Part 11

Charles Mackay Cotton acquired his preliminary education at Cowansville Academy, Feller Institute, Grande Ligne, Quebec, and afterward entered McGill University, Montreal, from which he was graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1899, winning the high honor of the gold medal for general proficiency. From the same institution he was afterwards graduated B. C. L. in 1902, taking at this time the Macdonald scholarship. In his student days he gave every evidence of the ability and power upon which his present success is founded for besides the honors above mentioned he was class orator in science, arts and law. His record in McGill University is very creditable and one of which he has every reason to be proud, and its promise has been fully justified by his later accomplishments in the professional field. Mr. Cotton was called to the bar as advocate in 1902 and immediately afterwards went abroad in order to get the advantages of foreign travel and to supplement his excellent legal training by further study. He attended lectures at the law school of the University of Montpelier in 1903, thus completing an exhaustive and comprehensive legal education.

Mr. Cotton opened his first office in Sweetsburg, this province, practising in partnership with J. C. McCorkill, and proving able, farsighted and discriminating in the discharge of his professional duties. From Sweetsburg he came to Montreal, and he is today one of the representative citizens of this community, prominent in his profession and a leading factor in the promotion of those projects and measures which have for their object municipal growth, advancement and progress. The firm of Cotton & Westover is one of the strongest of its kind in the city and connected through a wide and representative patronage with a great deal of important litigation. Mr. Cotton is recognized as an able advocate, possessed of a comprehensive knowledge of the law and a practical ability in its application, and his developed powers and wide experience are bringing him constantly increasing prominence in his chosen field.

Mr. Cotton is a member of the Anglican church and was formerly a captain in the Fifteenth Shefford Field Battery. A strong liberal, he takes an intelligent interest in public affairs, opposing political corruption wherever he finds it and supporting by word and action pure and clean politics. Viewed from any standpoint his has been a useful and successful career, and the future undoubtedly holds for him further honors and continued prosperity.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER HASTINGS.

William Alexander Hastings, for many years vice president and general manager of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, Ltd., and one of the best known men in his line of business in Canada, was born at Petite Cote, March 6, 1852, a son of George and Margaret (Ogilvie) Hastings. George Hastings came from Boston, Massachusetts, and located at Petite Cote where he was engaged in farming.

William A. Hastings pursued his education in the schools of his native city and began his business career as a clerk in the Exchange Bank. His progress was rapid and he was promoted to manager of the Bedford (Quebec) branch, and later manager of the Exeter branch. Subsequently he was appointed treasurer of the St. Joseph (Missouri) Gas Company, serving until 1882 when he became identified with the milling business in which he achieved such notable success. In that year, with his brother, George V. Hastings, he became associated with the Ogilvie Company at Winnipeg, building and opening the flour mills there with great success. In 1888 he severed his connection with the above firm and became vice president and general manager of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, filling this prominent and important position until his death, which occurred on May 23, 1903.

Mr. Hastings had thoroughly acquainted himself with the business in its different phases so that he was well qualified to assume the control of one of the largest businesses of its kind in the Dominion, and to his rare judgment and marked executive ability is credited, to no small extent, the high degree of prosperity enjoyed by the company whose affairs he so ably directed.

Robert Meighen, president of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, said that he had been associated with Mr. Hastings for thirteen years and that any business which passed through his hands passed through the hands of God’s noblest work--an honest man. Others bore equally strong testimony as to his enterprise and his thorough reliability. He never weighed an act in the scale of public policy but always measured his deeds by the standard of upright principle.

In 1884 Mr. Hastings was united in marriage to Miss Georgina Roy Ure, daughter of the late George P. Ure, and they became the parents of the following children: Margaret Ogilvie, who died in infancy; William Roy, of Montreal; and John Ogilvie, of Montreal.

Mr. Hastings was lacking in none of the qualities which make for upright manhood and progressive citizenship, and his cooperation with any movement or plan largely insured the successful outcome of the same. In 1890 he became a member of the Corn Exchange and in 1893 was elected a member of the committee of management, in which office he continued until 1898, serving for the last three years of that period as treasurer. Throughout his entire life Canada numbered him among her best citizens and the record which he made reflected credit upon the Dominion, constituting a factor in its material development.

ROBERT DENNISON MARTIN.

One of the best known men in the grain trade in Canada and one whose untimely death cut short a business career that had been highly successful and was full of greater possibilities for the future was Robert Dennison Martin, who was born at Selby, Ontario, October 18, 1854, a son of William and Elizabeth (Thompson) Martin. The father was a farmer and the boyhood of Robert Dennison Martin was spent in the manner of a farmer’s son of that locality and period. His education, acquired at the place of his nativity, was somewhat limited. He remained in the district in which he was born until after attaining his majority. Hearing of the possibilities of the western country, he went to Manitoba and near Deloraine he secured a homestead which he developed and improved. As he managed to gather together a little capital, he turned his attention to merchandising, becoming a member of the hardware firm of Faulkner & Martin at Deloraine, an association which continued for a number of years after his removal to Montreal. It was at Deloraine that he first became connected with the grain business in which he was destined to win notable success. In the buying of grain he became associated with Alfred P. Stuart under the firm name of The R. D. Martin Company, a partnership that continued until the death of Mr. Martin.

After a few years residence in Winnipeg Mr. Martin came to Montreal in 1899, and with the exception of a year spent in Napanee and a year in Kingston, Montreal was his place of residence throughout the remainder of his life. The business of The R. D. Martin Company enjoyed a steady and prosperous growth and to its development Mr. Martin devoted his entire attention and rare ability. Since his demise the business has been continued under the name of the British Empire Grain Company, Limited. Mr. Martin suffered from ill health for several years prior to his demise which occurred at his beautiful new home at No. 1 Murray Avenue, Westmount, which was completed only a few weeks prior to his demise, which occurred on the 28th of June, 1905.

It was on the 18th of May, 1894, at Winnipeg, that Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Helen Moncrieff Morton, who was born in Perth, Scotland, a daughter of Duncan and Jessie (Watson) Morton. The father died when Mrs. Martin was but two years of age and her mother survived until a few years ago. Mrs. Martin came to Canada in 1892 and resided in Winnipeg previous to her marriage, a brother having preceded her to that place. She is one of five children born to her parents, four of whom survive, as follows: Jessie, the wife of George Banks of Perth, Scotland; Duncan, residing in Winnipeg; Helen M., who is Mrs. R. D. Martin; and Madeline, the wife of Andrew C. Craig of Winnipeg. To Mr. and Mrs. Martin were born five children: Charles Stuart, a student in McGill University; and Helen Elizabeth, Edith Laura, Jessie Watson and Robert Henry, all at home.

Mr. Martin was quiet and domestic in his tastes and habits. He held membership in only one club, the Canada Club, and did not enter actively into its affairs. He was very fond of his family and found his chief delight in the home circle, being a loving and kind husband and father. As a business man he was alert and energetic, ready for any emergency and he seemed to pass by no opportunity that pointed to honorable success. Contemporaries and colleagues had the highest respect for him and more than that, he gained the warm friendship and esteem of a large majority of his acquaintances. Although a later arrival in Montreal than many of his business associates, he gained prominence among them and attained an enviable position in the business world. He was a member of the Board of Trade and his opinions carried weight among its representatives and in other connections which had to do with the city’s welfare. He was truly Canadian in spirit and interests and his devotion to the public good was one of his notable traits of character.

J. LOUIS A. GUIMOND.

J. Louis A. Guimond, a notary public practicing in Montreal and interested in business enterprises which connect him with activity in the real-estate field, was born in the town of Beauharnois, in the province of Quebec on the 14th of February, 1877. His father was Cyrille Guimond, a merchant and manufacturer, who married Justine Dubreuil of Pointe-aux-Trembles. In the pursuit of his education he attended the Seminary of St. Hyacinthe and was graduated in letters with the class of 1896, while his scientific course was pursued in College St. Laurent, from which he graduated in 1898. He has since been an active representative of the notarial profession in which connection he has secured a large clientage that makes his practice a profitable one. His life has been one of intense and intelligently directed activity and aside from his professional duties he is acting as a director and is a shareholder in a real-estate company. He is likewise secretary-treasurer of two municipalities and thus takes a helpful interest in public affairs as well as in the conduct of private business interests.

On the 24th of May, 1909, at Iberville, P. Q., Mr. Guimond was married to Miss Marie Louise Gayette, a daughter of Calixte Gayette. Their children are Paul and Ives Guimond. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Guimond is a liberal-nationalist. He is energetic, accomplished and successful and by the consensus of public opinion he is ranked with the representative men of Montreal. He comes of an old and respected line of ancestors who settled in the province of Quebec in the seventeenth century. Since that day they have not only been active and progressive in business, but loyal in citizenship. Mr. Guimond’s lines of life have been cast in harmony with the record of an honored ancestry and his forbears have been no more loyal to city, province and country than he.

ROBERT H. BARRON.

A man who has founded success in the legal profession upon ability, comprehensive knowledge, long experience and untiring industry, is Robert H. Barron, since 1895 in active and successful practice as a notary in Montreal. He has made continued and rapid progress in his chosen field of labor, each year bringing him to a point in advance of the previous one, and today the firm of Barron & Cushing, of which he is the senior member, is one of the most reliable of its kind in the city.

Mr. Barron was graduated B. A. from McGill University in 1892 and acquired his professional training in the same institution, completing the law course in 1895. In October of that year he began practice in Montreal, being taken into partnership by Mr. Charles Cushing and Mr. Robert A. Dunton; this association continued until 1900, and Mr. Barron then continued in partnership under the firm name of Cushing & Barron until the death of Mr. Cushing in September, 1910. Mr. Barron then practiced alone for about one year, when he associated himself with Dougall Cushing, his present partner and a son of his former partner. Barron & Cushing control a large and constantly growing business, and the firm is known to be strong and reliable. Mr. Barron is held in high honor in professional circles of Montreal, and his prominence stands upon the substantial foundation of ability and merit.

ARTHUR DELISLE, Q. C.

The legal fraternity of Montreal finds an able representative in Arthur Delisle, who not only has achieved favorable reputation in a private capacity but has ably represented the district of Portneuf in the provincial parliament. Capable, earnest and conscientious, he has been connected with important litigation before the local courts and his clientele is representative. He comes of an old and distinguished family whose ancestors came from France in the year 1669, on the 15th of October of which year arrived in Quebec Louis de l’Isle, of Dompierre, of the bishopric Rouen, accompanied by his young wife, Louise des Granges, of St. Brice of Paris, settlement being made at Pointe-aux-Trembles, of Quebec.

Arthur Delisle was born at Portneuf and is the son of Jean and Anathalie (Frenette) Delisle. In the acquirement of his education he attended Laval Normal School Seminary of Quebec and Laval University of that city, taking his degree of Master in Law (cum laude) on the 23d of December, 1882. After locating for practice in Montreal important business came to him and as the years have passed he has become known as one of the most able men in his profession in the city. He has every faculty of which a lawyer may be proud, unusual familiarity with human nature and untiring industry making him one of the most forceful members of the bar. He was appointed queen’s counsel in 1898.

On April 22, 1890, at Quebec, Mr. Delisle was united in marriage to Blanche Hudon, a daughter of Théophile Hudon, a prominent merchant of Quebec. They have two children, Marguerite and Gaston. While attending the Laval Normal School Mr. Delisle received the usual course of military training under the supervision of the high officers at the citadel of Quebec, receiving such instruction there in the years 1876 and 1877. This experience has been of great benefit to him as it infused into the young man the lasting benefits of military exactness and punctuality. From 1891 until 1896 he represented the district of Portneuf in the house of commons, retiring in the latter year in order to give his seat to Sir Henry Joly de Lotbinière. Public-spirited and progressive, Mr. Delisle takes an active interest in the progress his city is making as one of the great metropolitan centers of North America and is ever willing and ready to support worthy enterprises projected for general improvement and growth.

DAVID GREENE, M. D.

In the death of Dr. David Greene, Montreal was forced to record the loss of a most capable member of the medical profession. He added to broad scientific knowledge and thorough training a deep human sympathy combined with an almost intuitive understanding of his fellowmen. Moreover he recognized to the fullest extent the weight of responsibility and obligations resting upon him, and his fidelity to duty became one of his strongest characteristics. A native of Ballyshannon, in the north of Ireland, he died on the 21st of March, 1891, at Montreal, Quebec. He prepared for college at the Royal School of Portora, Enniskillen, and was graduated from Trinity College at Dublin. He became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and from 1858 until 1864 practiced in the north of Ireland. It was in his native town of Ballyshannon that Dr. Greene wedded Miss Ellen Green, who with a son and several daughters survive him. But one of the children was born on the Emerald isle and with this daughter Dr. and Mrs. Greene came to the new world in 1866, making their way to Montreal, Canada. For a time Dr. Greene was actively engaged in practice in this city and then removed to Granby, where he practiced for many years, but afterward returned to Montreal. His intellectual powers were marked and his scholastic and literary attainments were of a high order. It was a liberal education in itself to know him well and profit by his wonderful store of knowledge, which he unconsciously imparted to his close friends in conversation that was brilliant and fascinating. His associates recognized that his comradeship meant expansion and elevation. Being endowed with a warm heart and splendid mental gifts, he left the impress of his individuality upon those with whom he was brought into close and intimate relations. While he took high rank in his profession, his attainments were varied and brought him fame in other connections. He was a devout member of the English church, and his influence was always on the side of right, progress, truth and reform.

The surviving children of Dr. and Mrs. Greene are: Alice, Maud, Gertrude, Vida, Geraldine, and Whately Stokes. The last named pursued his education in the schools of Montreal and in March, 1898, made his initial step in connection with the banking business as an employe in the old Ontario Bank, with which he was connected for eight years. Through the past seven years he has been with the Royal Bank of Canada, and is now manager of the Laurier Avenue branch at the corner of Park Avenue and Laurier Avenue West. Mr. Greene married Miss Gertrude Anne Sheppard, only daughter of the late Charles Stanley Sheppard, and they have one daughter, Lorna Gertrude. Mr. Greene has made for himself a creditable place in financial circles as did his father in the field of professional service, and the name has long been an honored one in Montreal.