Part 40

=Nicholls, Lieut.-Colonel The Hon. Frederic= (Toronto, Ont.), Dominion Senator; born in England, November 23, 1856. He received his education at Stuttgart, Wurtemburg, Germany, and came to Canada in 1874, where he organized the first electric company—The Toronto Incandescent Electric Light Company—which adopted the first underground system of electric distribution in Canada. Senator Nicholls was elected President of the National Electric Light Association of America in 1896, being the only Canadian to hold that honor, and has since been elected an honorary member. He was for seven years Secretary of the Canadian Manufacturers Association, and founded the “Canadian Manufacturer,” of which he was editor and proprietor until 1893. Senator Nicholls is President and General Manager of the Canadian General Electric Company, Toronto; President and General Manager of the Canadian Allis-Chalmers, Limited; President of the Canadian Sunbeam Lamp Co.; President of the Toronto & Hamilton Railway Company; Vice-President of the Dominion Coal Company; Vice-President of the Dominion Iron & Steel Co.; Vice-President of the Dominion Steel Corporation; Vice-President of the Electrical Development Co. of Ontario; Vice-President of the Sao Paulo Tramway, Light & Power Company; Vice-President of the Toronto & Niagara Power Company; Vice-President of the Toronto Power Company; Vice-President of the Toronto Railway Company; Vice-President of the Toronto & York Radial Railway Company; Director of the British American Assurance Company; of the Canadian Lake & Ocean Navigation Company; of the Confederation Life Association; of the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway Company; of the Toronto Electric Light Co.; of the Toronto Hunt, Limited, of the Western Assurance Company, and of The United States Fidelity and Casualty Company. In 1890 Senator Nicholls was President of the Toronto Press Club; in 1893 President of the Athenæum Club; in 1911 F.R.C.L., and in 1914 gazetted Honorary Lieut.-Colonel. He is Consul for Portugal; life member of the Toronto Board of Trade; Honorary Member of the Canadian Press Association; Member of the Executive Committee Canadian Manufacturers Association; and a Justice of the Peace. Appointed to the Senate January 20, 1917, and is Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance of the Senate. In 1875 he married Florence, daughter of Commander Graburn, who died in 1909. He had two sons on active service: Captain Walter Nicholls, who went overseas with the first contingent, served in France, and after being invalided home was Senior Supply Officer at Shorncliffe, and Lieut. Fred Nicholls, attached to the Horse Transport. Two sons-in-law, Capt. J. E. Proctor and Capt. J. B. Allen, and five nephews also served in the overseas forces. Senator Nicholls’ recreations are hunting, fishing, motoring, yachting and golf. Among his clubs are the Bankers’ Club of America, New York; the York Club, the Toronto Club, Toronto Hunt Club, Albany Club, Engineers Club, Ontario Jockey Club, Rosedale Golf Club, Toronto Golf Club, Scarborough Golf and Country Club, and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, Ont.; the Hamilton Golf and Country Club; Caledon Mountain Trout Club; the Mount Royal Club, Montreal; the Rideau Club, the Country Club, Ottawa; the Manitoba Club, Winnipeg. Since the outbreak of the war he has devoted himself to patriotic work, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the General Council of the Canadian Patriotic Fund; Vice-President and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Toronto Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society; and President of the Toronto Municipal Loan Association, a society formed to relieve distress.

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=Helmer, Brigadier-General Richard Alexis, C.M.G.=, entered the Canadian Militia in 1883 as a private in the ranks of the 43rd Regiment, D.C.O.R. Eight years later he was made a Lieutenant, and in 1896 was appointed Captain. In 1899, he was promoted to the rank of Major. In 1885, General Helmer graduated as a chemist for the Province of Ontario, and in 1886 for the Province of Quebec. He successfully practised his profession in Hull, Quebec, up to 1904, when he retired therefrom. He was energetic, popular, and progressive, and for twelve years was alderman and twice mayor (1896 and 1900) of the city of Hull. April 27, 1906, be was appointed Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General for Musketry on the Headquarters Staff, and Assistant Adjutant-General for Musketry, October 1, 1908, which post he held until May 17, 1910, when he was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant-Adjutant-General. On January 1, 1911, he was appointed Director of Musketry, and February 24, 1916, Director-General of Musketry. This latter post he still holds, together with that of Acting-Director of Military Training, to which he was appointed September, 1914, and that of Commandant of the Canadian School of Musketry, to which he was appointed in 1907. General Helmer has for years been prominent in rifle shooting in Canada, and has many fine trophies to prove his skill. In 1899, he was Adjutant of the Canadian Rifle Team at Bisley. In 1903, Adjutant of the Canadian Palma Team at Sea Girt. In 1907, Adjutant of the Canadian Palma Team at Ottawa, and in 1912, Commandant of the Canadian Palma Team at Camp Perry. General Helmer is the eldest son of the late Nathaniel and Melissa (Johnson) Helmer, of Ottawa. He was born in Russell, Ontario, October 12, 1864, and was educated at Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario. He married Elizabeth I. Hannum, of Hull, Quebec. Their only child and son, Lieutenant A. H. Helmer, Canadian Artillery, was killed in action, May 2, 1915. General Helmer is in possession of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces long service medal, and for services rendered in the great war was awarded the C.M.G. in 1918. He is a member of the Laurentian Club, and resides at 122 Gilmour St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

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=McCurdy, Fleming Blanchard, M.P.= (Halifax, N.S.), Financier, began business in the service of the Halifax Banking Company, Truro, N.S., in 1890, which he left in 1901 to embark in financial business under the firm name of F. B. McCurdy & Company, which has seven branch offices at the present time. He is a Past President of the Halifax Board of Trade, was elected to the House of Commons in 1911, and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary of the Department of Militia and Defence, July, 1916. His recreations are fishing, hunting, and motoring. Among his clubs are the Halifax City; Wanderers A.A.C., of which he is an ex-President; Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron; Halifax Golf; Halifax Automobile Association (ex-President); St. James, Montreal; Royal Automobile, London, Eng.; Rideau, Ottawa; and Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Mr. McCurdy was born at Old Barns, County Colchester, N.S., February 17, 1875, the son of James and Amelia J. (Archibald) McCurdy, and was educated in the public schools. In 1902 he married Florence Bridgman Pearson, daughter of the Hon. B. F. Pearson, M.P.P., Halifax, and has two sons. Mr. McCurdy is a Conservative and a Presbyterian.

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=Langton, Brigadier-General Joseph Graham=, Paymaster-General of the Militia Department, Ottawa, is the son of Thomas Langton, a merchant, and Fannie McKim Langton, and was born at Toronto, October 14, 1868, where he received his education in the public schools and the Jarvis Street Collegiate Institute. He has had an extensive military career, and has served continuously in the active militia of Canada since 1886. He joined the Queen’s Own Rifles in May, 1886, and served continuously until December, 1896. He served for two and a half years as regimental drill instructor, and in 1895 organized the Queen’s Own Rifle Cyclist section. In 1897, he received a commission as Lieutenant in the 20th Lorne Rifles, was promoted as Captain in 1898, and held appointment as Adjutant until 1903. He was selected by Militia Headquarters to organize No. 2 Company Canadian Army Service Corps, and in 1903 at Niagara Camp commanded the first Army Service Corps unit to go under canvas in Canada. In June, 1905, he was appointed Senior Army Service Corps Officer, Western Ontario Command, on the Staff of Brigadier-General W. D. Otter, C.B., and held that appointment until June, 1911, when the tenure of appointment expired. In 1898, he instituted the first regimental system of messing at the Canadian Militia Training Camps at Niagara Camp. At the Tercentenary Celebration at Quebec, July, 1908, he was appointed as Deputy-Assistant-Quarter-Master-General, and had charge of the railway transportation of troops. A field order issued by the late Lord Roberts conveyed the congratulations of the present King, then the Prince of Wales, to the late Sir Frederick Borden on the success of the transport arrangements. General Langton instituted the first use of mechanical transport by the Canadian Militia at the Fall manœuvres at Toronto in October, 1910. He was appointed railway transport officer for mobilization of the first Canadian contingent at Valcartier in August, 1914, and in co-operation with Sir William Price had charge of the embarkation of the first contingent at Quebec in September of the same year. In December, 1915, he was appointed Inspector of Supplies and Transport for the Second Divisional Area, and by Order-in-Council, February, 1916, he was attached to the Staff of the Inspector-General and appointed as Chief Supply Inspector for Eastern Canada. In the following June he was appointed as Deputy Inspector-General. February 8, 1918, he was appointed as Paymaster-General and as a member of the Militia Council. As Deputy Inspector-General, General Langton had supervision over receipts, supplies, stores, clothing, accounting, regimental funds, mess accounts, and canteen funds. In the matter of canteens, General Langton is recognized as the leading authority in Canada on their administration. The booklet of rules for the management of canteens, regimental funds, etc., issued by the Militia Department as a text-book for the troops, was prepared by him. The branch under his administration effected a saving during the war of over one million dollars without depriving the troops of anything to which they were entitled. In his capacity as Paymaster-General he has entire charge of the finances—separations allowance and assigned pay branch of the Militia Department, etc. General Langton is Vice-President of the Military Service Department of the Young Men’s Christian Association. This department was first attached to the Canadian Military Camps at Valcartier in August, 1914, by General Sir Sam Hughes on the recommendation of General Langton. In recognition of his services General Langton has been recommended for distinguished services in Canada. Until he entered upon his duties as Deputy Inspector-General, General Langton has been engaged in banking and other financial pursuits. General Joseph Graham Langton, on Oct. 7, 1891, married Margaret J., daughter of John Pearey, contractor, of Toronto. Five children have blessed the union: Percy (deceased), Ernest Pearey (deceased), Olive V., Joseph McKim, and Florence Margaret. General Langton is a member of the Rideau Club (Ottawa) and of the Canadian Military Institute (Toronto), Ashlar Lodge A.F. & A.M., No. 249, and St. Paul’s Royal Arch Chapter, No. 65, Toronto. His recreations are curling and lawn bowling. In religion an Anglican. His address is Militia Department, Ottawa, Ontario, Can.

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=Graham, Hon. George Perry= (Brockville, Ont.), is one of the leading public men of Canada, and a former cabinet minister. He was born on March 31, 1859, at Eganville, Ont., and is of Irish descent. He was educated at Iroquois and Morrisburg High Schools in the St. Lawrence Valley. He early became identified with journalism, and as editor and manager of the Brockville “Recorder,” made it one of the best known provincial papers in the Dominion. An earlier newspaper enterprise of his was the Morrisburg “Herald,” which he successfully conducted for eleven years; and he was for a short time associate editor of the Ottawa “Free Press.” As a young man, Mr. Graham became identified with the organization of the Liberal party in his district, and was in great demand as a platform speaker. Entry into public life was a logical outcome of his career as a moulder of public opinion. During his residence in Morrisburg, Ont., he was Reeve of the village and a member of the County Council, and in 1894 the Liberals nominated him for the riding of Dundas against no less an opponent than J. P. Whitney, afterwards Prime Minister of Ontario. At the general elections for the Legislature in 1898 he was Liberal candidate for Brockville, and was more successful, securing election by a substantial majority. He at once achieved a prominent position in the Legislature owing to his wit and skill as a debater. Those were the days when Mr. Whitney was making his long and ultimately successful fight for the overthrow of the Ross Government, and the former contestants in the riding of Dundas frequently crossed swords in debate. At the Legislative elections in 1902, Mr. Graham was re-elected for Brockville, though his party suffered heavy losses elsewhere, and on November 25, 1904, on the resignation of the late Hon. J. R. Stratton from the post of Provincial Secretary, he was called to the cabinet as his successor. At the general elections of the ensuing winter he was again returned for Brockville, but the Ross Government, of which he was a member, was defeated. On January 25, 1907, the Liberal caucus elected him leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition, but he served in that capacity for only one session of the Legislature. In August of 1907, Sir Wilfrid Laurier induced him to abandon the provincial field, and offered him the portfolio of Railways and Canals in the Federal cabinet. He was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council on August 29, and on September 18, 1907, was elected by acclamation to the House of Commons for the Federal riding of Brockville. He continued as Minister of Railways for four years, and took an active part in the organization of his party in Ontario. In September, 1911, the Laurier administration was defeated at the polls. Mr. Graham was elected in a by-election in South Renfrew, and for the next six years continued to sit in opposition as the desk-mate of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He did not seek re-election at the general elections of 1917, but has retained active connection with the Liberal party, and in many quarters his name was urged as the fitting successor of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the party leadership. In addition to his journalistic and political activities, Mr. Graham is widely known in connection with fraternal insurance organizations. He was Grand Master of the Ancient Order of United Workmen for two years, and for a considerable period a member of the Finance Committee of that body. He is President of the Travellers’ Life Assurance Company of Canada, a Director of the Canada Foundries and Forging Company, Vice-President of Delaney Forge Company, and President of the “Recorder” Printing Company. In religion he is a Methodist. In 1882, he married Carrie, a daughter of Nelson Southworth, Morrisburg, Ont., and had two sons, Captain Perry M., who died some years ago, and Captain W. N., who was killed in the Great War.

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=Leonard, Lieutenant-Colonel Reuben Wells=, Corps of Guides (St. Catharines, Ont.). Born at Brantford, Ont., February 21, 1860, son of the late Francis Henry Leonard (one time Reeve of the town of Brantford and Warden of the County of Brant) and Elizabeth, daughter of the late Captain Richard Catton. He was educated at the Brantford Collegiate Institute and Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, from which latter he graduated in 1883, winning the Silver Medal. Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard has had a wide experience in several branches of his chosen profession of engineering, having occupied positions of increasing importance in railroad, hydro-electric, and mining development. After completing his education in 1883, he took service with the Canadian Pacific Railway as instrumentman on surveys and resident engineer on construction of the Lake Superior Division. At the outbreak of the North-West Rebellion in 1885 he was appointed Staff Officer of Transport, and served in other capacities during the uprising. After the Rebellion he re-entered the service of the Canadian Pacific as engineer of surveys and construction in Manitoba and Ontario. From 1886 until 1890, he was chief engineer of the Cumberland Railway and Coal Co., in Nova Scotia. 1890-1891 he was again with the Canadian Pacific Railway on surveys of important branch lines in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. In 1891-92 he was engaged in railway contracting. In 1892-93 he was in charge of the construction of the first hydro-electric development at Niagara Falls, Ont., for the Park and River Railway Co. In 1893-94 he was engineer-in-charge of railway surveys for the Canadian Pacific Railway. From 1895 until 1899 he was chief engineer and manager of construction of the St. Lawrence and Adirondack Railway, and of the Montreal and Ottawa Short Line (C.P.R.) respectively, and consulting engineer for the Canadian Rutland Railway. His next step was again in the field of mining engineering, being engaged as engineer with the Lake Superior Corporation in developing their iron and nickel mines in the Sudbury and Michipicoten districts. In 1900, he returned to railroading as chief engineer and manager of construction of the Cape Breton Railway. From 1902 to 1904, he was engineer in charge of the construction of a hydro-electric plant at DeCew Falls, near St. Catharines, for the Hamilton Cataract Power Co., and in 1905-06 he was engaged in similar work at Kakabeka Falls, near Fort William, for the Kaministiquia Power Co. In 1905, when silver was first discovered in Northern Ontario, Colonel Leonard was one of the first prospectors in the Cobalt district and staked the Buffalo mine, and in the following year he acquired a controlling interest in the Coniagas mine, and promoted the Coniagas Mines, Ltd., of which he is President. This mine has been one of the largest and most consistent producers of silver ore in the rich Cobalt district, and during its ten years of operation has produced 25,000,000 ounces of silver, and is still one of the few silver-producing mines of Canada. In 1908 a subsidiary company—the Coniagas Reduction Co., Ltd., was formed primarily for the purpose of treating ore from the Coniagas mine, but a large custom trade has also been developed in the smelting and reduction of cobalt ores for the production of silver and lesser products. In 1911, Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard was selected by the Dominion Government for the position of Chairman of the National Transcontinental Railway Commission at Ottawa, with jurisdiction over the construction of the Government Railway from Moncton, N.B., to Winnipeg. This position he occupied, at much personal sacrifice, until the practical completion of the railway in 1914. Next to the mining industry, Colonel Leonard’s principal interest would appear to lie in the direction of the steel business, as his name appears on the directorate of several industries engaged in the manufacture of steel and steel products. He has recently promoted the organization of a new steel company, under the name of Electric Steel and Engineering Ltd., which is an amalgamation of several engineering enterprises in which he is interested, and whose different lines of manufacture he found could be co-ordinated to advantage. He is also a Director of the Toronto General Trusts Corporation. It may be said here that he is one of those men of business who are not content to be Directors in name only, but who believe in the principle that a Director should take a part in the actual direction of the enterprises with which he permits his name to become identified, and in conformity with this rule he has consistently declined to accept office as Director of commercial enterprises when he felt he was not in a position to give the necessary time and attention to the affairs of the business. Colonel Leonard has always taken a keen interest in the welfare and advancement of the engineering profession, and is an active member and past vice-president of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and the Canadian Mining Institute; President Engineering Institute of Canada, 1919-20. He has always been the friend of the young engineer, and ever ready to lend a hand in helping him along the road to success. He is also a past corresponding member of the Council of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, London, England, and a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. Member Institution of Civil Engineers, London, England. In spite of his many business activities, he finds time to devote to educational interests, and is a close student of all questions involving the well-being and good government of the State. He is a true Imperialist and advocate of closer unity between the component parts of the Empire; and any movement which promises to assist in attaining this end has his moral and financial support. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Toronto; the Kingston School of Mining; Wycliffe College, Toronto; and Ridley College, St. Catharines, Ont. He has recently established scholarships under “The Leonard Foundation” in several of these Institutions to assist in the education and support of sons of clergymen, school teachers and officers and men of the Canadian and Imperial army and navy who require assistance in order to complete their education. His other benefactions are widely distributed and unheralded, and it is safe to say that few appeals on behalf of deserving objects are made to him in vain. A characteristic which strikes one forcibly is his ability to quickly analyse and grasp the essentials of things, and this faculty enables him to get through a large amount of work in a limited time, and also to readily appreciate the merits or demerits of things, whether in business, politics or the various public movements with which he may be asked to become identified. Since the outbreak of war, he has given much of his time and means to patriotic movements and other work tending to promote Canada’s whole-hearted participation in the war. Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard is in command of No. 2 Detachment, Corps of Guides. He is a member of the Mount Royal Club, Montreal; Rideau and Country Clubs, Ottawa; National Club and the Engineers’ Club, Toronto, and the Tourilli Fish and Game Club, Quebec. He is an ardent advocate of all outdoor sports, especially in the woods. He is an independent in politics, and in religion an Anglican. Married in 1889 to Kate Rowlands, daughter of the late John Rowlands, of Kingston, Ont.

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=Hare, Rev. John James, M.A., Ph.D.=, Principal Emeritus of Ontario Ladies’ College (Whitby, Ont.), is one of the most distinguished of Canadian educationists. He was born in Nepean township, Ontario, on October 3, 1847, the son of Robert and Barbara (Shillington) Hare. His early education was received in the public school of his district, and later he entered Victoria University, at that time situated at Cobourg, Ont., with a view to entering the Methodist ministry. He graduated in 1873 with the degree of B.A., winning first prizes in metaphysics, Hebrew, Scripture and debating, also a scholarship for highest standing in his sophomore year. In 1876, he qualified for the M.A. degree of his alma mater, and subsequently was awarded the degree of Ph.D. by the Illinois Wesleyan University. Incidentally he had served as a public school teacher for two years, and was ordained for the ministry in 1873. For one year he served as a pastor at London, Ont., but in 1874 was appointed principal of the Ontario Ladies’ College at Whitby, Ont., an institution founded for the education of Methodist young women, but by no means exclusively denominational. That position Dr. Hare held continuously for forty-one years. In 1915 he resigned, and was appointed principal emeritus. In 1879 he became governor as well as principal. In the conduct of the institution he has shown rare executive ability, and to this asset, combined with his indefatigable energy and spirit of devotion to the interests of his pupils, the great success of the college is attributable. During his regime, the institution was four times enlarged by the addition of Ryerson Hall, private residence with connecting passage, Frances Hall, gymnasium, swimming pool and hospital to provide against an outbreak of a contagious disease. By a vast number of Canadian women, some of whom are now in middle age, the name of Dr. Hare is held in honor and veneration. His educational attainments were some years ago recognized by his selection as examiner in geology by the University of Toronto. In September, 1874, he married Katherine Isabella, daughter of the late Rev. D. C. McDowell, a well-known Methodist divine, and has one son. Mrs. Hare was for some years lady principal of the college, and discharged the duties of her position with efficiency. His recreations are riding, driving and tennis; and in politics he is an independent. His permanent address is 164 Bird Ave., Miami, Florida.

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=Morin, Pierre Alphonse= (St. John’s, Quebec), Prothonotary Superior Court, was born in St. François, Montmagny, 1st August, 1855, and educated at Montreal College and McGill University, graduating with the degree of B.C.L. He is the son of Louis Edouard Morin and Catherine des Trois Maisons, and married Rachel, daughter of the late Senator J. O. Villeneuve, ex-Mayor of Montreal, by whom he has eight children, Paul, Josephine, Louise, Suzanne, Villeneuve, Lucie, Madeleine and André. After practising as an Advocate for some time Mr. Morin became editor and proprietor of “Le Canada Français,” a Liberal paper which is still in existence, and with which he retained his connection until receiving his present appointments as Prothonotary of the Superior Court of Iberville, and Clerk of the Crown and of the Peace, and of the Circuit Court of the District of Iberville, Com. per dedimus potestatem and Commr. in Extradition. He is a Past Grand Knight of Columbus, a Roman Catholic in religion and a Liberal in politics.

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=Ashton, Major-General Ernest, M.D., C.M.G.=, is one of those Canadian soldiers who won high rank and distinction during the great war, but was originally a physician by profession. He was born at Brantford, Ont., on October 28, 1875, the son of Rev. Robert and Alice Mary Ashton. His father was formerly Principal of the Mohawk Institute, Brantford, and incumbent of His Majesty’s Chapel of Mohawks. He was educated for the calling of a physician at Trinity Medical School, and graduated in 1898 with the following degrees and honours: F.I.M.C., M.D., C.M. of Trinity University, and was medallist of both Trinity Medical School and Trinity University. On graduation he became house surgeon of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, holding that position for one year, after which he was appointed superintendent of the Muskoka Cottage Sanitarium, near Gravenhurst, Ont., remaining there for two years. In 1901 he returned to Brantford, Ont., and built up a large general practice. He also entered municipal politics and served as alderman and as a member of the Board of Education. He was one of the Board of Governors of Brantford General Hospital and the Brantford Sanitarium. The volunteer militia likewise claimed much of his energy and enthusiasm, and he holds a first class school of infantry certificate. When but eighteen years of age he joined the Dufferin Rifles of Brantford as second lieutenant, and was gazetted on January 20, 1893. He became a full lieutenant in September of that year; Captain on August 7, 1896; Major, December 29, 1902; and Lieutenant-Colonel on January 8, 1907, being at that time one of the youngest militia commanders in Canada. On completing his five years’ tenure on January 7, 1912, he gave up his command, and was transferred to the Reserve of Officers of the Canadian Militia. The following year he was returned to the active list on the organization of the 13th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, and raised and on July 1, 1913, assumed command of the 32nd Howitzer Battery, C.F.A., with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. On the outbreak of the great war in the following year he at once offered his services, and on January 2, 1915, was appointed to raise and organize the 36th Battalion, C.E.F., and within six months had so effectively performed his task that he was able to proceed overseas with his battalion on June 19, 1915. On arrival in England, the organization was broken up and sent to France as re-inforcements for other battalions; and its commanding officer was appointed Brigadier of the 9th Reserve Infantry Brigade, and promoted to the rank of Colonel. On November 7, 1916, he was appointed O.C. of the Canadian Training Division, and about the same time acted as one of the Board headed by Surgeon-General Sir William Baptie to investigate the charges preferred by Colonel Herbert A. Bruce against the organization of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. On March 16, 1917, he became temporary Brigadier-General and on April 2 of that year was appointed General Officer Commanding of the 15th Canadian Infantry Brigade. His valuable services were the subject of official mention on February 24, 1917 and August 7, 1917. In the autumn of that year he was recalled to Canada, and on January 1, 1918 appointed Acting-Adjutant-General and Major-General. At the same time he received the honour of C.M.G. from His Majesty the King. On June 8, 1905, General Ashton was married to Helen Margaret, daughter of Oswald Weir, banker, of the Bank of North America, Brantford, Ont.; he has one child, Amy Corcaire Ashton. He is an Anglican in religion, and in politics a man of strongly Imperialistic leanings. He is a member of the Rideau Club, Ottawa, and the Ottawa Golf Club.

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=Duff, Hon. Lyman Poore=, is one of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, and one of the mostly widely-known of Canadian jurists. He was born at Meaford, Ontario, on January 7, 1865, the son of Rev. Charles and Isabel (Johnstone) Duff. He was educated in the public and high schools of the province and at the University of Toronto, from which he graduated with the degree of B.A. in 1887 and first class honors in mathematics and metaphysics. He also took up the study of law at Osgoode Hall, Toronto, and received the degree of LL.B. at Toronto University in 1889. For a time he was teacher of mathematics at Barrie Collegiate Institute, but was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1893, and in the same year to that of British Columbia in 1895. He first practised in Fergus, Wellington County, Ont., for two years, and in 1895 removed to Victoria, B.C., where he built up a large and important practice. He was created a King’s Counsel in 1901, and in that year represented the province of British Columbia in the famous Deadman’s Island case. In 1903, he was one of the counsel in the enquiry into the Columbian and Western land subsidies, a matter which attracted a great deal of attention on the Pacific Coast at that time. In 1903, he had the honor of being associated as counsel with the late Hon. Edward Blake, K.C., and the late Christopher Robinson, K.C., in representing the Dominion of Canada before the joint high commission on the Alaskan Boundary dispute, which sat in London, England. He received appointment as Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1904, and in 1906 was elevated to his present position as one of the Justices of the Supreme Court at Ottawa. In that capacity he had made important decisions on questions of the highest moment, and in 1918 was appointed as supreme authority in connection with appeals against the operation of the Military Service Act. He is a man of strong and striking personality as well as of the highest judicial attainments, and in many quarters it has been suggested that he leave the bench to enter political life, which, however, holds out no attraction for him. When in private practice he was a Liberal, and for a time held the position of President of the Victoria Liberal Club. He is a member of the Rideau Club, Ottawa, Ottawa Country Club, Union Club, Victoria, B.C., Vancouver Club. In July, 1898, he married Elizabeth Eleanor, daughter of Henry Bird, Barrie, Ont, and resides on Goulborn Ave., Ottawa.

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=Hurdman, George Charles, M.P.P.=, is a prominent lumberman of Ottawa, and one of the representatives of that city in the Ontario legislature. He was born in Ottawa on September 23, 1870, the son of George and Agnes C. (Fraser) Hurdman. On both sides he is of United Empire Loyalist stock, and is of Irish and Scottish descent. He was educated at the public and Model schools of his native city, and as a lad of nineteen became connected with the wholesale lumber industry, with which he has ever since been identified. He first entered the service of Beull, Orr, Hurdman & Co., with which he was connected for five years; after which he was associated with the lumber firm of Shepherd and Morse, Boston, Massachusetts, for another five years. In 1899 he established the Hurdman Lumber Company, Limited, of which he is the head. He has offices in Canada Life Building, Ottawa, and conducts an extensive wholesale business. He is also Secretary-Treasurer of the Canada Quarries and Construction Co. of Ottawa. From earlier manhood, Mr. Hurdman has taken a strong interest in public affairs, and was for several years an active officer of the executive of the Liberal party in Ottawa. At the general elections for the Ontario Legislature in June, 1914, he was the candidate of his party for the riding of Ottawa West, and succeeded in defeating his opponent, ex-Mayor Ellis, a strong candidate, by a safe majority. As a member of the opposition he has proved most useful, his counsel being especially valued in committee work, and in the party caucus. He has also taken an active interest in military affairs, and as a young man served with the 43rd Regiment, Ottawa, and Carleton Rifles. When the war broke out in 1914, he decided to resume military service, and qualified as an officer in the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, which sent many recruits to the front. He is a Methodist in religion, and a charter member of the Laurentian Club, Ottawa, and his chief recreation is horsemanship. On June 21, 1899, he married Katherine, daughter of Thomas J. Lynton, Ottawa, and has three sons, George Charles, Thomas Lynton, and Herbert Russell Hurdman. He resides at 412 Daly Ave., Ottawa.

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=Bates, Thomas Nathaniel=, is one of the leading business men of Ottawa, and holds the position of Vice-President and Manager of the International Land & Lumber Company, of 285 Bank Street, in that city. He is also Vice-President of the British Canadian Industrial Company, Limited. He was born at L’Orignal, Ontario, in 1881, and is a son of Joseph Lever Bates. He was educated at the public and high schools of Hawkesbury, Ont., and as a lad of nineteen went into the insurance business as an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company at Ottawa. He proved one of the most successful writers of policies that this country has produced, and in 1904 made the Canadian record for his company by obtaining one hundred and seven applications for insurance in the space of thirty-five days. He was appointed Superintendent of Agencies for the company, and continued in that position until 1907. In that year the International Land and Lumber Company and the British Canadian Industrial Company were organized, and he was connected with them from their inception. Under his energetic and enterprising direction, they have developed a large and substantial business. In politics Mr. Bates is a Conservative, and in religion a Methodist. He is a member of the Laurentian Club; the Britannia Boat Club and the Canadian Club, Ottawa. On September 21, 1909, he married Maud, daughter of Thomas Askwith, Ottawa, and has two sons. Mr. and Mrs. Bates reside at 248 O’Connor Street in the capital.

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=Rose, George Maclean=, President and Manager of the Hunter-Rose Company, Limited, Toronto, comes of a family which has been identified with the printing and publishing industry in Canada since the pre-Confederation era. He was born at the city of Quebec on October 30, 1865, the son of the late George Maclean Rose and his wife, Margaret Levack Manson, both natives of Caithness, Scotland. Sir Oliver Mowat, the famous Liberal statesman, who was for nearly a quarter of a century Prime Minister of Ontario, and held other very important public offices, was a cousin of the late Mrs. Rose. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Model School and the Wellesley School, Toronto, and later took a course at the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, with a view to embarking in a career of scientific agriculture, a project subsequently abandoned. He began his business career with the Williams, Greene & Rome Company, Ltd., manufacturers of men’s wear at Kitchener (then Berlin), Ont., and became secretary and a director of the company. Severing connection with the enterprise, he went to New York, and was engaged in business there for ten years, returning to Canada in 1902 to join the Hunter-Rose Company, established many years previously by his father. He acted as secretary of the company for two years, and in 1904 became President and Manager, the position he holds to-day. The Hunter-Rose Company is one of the historic commercial concerns of Canada. Its founder, the late George Maclean Rose, was a native of Wick, Caithness, who, as a young man in Scotland acquired complete familiarity with every phase of the printing and publishing business. In the middle fifties he came to Canada, and settled in Montreal, but in 1857 went to London, Ont., and in company with the late Hamilton Hunter established the printing firm of Hunter & Rose. This partnership was, however, short-lived, and in 1859, Mr. Rose joined forces with the late Samuel Thompson, of Toronto, who had received the contract to execute the printing for the parliament of Canada. This necessitated removal to Quebec, at that time capital of Canada. It shortly became necessary for Mr. Thompson to retire from business, and to carry on the work of government printing Mr. Rose formed the firm of Hunter-Rose & Company, in the ancient capital, taking into partnership Robert Hunter, a practical accountant. The completion of the parliament buildings at Ottawa in 1865 and the establishment of the government there, necessitated removal to that city, which remained the headquarters of the firm for several years. Confederation, in the meantime, having become an established fact, Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald, the first Premier of Ontario, induced Mr. Rose to establish a branch in Toronto, to take charge of the provincial printing. In 1871, Mr. Rose came to Toronto to reside permanently, and since that time the name Hunter-Rose & Company has been identified with the commercial life of Toronto. In 1877, Mr. Robert Hunter died, and Mr. Rose became sole proprietor. The firm was incorporated under its present name in 1895. Government printing ceased to be the staple of its business many years ago, and book publishing became a very important part of its activities. From its plant have been issued many reprints of the leading authors of the past and present century. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the first volume of “Representative Canadians,” edited by the late George Maclean Rose, was published in 1886. The present head of the company, who has carried on the historic traditions of the firm, is a member of the Canadian Manufacturers Association and of the Toronto Board of Trade. As a young man, he took a deep interest in military matters, and was a Lieutenant in the 48th Highlanders of Toronto, when that regiment was first established. He was also a lacrosse enthusiast, and played with the old Ontarios of Toronto and the Crescents of Brooklyn, N.Y. His present recreation is golf, and he is a member of the Ontario Club, the Simcoe Club, the Lakeview Golf Club, and the Ontario Jockey Club. In religion he is a Unitarian, and in politics independent.

=Blair, Lieutenant James K.= (Ottawa, Ont.), who was killed in action at the Somme October 2, 1916, was born September 11, 1890, at Truro, Nova Scotia, the only son of Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Blair, Inspector of Customs, Ottawa, and Grace Ewart Blair. He received his education in the common schools of Truro, and was a commercial traveller when he enlisted at Saskatoon as a private on the outbreak of the war. He was married early in 1916 to Dulcie, daughter of Captain Brooks of the Indian Army, and Mrs. Brooks, and is survived by one son, James K. Blair, whom he never saw. After enlisting, he trained with the 28th Battalion in Winnipeg, and on receiving a commission in February, 1915, joined the 46th Battalion at Moose Jaw, and left for England with a draft from the battalion in July, 1915. He qualified at Hythe as a musketry instructor, and was attached in that capacity to the 32nd Reserve Battalion, where he served for one year. He went to France on August 2, 1916, where he joined the 2nd Canadian Entrenching Battalion, and then went to his old battalion the 28th. The following extract from a letter written by the Commanding officer of the 28th is a tribute to Lieutenant Blair’s military abilities:—“Poor Jimmie Blair never had a chance to do more than show he had the grit to stick the worst the Boche could do. He joined us when we were on our way south, and fitted easily into the very happy family our mess then was. He did what he had to do well, and gave entire satisfaction. As our Battalion was then in a high state of efficiency, that is a good recommendation to any officer. In the big attack of September 15, we only took in half our officers, and Lieutenant Blair was left out, so he did not get the chance which two of the officers of his company got, and which resulted in the award to them of the M.C. We went in again on September 24-25, and Blair’s platoon was in the centre, and was subjected to very severe shelling during all of which he carried himself coolly and bravely, and came through in good shape. After a couple of days back we went in again on another sector to hold. Blair’s company was in Kenora trench, just where it joins Regina trench, of which so much has been said in the papers. This was really a communication trench, but had to be held on account of the command it gave us for future operations. It was, however, badly enfiladed, and we had practically all our casualties there. The battalion we relieved had just captured it, and it was subjected to a good deal of shell fire, and it was during one of these poor Blair was killed by a small shell which landed in the bay in which he was posted. I gave orders that his body be brought out for burial, but a heavy rain and resulting mud, together with the exhausted condition of our men, made this impossible. He was, therefore, given a soldier’s grave near where he fell, and on ground which should be considered sacred to Canadians, as many of our officers and men had fallen, and have fallen since, before Regina trench was finally captured. He died, therefore, as so many have, just ”holding the line,“ nothing spectacular; just a matter of duty well and bravely done under very trying circumstances. He gave promise of doing well, but he was not given the opportunity which the real attack gives. His people, however, will have the satisfaction of knowing that he did his duty well, bore himself bravely in the face of fire, and died like a soldier.” Another officer friend. Captain Quinan, writes:—“I well remember Jim when he left England for France, as full of spirits as old Allan Richardson before him, who, too, has been killed. Jim was full of life, and only asked for a chance to help to avenge his chum. He will, I assure you, always remain in my memory as ‘Jim,’ a very fine and gallant gentleman.” He was a Presbyterian and a Liberal Conservative. Lieutenant Blair was very proud of the Canadians, and in a letter to his parents, said;—“The Canadians have no black marks against them, and do not intend to have.” He had a high reputation both as an instructor and as a soldier. One of Lieutenant Blair’s ancestors, Captain William Blair, fought at the siege of Louisburg in 1745, and his father joined the militia.

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=Bell, Clarence A. H.= (Toronto, Ont.), Clerk in Chambers, Supreme Court of Ontario, Osgoode Hall, son of Alexander Bell, M.D., whose father, James B. Bell, was for many years Registrar of the County of Lanark at Perth. Born at Oshawa, May 3, 1869, removing shortly thereafter to Lakefield, Co. Peterborough. Educated at Lakefield public school and Peterborough Collegiate Institute. He married Louise Ella, daughter of the late John Brown, of Lloydtown, June 24, 1893, and has two children, Sybil Irene and Arthur Armstrong (formerly a signaller in France). He entered the Department of Attorney-General under the late Sir Oliver Mowat, May, 1887, and was transferred to the Central Office, Osgoode Hall, 1896, receiving the appointment of Clerk in Chambers, June, 1917. Mr. Bell is an active member of many fraternal societies, being P.C., Knights of Pythias; High Chief Ranger, Independent Order of Foresters; representative on several occasions at the National Fraternal Congress of America; member of Ionic Lodge, A.F. & A.M. and St. Patrick’s Chapter; member Royal Arcanum; Chosen Friends; L.O.L. and Preceptory, R.B.K. For many years he has been active in church work (Anglican Church), being a member of the Executive Committee, Diocese of Toronto; Dominion President for several years of Anglican Young People’s Association; Secretary of Diocesan Lay Readers’ Association; President many years of Progressive Bible Class—at one time one of the largest Bible classes in Canada. He is publisher of the “Circuit Guide,” a compendium issued half-yearly for the use of judges and lawyers. To the average man, the above-mentioned associations would appear almost sufficient to occupy his spare time; but not so with Mr. Bell, whose activity seems almost infinite, for he is an enthusiastic student of astronomy and the history of ancient Egypt, upon both of which subjects he has given frequent lectures. But the safety-valve of his unusually active life is probably to be found in the even balance he maintains between mental, social, and religious pursuits on the one hand, and an ardent—always ardent and active in everything—love of wild animals, wild birds, wild flowers, camping, woodmanship and canoeing, at which he is an expert. All his available holidays are spent near nature’s heart at his summer house in the northern part of Peterborough County where he breathes in ozone, puts on tan, relaxes and strengthens his muscles, and augments his optimism in preparation for the following season of busy city life. His city residence is 563 Gladstone Avenue.