January, 1902, has been retained as counsel for the defense or
prosecution in many notable cases heard in the Montreal courts.
He was born on the 26th of February, 1880, a son of Arthur
Alphonse and Elizabeth Emma (Morrissette) Gibeault. The father
was for seven years provincial chief ranger of the Catholic Order
of Foresters. The son was a student in Montreal College for eight
years, from September, 1890, until July, 1898. In September of
the latter year he entered Laval University, where he remained
until December 21, 1901, winning the Bachelor of Arts and LL. L.
degrees. He was admitted as a lawyer and barrister to the bar of
Quebec on the 17th of January, 1902, and has since been actively
connected with the profession, in which he has made steady
advancement, already having won a place of equal rank with many
an older representative of the bar. He was attorney and counsel
for the school commissioners of Hochelaga for many years and as
counsel tried many immigration cases. He was especially prominent
in the case of Gaetanetta Imparato, who was deported to Italy and
subsequently returned to Canada pursuant to an appeal made by
Mr. Gibeault in her favor. He represented Sarah Kositzky in her
appeal before the department of immigration of the United States
and obtained a commission of three medical men to examine her.
The decision of the first board was afterward reversed by this
commission. Mr. Gibeault’s name appears in connection with other
important cases which have attracted widespread interest not only
in Canada but also in the United States.
Mr. Gibeault is a conservative and was prime minister of the
mock parliament of Laval in 1899 and head of the conservative
ministry, while the leader of the opposition was J. W. Pilon, a
well known lawyer of Montreal. That Mr. Gibeault possesses marked
histrionic as well as legal talent is indicated in the fact that
during the year 1904-5 the Greek drama of Antigone by Sophocles
was played in Greek, on which occasion he took the role of Ismene
and the role of Antigone was taken by D. Lalonde, now Father
Lalonde, P. S. S., one of the directors of Montreal College,
while the role of Creon was played by J. F. St. Cyr, now district
magistrate of St. Johns, Iberville. The production of the play in
Greek created a tremendous sensation at the time because it was
an achievement unheard of before.
On the 26th of June, 1905, Mr. Gibeault was married to Marie
Jeanne Phaneuf, daughter of L. A. Phaneuf, notary public of
Rigaud, and Marie Joseph Adam. Mrs. Gibeault is a niece of the
Rt. Rev. Canon F. L. T. Adam, of Montreal, and Father J. Adam,
S. J. Mr. and Mrs. Gibeault have three children, Yves, Marc and
Madeleine. The religious faith of the family is that of the
Catholic church and Mr. Gibeault is a leading member of the
Independent Order of Foresters. Possessed of natural oratorical
ability, his power in that direction, supplementing the
analytical trend of his mind and added to his broad knowledge of
the law, has gained him distinction as one of the younger members
of the Montreal bar.
DIOSCORE ALFRED BENOIT, M. D.
Dioscore Alfred Benoit, M. D., prominent in the field of medical
practice, making a specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, was
born in Montreal on the 26th of July, 1880, a son of Lucien and
Albina (Bourdon) Benoit, the former a native of Contrecoeur
and the latter of Lavaltrie, Quebec. The paternal grandfather,
Isaac Benoit, was born in Geneva, Switzerland, a member of an
old French family of rank established in Switzerland at the time
that Louis XIV issued the revocation of the edict of Nantes.
Some years after his arrival in Canada Isaac Benoit embraced the
Catholic religion.
Dr. Benoit pursued a commercial course in a Catholic school and
his classical course in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College. Having
determined upon the practice of medicine as his life work
he entered Laval University wherein he completed the medical
course with the class of 1906. During the succeeding year he was
interne in Notre Dame Hospital and then went abroad to continue
his medical studies in Paris, where he remained for two years,
making a specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. Upon his return
he was made demonstrator of anatomy in Laval University which
position he occupied for a year. He next became adjoint professor
in obstetrics and medicine to Laval University and adjoint
professor to the Catholic Maternity Hospital. He is a member of
the Medical Society of Montreal and the profession as well as the
public recognize the high position which he has attained in the
field in which he specializes. His reading and investigations
have been deep and broad, and his opinions are largely accepted
as authority upon points in question concerning the obstetrical
practice. In politics Dr. Benoit is a conservative according to
the views of Macdonald and Cartier with tendencies toward the
nationalist. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic
church. His entire life has been passed in Montreal, save for the
period spent in study abroad. He there came under the instruction
of some of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of Paris,
returning well equipped for the arduous and responsible duties
of a profession in which he has made continuous advancement. Dr.
Benoit’s office is at 945a, St. Denis Street.
[Illustration: DR. DIOSCORE A. BENOIT]
J. LOUIS MICHAUD.
J. Louis Michaud, district engineer of public works of Canada
for the district of Montreal, was born November 27, 1851, at
Rimouski, province of Quebec. He is descended from an old family
of St. Denis, county of Kamouraska. His father was Tobie Michaud,
a contractor and builder, and his mother was Felicitée Fournier.
J. Louis Michaud was educated at the Classical Seminary at
Rimouski and studied engineering with Charles Baillarge, an
eminent engineer of Quebec, for two years, and then for two
years was connected with the engineering department of the
Intercolonial Railway. On the 19th of April, 1878, he was
admitted to practice as a licensed land surveyor at Quebec and
the recognition of his skill and ability came to him in April,
1882, when he was made Dominion land surveyor at Ottawa. In 1883
he came to Montreal to reside, but his work for the Dominion in
surveying the Canadian northwest continued until 1889. From that
year until 1896 he was engaged in private practice in Montreal
and an extensive clientage was accorded him. He is recognized as
one of the best versed men in the science of his profession as
well as in all the practical phases of the business. In 1896 he
was appointed district engineer of public works for the district
of Montreal and has since conscientiously and capably discharged
the duties of that position.
In 1880 Mr. Michaud was married, at Matane, Rimouski county,
Quebec, to Henriette Bradley, who died in 1910. They had eleven
children, three of whom died in childhood. Two of the number,
Albert, aged seventeen years, and René, aged fifteen, met death
by drowning at Ste. Anne de Bellevue. The surviving six are:
Alexander, who is with the Canadian Light & Power Company;
Edouard, a missionary priest in central Africa; Juliette; Adolph;
Grazielle; and Gabrielle. In a review of the life work of J.
Louis Michaud it is self-evident that his advancement has come
through the development of his powers resulting from broad study
and active practice in the profession. He holds to the highest
standards, and his progression has been continuous. He is a
member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and is a member
of the Corporation of Land Surveyors in Quebec.
J. AUGUSTINE MANN.
J. Augustine Mann, one of the best known members of the Montreal
bar, was born May 24, 1876, in the city where he still maintains
his home, his parents being Eric and Agnes McWhirter (Bailey)
Mann. For thirty-eight years Eric Mann was an engineer and
architect of Montreal and in 1901 retired from business and
returned to his native city of Edinburgh, Scotland, to live. Mr.
and Mrs. Mann had two children: J. Augustine; and Mrs. Quincy
Tucker, now a resident of Boston, Massachusetts.
The former was educated in Montreal, completing a course in
McGill University with the class of 1901, at which time the B.
C. L. degree was conferred upon him. While in McGill he was also
a student in the office of Foster, Martin & Girouard. Upon his
admission to the bar in 1901 this firm became Foster, Martin,
Girouard & Mann and is now Foster, Martin, Mann, MacKinnon
& Hackett. Mr. Mann was created a king’s counsel in 1911.
His practice has been extensive, and his high reputation has
been well won. Aside from his practice, he is now in business
connections as a Canadian director of the N. K. Fairbanks Company.
Mr. Mann is a member of the Montreal Art Association, the
Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, the Montreal Club,
the Montreal Jockey Club, the Montreal Curling Club and the
Beaconsfield Golf Club. These associations indicate much of the
nature of his interests and indicate him to be a broad-minded,
cultured gentleman and also one of social nature.
Mr. Mann was married in Montreal to Miss Evelyn Gertrude Mann,
and they are parents of two children: Dorothy and Audrey. The
family residence is at No. 822 University Street and their summer
home, Dornal Hall, is at Beaurepaire, Quebec.
JOSEPH WILFRID MICHAUD.
Joseph Wilfrid Michaud, senior member of the firm of Michaud &
Des Rosiers, public accountants at 55 St. Francis Xavier Street
in Montreal, is a native of the province of Quebec, his birth
having occurred at St. Barthelemi on the 2d of August, 1872, his
parents being Olivier and Stephenie (Paquin) Michaud. He was
educated in the schools of his native town and in St. Viateur
Academy. He began his business career as an accountant for the
Western Loan & Trust Company, Ltd., and later became associated
with Mr. A. W. Wilks as a member of a firm of public accountants
under the style of Wilks & Michaud. For a number of years this
firm occupied a prominent place in professional circles in
Montreal. In 1911, following the dissolution of the partnership,
Mr. Michaud joined Mr. Des Rosiers in forming the firm of Michaud
& Des Rosiers. Their clientage is now extensive, and the volume
of their business is justified by the capability of the members
of the firm. Mr. Michaud is a director of the National Loan &
Trust Company, Ltd., and also of the Sapho Manufacturing Company
and thus along several lines has become closely associated with
the business interests of the city.
In 1897 occurred the marriage of Mr. Michaud and Miss Rose
Lafreniere, a daughter of Joseph Lafreniere. They have four
children, Yvonne, Gerard, Paul and Lionel. The religious faith of
the family is that of the Roman Catholic church, and Mr. Michaud
holds membership in Club St. Denis. Identified with the interests
of Montreal throughout the entire period of his business career,
he has become well known, and enterprise and laudable ambition
have brought him to his present enviable position.
JOSEPH ULRIC EMARD, K. C.
One of the distinguished members of the legal profession in
Montreal, whose years of active practice extend through more than
one third of a century, is Joseph Ulric Emard. Well versed in
the science of his profession, a deep thinker, logical reasoner,
he has long since occupied a foremost place among the strong and
forceful Montreal bar.
Mr. Emard comes from one of the old and prominent families of
the province of Quebec. His father, Medard Emard, was one of the
best known and successful educators of his day, while his mother,
previous to her marriage, was Mathilde Beaudin. His brother,
Monseigneur J. M. Emard, now bishop of Valleyfield, was for
years prominent in church work in Montreal and was attached to
Archbishop Fabre’s personal staff at the Palace.
Joseph Ulric Emard was born March 27, 1855, at St. Constant,
Laprairie county, Quebec. Reared in a home where education was
valued at its true worth, he attended St. Hubert grammar school,
then conducted by his father, and was afterward a student in a
private school conducted by Abbé Villeneuve.
His entrance into business life was first as a clerk, but after
a short time he entered Laval University, where he pursued his
law course and was graduated LL. B. in 1881. He was called to
the bar that same year, and at once entered upon active practice
as an advocate, which he has followed ever since, with brilliant
success. Mr. Emard has been connected with a number of important
cases, among them being the famous Lachine Bridge case, which he
won after a notable legal battle, making it the cause celebre of
the day. He was appointed king’s counsel in 1903.
For some years Mr. Emard was associated in practice with Hon. J.
Ald Ouimet, who is, at present, counsel in the firm of Emard &
Emard, composed of Joseph U. Emard and son, Charles.
Mr. Emard’s interests, aside from the law, are diversified
and extensive. Through the splendid use of his talents, as
well as his sound business judgment and foresight, he has been
very successful, not only as to the accumulation of worldly
possessions, but also in the way of important and valuable work
done which has given a decided impetus to the city’s progress
and improvement. He was the founder of the town of Boulevard St.
Paul, now Emard ward, and capably served as its mayor. After
annexation he twice represented this ward on the city council as
alderman.
Mr. Emard has a prominent connection with business affairs;
his interests include mining, real-estate, industrial and
financial companies, in a number of which he is a member of the
directorate. His connection with corporations has brought him an
intimate knowledge concerning corporation law. To some extent
he has specialized in that field of practice, and his knowledge
thereof is comprehensive and exact.
He is a member of the St. James Club, the Canadian Club and Club
St. Denis. Of the last named he was president for a number of
years. In 1903 he had been the chief promoter of Club Jacques
Cartier. In 1884 he had been president of St. Jean Baptiste
Society of the St. Vincent de Paul section. Mr. Emard’s political
allegiance is given to the conservative party.
He was married to Miss Exilda Stuart of Montreal, and they belong
to the Catholic church.
A man of fine personal appearance and keen intellectuality,
his mind has been well trained, enabling him to readily meet
any emergency with the consciousness that comes from a right
perception of things and a strong regard for what is best in the
exercise of human activities.
EMILIEN GADBOIS-VAN DAN DAIGUE.
Based upon an excellent professional education, Emilien
Gadbois-Van dan Daigue has already made his mark in the legal
profession in Montreal, where he practices as a member of the
firm of La Mothe, Gadbois & Nantel. The first member of the Van
dan Daigue family came to Canada in 1671 from Brussels, Belgium.
Pierre Van dan Daigue Gadbois, of the Gadbois family, was born
in 1574 and died on October 20, 1667, at Montreal. Joseph Van
dan Daigue was born in 1653 at Meunisier and at Quebec, on April
18, 1678, married Louise Chalifour. He died on the 11th of June,
1725, at Charlesbourg. The records of the family continue to
the fourth generation up to 1750 in Abbé Tanguay’s Dictionnaire
Généalogique.
Emilien Gadbois-Van dan Daigue was born October 30, 1884, a son
of Emile Gadbois, a well known horticulturist of Longemont,
Rouville county, province of Quebec. His mother before her
marriage was Priscillia Bernard, a sister of Monseigneur A. X.
Bernard, bishop of St. Hyacinthe. Emilien Gadbois was educated
at Montreal College, on Sherbrooke Street, and Laval University.
On the 1st of July, 1907, he received the degree of B. A. with
distinction and in the same year won the first prize in
French literature in Laval University. In 1910 he was made by
that institution LL. M. and on July 8th, of the same year he
received his commission as a lawyer and has since practiced with
ever increasing success in Montreal, having formed a partnership
with L. E. Bernard, K. C., with whom he was associated until
May, 1914, when he became a member of the firm of La Mothe,
Gadbois & Nantel with offices in the Quebec Bank building. He
has all the faculties of which a lawyer may be proud, skill
in the presentation of his evidence, marked ability in cross
examination, perseverance before the jury, and a strong grasp of
every feature of the case. It is therefore but natural that he
readily received recognition and is today connected with much
important litigation in the local courts.
[Illustration: EMILIEN GADBOIS-VAN DAN DAIGUE]
In his political views Mr. Gadbois is a conservative, stanchly
upholding the principles of his party, although he has not yet
become connected with public life. As a member of the Canadian
Club he can be found in the ranks of those men who have at heart
the development and progress of the Dominion, and he is ever
loyal to his city. His faith is that of the Catholic church. On
the threshold of a successful career, he has ever moved in the
right direction toward fame, and a distinguished future may be
prophesied for him, a future which will bring new luster to the
old family name which he bears.
JOSEPH H. RAINVILLE, M. P.
Joseph H. Rainville, a member of parliament and deeply interested
in questions concerning the government, province and Dominion,
is today recognized as one of the younger leaders of the
conservative party. He chose as a profession the practice of law,
and it is a notable fact that members of the bar are more apt
to become prominent figures in political circles than any other
class of men. The reason for this is obvious, as the training
which qualifies them for the onerous and difficult work of the
courts also prepares them to solve the intricate and complex
problems of local or general government.
Quebec numbers Mr. Rainville among her native sons, his birth
having occurred at Ste. Angele, Rouville county, on the 8th of
March, 1875. In the attainment of his education he attended
successively Monnoir College, Marieville, and Laval University,
where he won the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He entered upon
the active practice of his profession with L. E. Beauregard of
Montreal in 1901. No dreary novitiate awaited him. His capability
won almost immediate recognition. He is an effective speaker,
earnest in his appeals before the court, zealous in support of
his cause, and at all times loyal to the interests of his clients.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Joseph H.
Rainville has been a stalwart conservative, and in 1908 he
unsuccessfully contested Vercheres county at the provincial
election, being defeated by a majority of ninety-eight. When
the tide of popular favor turned against the liberal government
of the Dominion in September, 1911, he became a member for
Chambly-Vercheres, so that he is now occupying a seat in the
house. He frankly and fearlessly expresses his opinion, but also
possesses the tact of the successful politician who seeks to
conciliate rather than antagonize.
Mr. Rainville married Miss Gendreau, daughter of Dr. J. G. A.
Gendreau of Montreal. Mr. Rainville is a lieutenant in the
Eighty-fifth Regiment and is a member of the Montreal Gun
Club. His friends speak of him as always a courteous, polished
gentleman, both forceful and resourceful when occasion demands.
EDOUARD FABRE SURVEYER.
Edouard Fabre Surveyer, who throughout his professional career
has been a representative of the Montreal bar and equally well
known as an educator and author in the field of his profession,
was born in this city in 1875. His father, L. J. A. Surveyer, is
a Montreal merchant and a past vice president of the Chamber of
Commerce. He married Hectorine Fabre, a daughter of the late E.
R. Fabre and a sister of the late Archbishop Fabre, the late Hon.
Hector Fabre, C. M. G., and of the late Lady Cartier.
E. Fabre Surveyer was a student in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College,
where he made an excellent record, winning the Angers bronze
medal for letters in 1890, the Mercier gold medal for rhetoric in
1891 and the alumni gold medal for philosophy in 1893. He took
up his law course in Laval University and was graduated LL. L.
with first class honors in 1896. The same year he won his B. C.
L. degree with first class honors from McGill University, but not
content with the preparation that he had already made for active
practice at the bar, he went abroad and completed his law course
in Paris and took part in the first International Congress of
Lawyers at Brussels in 1897. He was a delegate to the Universal
Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904
and is correspondent for several Canadian, American, French and
Belgian law reviews.
It was in 1897 that Mr. Surveyer entered upon active practice in
Montreal in connection with McGibbon, Casgrain, Ryan & Mitchell.
He has not only obtained success in practice but has also gained
recognition for his ability in other professional connections. He
has been the editor of the Quebec Practice Reports since their
establishment in 1897 and since 1905 has been a lecturer in
practice and pleading in McGill University. He was made a king’s
counsel by the government of Quebec in 1909. On withdrawal from
the firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Mitchell & Surveyer in 1909 he
entered into a partnership with H. A. Lovett, K. C., a connection
that was continued until the following year. Since September,
1913, Mr. Surveyer has been the senior member of the firm of
Surveyer, Ogden & Mariotti. Mr. Surveyer also has an office in
New York city in connection with the firm of Daly, Hoyt & Mason,
attorneys at law. He has published a pamphlet, The Bench and Bar
of Montreal, and there are few who are more familiar with the
history of the courts of this city than Mr. Surveyer. In 1903 he
was president of the Junior Bar Association of Montreal, while in
1914 he became the secretary of the newly formed Canadian Bar
Association. A fluent speaker, forceful and earnest, Mr. Surveyer
has as ready a command of English as he has of French.
Aside from his professional duties and interests Mr. Surveyer
is connected with various business enterprises which feature
in the material development and prosperity of the city. He is
vice president of the Union Land Corporation, Ltd., and the
Lachine Land Company, Ltd.; is a director of the Capital Trust
Corporation (Ottawa), of the Franco-Canadian Land & Development
Company, Ltd., and of the Rothesay Realty Company, Ltd. In all
business affairs his judgment is sound and his discrimination
keen, and he falters not until his purpose has been accomplished
and success has rewarded his efforts.
In October, 1906, Mr. Surveyer was married to Miss Elodie
Barnard, a daughter of the late Edmund Barnard, K. C., of
Montreal. In religious faith Mr. Surveyer is a Catholic and in
political belief a conservative. He is regarded as one of the
prominent members of the party among its younger representatives,
and of him the Windsor Record (liberal) said: “He has a splendid
platform presence, speaks English fluently, and has the
appearance of an all round campaigner.” Mr. Surveyer’s social
connections are with the University Club, Club Lafontaine and
Canadian Club of Montreal; the Albany Club, of Toronto; and the
Colonial Club, of London, England. He has been president of the
Canadian Club, as well as vice president of the Federation of
Canadian Clubs and is a member of the executive board of the
University Club and a director and honorary solicitor of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Among Mr. Surveyer’s other connections, he is vice president of
L’Alliance Française and a member of the board of the Federation
de L’Alliance Française aux Etats Unis et au Canada.