that pursuit. He was in business
on Notre Dame Street for two decades, having one of the well
equipped establishments of the city and gaining a liberal
patronage, which grew with the passing years and made his one of
the prosperous tailoring establishments of the city.
On the 18th of August, 1881, Mr. Paterson was united in marriage,
on Prince Edward Island, to Miss Arabella Le B. Graves, of Nova
Scotia, and they became the parents of four children: Leslie J.;
William Henry; Alice G., who is Mrs. James J. Aird; and Grace W.
Mr. Paterson voted with the conservative party but never took an
active interest in politics to the extent of seeking office as
a reward for party fealty. He was very prominent in fraternal
circles, serving as worshipful master of Elgin Lodge, A. F. &
A. M., and in 1898 he was elected district deputy grand master
of the Montreal district. He was past grand in the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. He was also a life member of the Montreal
Amateur Athletic Association, and was one of the members of Knox
Presbyterian church, serving for several years on the board of
managers. His varied interests and activities of life maintained
an even balance and made him a forceful and influential factor in
support of the business, social and municipal affairs with which
he was connected.
[Illustration: WILLIAM PATERSON]
D. AUG. FONTAINE.
D. Aug. Fontaine is a well known lawyer and notary of Montreal,
being located at No. 244 St. Catherine Street East. Born in
the town of Marieville, Rouville county, February 2, 1872, he
comes of distinguished French-Canadian ancestry. The Rev. Damase
Limoges is an uncle and Morrainé Alphonsine Lemieux, his cousin.
The Rev. Damase Limoges was curate of the Catholic parish of
St. Jean Baptiste, in the county of Rouville, and our subject
was baptized in the Catholic church in that parish on the 4th
of February, 1872. His father was Felix Fontaine, a notary at
Marieville, and his mother Claire (Limoges) Fontaine. The former
was born at St. Charles sûr Richelieu or at St. Hyacinthe about
November 24, 1832. He studied in the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe
and served a legal clerkship at Marieville with the notary
Laberge. He afterwards established himself in that city as a
notary and there practiced for the rest of his life, being
recognized as a brilliant lawyer and gaining great success. He
was a member of the Chamber of Notaries for about twenty-five
years and when he died was vice president of this institution.
The mother was born at Terrebonne, about August 2, 1840, a
daughter of Pierre Limoges, a blacksmith, and Dame (Viger)
Limoges. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Felix
Fontaine, a teacher at St. Hyacinthe. The maternal grandfather,
Pierre Limoges, and Charlotte Luce (Viger) Limoges, his wife,
were the parents of twenty-three children, three daughters of
whom embraced holy orders, one of them having joined the Ladies
of the Sacred Heart at Montreal. One of their sons, Joseph
Magloire Limoges, is a curate at Sorel; another, Damase Limoges,
a curate at Beloeil and Farnham. A daughter, Claire Limoges, is
the mother of our subject.
Louis Fontaine received his education in the elementary school
at the Hospice of Ste. Croix at Marieville. He completed his
commercial and classical studies at the Seminary of Ste. Marie
de Monnoir at Marieville, having terminated his course in 1893.
He studied law at Laval University of Montreal from 1893 to 1897
and served a clerkship with Maître J. A. Dorval, of Montreal. He
received his notaryship at Quebec (with distinction) September
14, 1897. Mr. Fontaine then formed a partnership with his former
preceptor, Maître Dorval, under the firm name of Dorval &
Fontaine. Following, he associated himself with his classmate,
Oscar Desautels, continuing the partnership of Fontaine &
Desautels until 1899. At the end of that time he succeeded his
father, Felix Fontaine, as notary in Marieville. Taking up his
father’s practice, he there followed his profession for about ten
years and has been actively engaged in legal work in Montreal
since 1910. He was secretary-treasurer of the school commission
of Marieville and also was manager of the Marieville branch of a
private bank, known as “La Caisse d’Economie de Drummondville.”
He also was for some time collector of customs at Marieville. In
politics he was a strict liberal until 1909 and although he yet
gives his allegiance to that party, is a nationalist at the same
time.
On the 29th of July, 1896, Mr. Fontaine was married in the town
of Marieville, which is now annexed to Montreal and known as
the town of Ste. Cunegonde, to Miss Marie Eugenie Anna Vezina,
daughter of Alexandre and Emma (Chagnon) Vezina. The father is
engaged in the saddlery business. Mr. and Mrs. Fontaine have
three children: Marie Eugenie Claire Ubaldine, fourteen years of
age; Marie Marguerite Jeanne, twelve years of age; and Joseph
Alexandre Felix Auguste, aged eleven.
Mr. Fontaine is a member of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic
church. He is a musical composer of no mean ability and has
produced a pleasing repertoire of Canadian songs. He is the
author of the Canadian national song, which was written to the
words of Abbé A. Fournet, P. S. S. He was a prize winner in the
competition between Canadian poets in 1908 and the newspaper
La Presse paid him one hundred dollars, le prix de concours.
He is adviser to the singers of Notre Dame parish church of
Montreal. Mr. Fontaine deeply interests himself in all matters
pertaining to public affairs and is interested in the cause of
education and in arts and letters. He is a lawyer of ability, a
patriotic citizen and a man who stands for the higher things in
life and who finds great pleasure and satisfaction in following
his aesthetic tastes and in implanting his art ideas in others.
His talent along musical lines has been ably put to use in
elevating the musical standards of the city and in bringing more
closely before the public the idea of creating a home musical art
particularly and peculiarly Canadian.
ARTHUR SURVEYER.
In the field of engineering the name of Arthur Surveyer is widely
known. Liberal training and broad experience have brought him
to a prominent position and won for him the liberal patronage
that is accorded him as senior partner in the firm of Surveyer &
Frigon, consulting engineers of Montreal.
Mr. Surveyer was born in this city on the 17th of December,
1878, son of L. J. A. and M. A. Hectorine (Fabre) Surveyer, of
whom more extended mention will be found elsewhere in this book,
and supplemented his course of study in St. Mary’s College by
a course in L’Ecole Polytechnique in which he won the degrees
of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Applied Science and was
graduated as a civil engineer. He also pursued a special
post-graduate course at L’Ecole d’Industrie et des Mines du
Hainout, Mons, Belgium. His liberal training and broad experience
have made him one of the most efficient representatives of the
profession. From 1904 until May, 1911, he was in the service
of the Canadian department of public works and was engaged on
the survey, plans and estimates for the Georgian Bay Ship Canal
project and the survey of the Richelieu river for a twelve-foot
canal. He was supervising engineer during the construction of
the Port Arthur Dry Dock and reported on several hydro-electric
projects on the St. Lawrence river. In May, 1911, he left the
public service, in which he was connected with many important
works, to enter upon private practice, but has been retained as
consulting engineer by the public works department in a number
of important matters such as the preparation of Canada’s case
against the Chicago drainage canal and the report on the plans
submitted to the government by the Montreal Tunnel Company and by
the Montreal Central Terminal Company. Mr. Surveyer is a member
of the St. Lawrence River commission, is engineer for various
municipalities and is a member of a number of professional
societies and associations, including the Canadian Society of
Civil Engineers, the International Federation of Consulting
Engineers and the Hydrotechnic Society of France. Thoroughness
has characterized all that he has undertaken. That quality was
manifest in his preparation for his profession. He was a most
discriminating and earnest student and in his practice he has
lost sight of no detail of his work and at the same time has
given due prominence to its most important problems and features.
His entire professional career has been characterized by
continuous advancement.
J. F. OLIVAR ASSELIN.
J. F. Olivar Asselin was born at St. Hilarion, in Charlevoix
county, P. Q., November 8, 1874, a son of Rieule and Cedulie
(Tremblay) Asselin, the latter of whom is still living. He
emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1892, and in
Fall River, Massachusetts, J. F. Olivar Asselin was for two years
employed in the cotton mills.
Taking up journalism, he was at first connected with small French
weekly publications. He afterward became editor of La Tribune,
a Woonsocket, Rhode Island, daily, in which capacity he enjoyed
the friendship and confidence of the Hon. Mr. A. J. Pothier,
then lieutenant governor, and now governor of Rhode Island.
While practicing his profession in Woonsocket, Mr. Asselin was
principal of an evening public school in that city in 1897 and
1898.
He was the first man to enlist in the First Rhode Island
Volunteers, at the breaking out of the Spanish-American War.
Returning to Canada in 1900, he was successively connected
with the Montreal Herald, La Patrie, Le Journal, La
Presse, La Nationaliste and Le Devoir, with a two years
intermission--1901-1903--during which he was private secretary
to the Hon., now Sir Lomer Gouin, then minister of colonization
and public works of the province of Quebec. In 1902 he organized
the Nationalist league, being for several years president of the
Montreal branch. This indicates his deep interest in political
problems and to disseminate the principles in which he believed,
he founded La Nationaliste as the organ of the party, and for a
time was editor of that publication.
He has written much upon various subjects, his publications
including a series of political brochures with the title,
Feuilles de Combat. He is also the author of “A Quebec View
of Canadian Nationalism, an Essay by a Dyed-in-the-Wool
French-Canadian,” which was published in 1910.
He has been in business for four years as manager of the Credit
Metropolitain, one of the well known real-estate and financial
firms of Montreal.
In 1912, he was appointed by the federal government, a special
commissioner to French and Belgium, to study the question of
emigration from those countries to Canada. Mr. Asselin has made
a special study of municipal questions, and is well known as a
member of the National Municipal league, as well as a contributor
to the Municipal Journal. Mr. Asselin stood twice as a candidate
for parliamentary honors, without success, a result which, in one
case at least, was said to be due to his caustic spirit. In 1913
he was elected general president of the great St. Jean Baptiste
Society, the national society of the French.
In 1903 Mr. Asselin wedded Mlle. Alice Le Bouthillier of Montreal.
JOSEPH ASSELIN, M. D., C. M.
A specialist in the treatment of children’s diseases and
prominently known in connection with both hospital and private
practice, Dr. Joseph Asselin is one of the best known physicians
of Montreal. He was born in Joliette, Quebec, August 10, 1858, a
son of Eusebe and Elmire (Cornellier) Asselin. The father was a
merchant and proprietor of an important seigneury.
[Illustration: JOSEPH ASSELIN]