Macdonald, a daughter of the late Hon. D. A. Macdonald, at one
time lieutenant governor of Ontario. Her mother was Katherine,
the second daughter of the late Hon. Colonel Alexander Fraser of
Frasersfield, Ontario. Lady Hingston was educated in Montreal
and has been very prominent in charitable and benevolent work.
She is a member of the Ladies Committee L’Institute des Ecoles
Menageres, vice president of the Needlework Guild, honorary
president of the Loyola Literary Club; prominently identified
with the local League for the Prevention of Tuberculosis;
formerly president of the Woman’s Park Protective Association;
etc., and was elected president of the Catholic Girls’ Club of
Montreal (an association largely founded by her), in 1911.
Sir William Hingston was a member of the Roman Catholic church
to which Lady Hingston also belongs. He passed away on February
19, 1907, but there lives in the minds of those who knew him and
of the professional world at large, the memory of distinguished
service for the benefit of his fellowmen, in the path of his
chosen profession. A keen intellect, splendidly developed, was
brought to bear upon complex medical and surgical problems
and the result of deep thought, wise research and careful
investigation, made his contribution to the world’s work of the
utmost benefit.
HON. JAMES KEWLEY WARD.
Out of the struggle with comparatively small opportunities
Hon. James Kewley Ward came finally into a field of broad and
active influence and usefulness. Not seeking honor but simply
endeavoring to do his duty, honors were yet multiplied and
prosperity followed his undertakings. His father settled on the
Isle of Man and it was there that the son, James Kewley Ward, was
born on the 9th of September, 1819. He was reared and educated
at the place of his nativity but the opportunities of America
attracted him in early manhood, and he crossed the Atlantic
to New York, remaining for a decade in that city. His initial
experience in the new world was one of continuous advancement,
for the wise use he made of his time and opportunities brought
about the development and increase of his powers. He left New
York for Canada in 1853, and settling in Montreal engaged in the
lumber business, which he found a profitable field of labor,
owing to his keen discernment and his wise management of his
affairs. He also became deeply interested in the Canadian cotton
manufacturing industry and in time came to rank with the leading
representatives of manufacturing and commercial interests in his
province.
Important and extensive as were his business affairs, Mr. Ward
never allowed these to preclude an active and helpful interest in
the municipal life or provincial welfare. For eighteen years he
was a valued member of the town council of Cote St. Antoine, and
for nine years he was mayor, giving to the city a businesslike
and progressive administration that brought about needed reforms
and improvements. In 1882 and again in 1887 he was defeated in
the dominion general election, after which he was appointed to
the legislative council in 1888 and in 1903 was made a member of
the council of public instruction. He reached the remarkable old
age of ninety-one years, yet remained an active factor in the
work of the legislative council, being seen daily at his desk in
the legislature, taking a keen interest in many public questions
which were submitted for consideration. He was a liberal and his
position upon any vital issue was never an equivocal one. He
stood stalwartly in defence of what he believed to be right and
for the best interests of the province at large. He was a man of
broad vision, whose public service was characterized by no petty
personal prejudices. Duty was his watchword in public office, and
he seemed to view a vital question from every possible standpoint.
Hon. Mr. Ward was connected with various public institutions,
having to do with the welfare and benefit of the unfortunate
or tending to alleviate hard conditions of life for the needy.
He was a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and of the
House of Industry and Refuge, was president of the Protestant
Hospital for the Insane and president of St. George’s Society
and other organizations. He passed away October 2, 1910, having
kept his faculties unimpaired to the last. To build up rather
than to destroy had ever been his broad policy, and through life
he had attacked every important work which he undertook with a
contagious enthusiasm.
JOSEPH MEDARD GUINDON.
Joseph Medard Guindon, engaged in the real estate business in
Montreal since December, 1908, was born at St. Ignace du Coteau
du Lac in the county of Soulanges, on the 23d of March, 1866, a
son of Jules and Marguerite (Wilson) Guindon the father born at
St. Eustache and the mother at Coteau du Lac. The ancestry of
the Guindon family can be traced back to Pierre Guindon, who was
born in 1648 and died September 27, 1733. He married Catherine
Rouchallet dit Bergerac, who died August 22, 1710. To his
marriage were born three children. The eldest son, Jean Baptiste
Guindon, was born September 15, 1707, and married, February 14,
1729, Madeleine Labette. Pierre Guindon, the second son, was born
in 1708, and died October 7, 1709. Paul Guindon, the youngest
son, was born August 21, 1710, and married November 16, 1733,
Marie Josette Aube dit Aubert, to which marriage were born two
sons: Paul, August 20, 1735; and François, March 23, 1737. Paul
Guindon married Marie Amable de Maisonneuve in 1770 and had one
son, Amable, born in 1772. Amable Guindon married in 1809 and
had a son, Magloire, born October 15, 1811. Magloire Guindon
was married in 1835 to Josette Guindon, his cousin. He took up
arms at the revolt of St. Eustache in 1837, was arrested and
imprisoned for a period of seven months after the confiscation
of the greater part of his goods. To his marriage were born
six children of whom Jules, born in 1840, married Marguerite
Wilson, May 20, 1865, at Coteau du Lac. To them were born eleven
children, the most of whom died at an early age.
Joseph Medard Guindon was a student in l’Ecole du Plateau in
Montreal, where he completed the commercial course in 1882. He
then turned his attention to the hardware trade and in 1897
became a hardware merchant in Valleyfield, where he conducted
business for nine years. In 1907 he established a hardware
store in Montreal, of which he was proprietor for two years. In
December, 1908, he opened a real estate office with L. D. Latour
under the firm name of Latour & Guindon, in which business he has
since been engaged with a large capital. He has personally made
investments in improved property and vacant land and his holdings
are now very extensive. As real estate agent and expert he has
a large clientage and his business is growing year by year. He
is thoroughly informed concerning realty values and the energy
and enterprise which he displays in carrying on his work have
constituted the salient forces in the attainment of his success.
Mr. Guindon has been twice married. On the 30th of June, 1886, he
wedded Rosalinda Bourdon, a daughter of Narcisse and Marie Anne
(Bisaillon) Bourdon, and to this marriage was born one son, Paul
Herve, whose birth occurred at Valleyfield, April 2, 1898. On
October 7, 1902, Mr. Guindon was again married, his second union
being with Marie Rose Anne Sevigny, a daughter of Philias and
Madeleine (Cantin) Sevigny. The children of this marriage are:
Marguerite, Marcelle, Suzanne, Juliette, Mario, Robert, Jacques
and Jean Rodrigue.
[Illustration: J. M. GUINDON]
While living in Valleyfield Mr. Guindon served as city alderman
from 1898 till 1904. He manifests a deep interest in municipal
affairs and all lines of public progress, but has never been
ambitious to hold office, preferring to concentrate his energies
upon his business interests, which are now extensive and
important.
WILLIAM PATTERSON, K. C.
William Patterson was born in Ormstown, Quebec, and is a son of
the late Samuel Patterson. He was educated at the public school
of Ormstown; Huntingdon Academy at Huntingdon, Quebec; McGill
University of Montreal, which institution conferred upon him the
degree of B. A. with first rank honours in classics, in 1886,
M. A., in 1889, and B. C. L., in 1895; and at Laval University,
which granted him the LL. B. degree in 1900.
Mr. Patterson was principal of the Royal Arthur school at
Montreal from 1888 to 1898, during which time he organized and
directed a movement in favor of a school history of Canada,
written from a Dominion instead of a provincial point of view,
the object being, while the history of our country is told from
its earliest periods, to direct, as far as possible, the mind of
the reader from the various currents of provincial history into
the broader channel of the Dominion and to make the boys and
girls of Canada feel as they grow up into the responsibilities
of citizenship that under confederation we have a united country
and a united people. He addressed in support of the movement the
Provincial Association of Protestant Teachers of the Province
of Quebec at their annual convention in McGill Normal school,
Montreal, in October, 1889, and also addressed the Teachers
of the Province of Nova Scotia at their annual convention, in
Halifax, in December, 1890. He also read before the Royal Society
of Canada at Montreal in June, 1891, a paper entitled A Proposal
for a Dominion Text-Book of Canadian History. He was appointed
secretary of the Dominion history committee, with the Hon. George
W. Ross, later Sir George W. Ross, as chairman, by the Dominion
Educational Association at its first meeting, which was held
in Montreal in July, 1892. The result of these efforts was the
organization of the Dominion history prize competition, open to
authors of recognized ability, and the publication in June, 1897,
of The History of the Dominion of Canada, by W. H. P. Clement,
B. A., LL. B., which had been awarded the first prize, and of A
Canadian History for Boys and Girls, by Miss Emily P. Weaver,
which had been awarded the second prize--both works written from
the viewpoint indicated above.
Mr. Patterson organized at Ormstown, Quebec, in 1888, the
Chateauguay Literary and Historical Society and was its
corresponding secretary from that time until 1895, when, under
the auspices of the society and in the presence of over seven
thousand people, many of whom had come from a distance, a
monument erected on the Chateauguay battlefield by the Dominion
government, the outcome of a long agitation, was unveiled in
memory of Colonel de Salaberry’s brilliant victory of 1813 over
the American invading army.
Mr. Patterson was called to the Quebec bar in July, 1901, and has
since successfully practiced his profession at Montreal, where
he is the attorney of the Dominion Alliance and of other bodies.
He is the author of the Handbook of Commercial Law, published in
1904. In 1910 he was appointed joint crown prosecutor for the
district of Beauharnois and in April, 1912, was created a king’s
counsellor.
Mr. Patterson married Miss Naomi Florence Smith, a daughter
of Robert Smith, of Westmount, Quebec, in July, 1909. He is a
liberal in politics and has taken an active part on the hustings
in all federal and provincial elections at Montreal and in
its vicinity since 1900. His church membership is held in the
Presbyterian denomination, and he is a member of the Canadian and
Reform Clubs of Montreal. His residence is at 2290 Mance Street,
Montreal.
WILLIAM HENRY ATHERTON.
William Henry Atherton was born on November 15, 1867, in Salford,
a suburb of Manchester, in Lancashire, England, of Joseph
Atherton, sanitary engineer, and Sarah (Nicholls) Atherton. His
grandfather, William Atherton, was of a line of merchants and
was the last volunteer fire chief in Salford where in Peel Park
Museum his famous fire dog “Lion” held an honoured place. His
maternal grandfather’s family of Nicholls had farms in Yorkshire
and previously in North Wales.
William Henry Atherton spent his early boyhood at the old
cathedral city of Norwich in Norfolk, and in 1879, at the age of
twelve, started his classical studies at Stonyhurst College, in
Lancashire, graduating from the class of Rhetoric in 1886 and
matriculating the same year in the first class in the University
of London. After several years’ further classical studies he
entered the course of scholastic philosophy at St. Mary’s
College, Stonyhurst, and at the end of the third year, in 1895,
presented his theses in Universa Philosophia, which he passed
with distinction “aptus ad docendum,” the degree being equivalent
to the Doctorate of Philosophy, which was, after a further
thesis on “Beatitudo Finalis” accepted as _ad eundum gradum_ at
the University of Ottawa in 1908. From 1898 to 1902 he pursued
a four years’ course of scholastic divinity at St. Beuno’s
College, St. Asaph, North Wales. When not engaged in the above
courses he taught for nearly ten years as a professor of classics
and elocution at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, and Beaumont
College, Old Windsor, Berkshire, two of the principal “public
schools” of England. At both of these colleges he had charge of
the dramatic performances, which are a recognized and important
feature in their educational system. There he produced many
of the best examples of the classical drama as well as of the
best modern plays. He also had charge of the preparation of the
annual or term “academies” or “speech days” and thus his students
presented parts of Latin, Greek, English and French classical
pieces.
On coming to Canada in 1907 William Atherton taught classics
for a year at St. Albert, Alberta, at the Bishop’s Seminary,
assisting Mgr. Légal in the preparation of a history of the
Catholic church in North Alberta. In 1908 he taught classics
at Loyola College, Montreal. Since then he has filled other
educational posts in the city as lecturer in psychology and
ethics at the College for the Higher Education of Women,
established in connection with Laval University; professor of the
English course in the new “Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales”
erected by the Gouin government in 1910, and from 1911 he has
also been an examiner in Arts for the entrance examinations
conducted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the
province of Quebec. During his career in Montreal Dr. Atherton
has identified himself with most phases of the sociological
problems of the city. In 1908 he was invited to assume the
managership of the Catholic Sailors’ Club, a position he still
holds. In 1909, when the City Improvement League was established,
he was selected to become the executive secretary. He is a member
of the Civic Secretaries’ Association in connection with the
National Municipal League of America, a member of the National
Housing Association, the International City Planning Conference
and the American Civic League. At the Toronto convention of the
International City Planning Congress held in June, 1914, he was
appointed by the Canadian delegates to represent them before
the Commission of Conservation of the Dominion government to
urge the creation of a special Municipal Improvement Bureau
in connection with that Commission, to co-operate with and to
organize the various movements for city planning, housing and
civic improvements in the Dominion. He has taken an active part
in most of the recent Civic Improvement and Good Government
movements in Montreal, being one of the pioneers in affecting the
appointment of the Metropolitan Parks Commission for Montreal,
and a consistent advocate of better housing conditions for the
working classes. He was the organizing secretary of the notable
Child Welfare Exhibition held in Montreal in the Drill Hall on
Craig Street in October, 1912. In 1914 he was a member of the
executive committee of the “clean-up week” movement, a great
public health movement which was taken up by the whole city, in
which he acted as chairman of the Co-operation Committee.
[Illustration: WILLIAM H. ATHERTON, PH. D.]
Dr. Atherton has been the author of many contributions and
criticisms to literary, philosophical and civic journals. His
first work, published anonymously under the auspices of the
Catholic Truth Society of England, was the Life of Father
Damien, the Leper Priest, which appeared in England in 1889,
attracting attention as the first authentic life then published.
Dr. Atherton has identified himself with the literary life of
Montreal. He was one of the founders of the Montreal branch of
the Dickens’ Fellowship of which he has been vice president for
three years and president for the years 1912-1913-1914. He is the
author of the two volumes of the history of Montreal under the
French Régime and under the English Rule now being published.
HON. RAYMOND PREFONTAINE.
Joseph Raymond Fournier Préfontaine was a member of an old
French family which was established in 1680 in New France. Mr.
Préfontaine was born at Longueuil on the 16th of September, 1850.
He began his education under private tutors and completed his
classical studies at St. Mary’s College under the direction of
the Jesuit Fathers. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree at McGill
University and was admitted to the bar in 1873. While taking up
his private practice he began at the same time occupying himself
with public affairs with success.
There are few men who, step by step, possessed more than he the
rare gift of being always the man of his time and who at all
times retained the favor of his friends. He made his debut in
municipal politics as alderman for Hochelaga, and in 1879 became
the mayor of that municipality, which honorary post he held until
1884. At this period the progress of Montreal was slow, it being
the custom to retard rather than hasten her development. The
town and city officers at that time were struggling along with
inadequate acts and regulations. They were like the undeterred
scientists of old who obstinately tried to solve the problem
of squaring the circle although without the slightest vestige
of success. New blood was needed and Hochelaga supplied the
first infusion in the person of Mr. Préfontaine. When Hochelaga
was annexed to Montreal Mr. Préfontaine became alderman of the
Montreal council and president of the public works commission.
The task which confronted him was not a small one. On the one
hand he had to fight against a routine held sacred, and on the
other hand against a majority which was absolutely neglecting the
eastern part of Montreal.
In 1898 Mr. Préfontaine was mayor of Montreal and began to
carry out his program of action. Nothing was neglected for the
advancement of the city, and he employed to the utmost his legal
acumen and ability in restoring Montreal to her rights. From
that time he displayed a deep and abiding devotion to Montreal
East which owes so much to him, his labors in this connection
being the crowning achievement of his efforts. It was he who gave
to the city the Viger railroad station, and this was in itself
but a small matter when compared with the shipbuilding yards,
the mammoth warehouses and thousands of habitations that he by
his persistency won for the French region of the metropolis. He
thought of everything; the street railway service, the electric
lighting system, the street paving, all these bore the stamp of
his personality. He was sometimes unjustly accused of lending
himself to questionable deals but always emerged from these
ordeals without a stain upon his character or a shadow of doubt
remaining as to the entire justification of his actions.
He was the Haussman of the city. It was generally known that
he was the friend of the working men and would defend their
interests as his own. It was but natural therefore that the
workingmen of Hochelaga were his best friends and his stanchest
partisans. They were his standard bearers throughout the entire
town and were the first who made possible his election to the
magistracy of the city. Mr. Préfontaine lifted Montreal out of
the old routine and after he was elected mayor all worked hand
and glove with him in order to crown his work, and it is not
short of the truth to say that a complete reorganization of the
municipal autonomy took place.
Hon. Mr. Préfontaine at the time of his death had been in
politics for thirty years. In 1875 he was elected member of
parliament from Chambly to the legislature of Quebec and
continued to represent that county from 1886 to 1896 in the
Dominion parliament. In his early days he served as president
of the Young Men’s Liberal Association and later as president
of the Club National. He was always the man of the hour. His
remarkable popularity, the wide prestige which he enjoyed in the
liberal party and the financial world, his intimate knowledge
of political and administrative affairs, all betokened him the
foremost man in the province of Quebec and more particularly in
the district of Montreal. He was actively interested in all the
movements of his party; few were the counties which he did not
visit during the campaigns, and he took part in all the important
debates. From his debut he was always in the public eye. Men
like him are always the first in all ranks of life. One sees him
ceaselessly battling when vital interests are at stake. At the
general elections of 1900 he was elected by a large majority
for Maisonneuve and Terrebonne. At the time of his death he was
representing Maisonneuve, which had elected him by a majority of
twenty-five hundred votes. When the Hon. Mr. Tarte resigned from
the Laurier cabinet Mr. Préfontaine was prevailed upon to accept
the portfolio of marine and fisheries. It is to him that Canada
owes the fine organization of this department and the excellent
results obtained.
Let us recall what he wrote regarding this subject on the 21st
of October in Le Soleil: “We receive every day confirmation of
the happy news that the harvest of this year will surpass all
hopes. In fact, everything indicates that it will be phenomenal.
The Grain Merchants Association values for only the west the
production of wheat at ninety-one and a half millions bushels;
that of oats at sixty-seven millions of bushels; that of flax at
half a million. On the other side the reports from Quebec and
Ontario are excellent. There is no doubt that our exportations
of agricultural products will this year largely exceed those of
1903, our maximum year, which amounted to one hundred and fifteen
million dollars. These figures are so outstanding that they speak
for themselves. They mean that the facilities of transportation
will have to be considerable to ship all of this,--that is that
the St. Lawrence route will be largely put in requisition to
export our grain and in return, for the importation of articles
sent in exchange. But they signify also that large sums of money
will come into the treasury and that the St. Lawrence route will
well merit its share. The St. Lawrence begins at the head of
Lake Superior and goes as far as Belle Isle, I may say nearly to
Newfoundland.