Part 14

One of the great achievements of Senator Forget was in carrying through the merger of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company and in doing so he accomplished what many predicted to be utterly impossible, saying that nothing but failure and financial disaster could result. This was in 1900 before the days when big business interests were merged into mammoth enterprises and the amount involved, seventeen million dollars, seemed to stagger even the most progressive element in financial circles. Like all of his undertakings, Mr. Forget had not entered into this without due consideration and he had implicit confidence in its success. It is doubtful if any but he could have swung that deal and how well he succeeded is best indicated in the value of the securities of the company in investment circles.

He was a prominent figure in the notable contest which took place between the Dominion Coal Company and the Dominion Iron & Steel Company. Originally a director and vice president of the coal company he espoused the cause of the steel company in its fight over the coal supply and ultimately the matter was carried to the privy council and was there decided in favor of the steel company. Mr. Forget was elected vice president of the steel corporation when eventually the two companies were merged and he continued to take an active part in the administration of the affairs of the company to the time when his health began to fail. Evidence of his wonderful insight and sagacity in business matters is shown in the fact that when the trouble first arose from which resulted the extended litigation between the Dominion Iron & Steel Company and the Dominion Coal Company Senator Forget went over the point in contention in his characteristic deliberate manner and at once concluded that the claim of the steel corporation would be sustained by the courts, notwithstanding the contrary opinion of some of the greatest legal authorities and business men of the day and time proved that his judgment was correct.

He was the first French-Canadian to be elected to the directorate of the Canadian Pacific Railway and was a member of its board at the time of his death. His greatest enthusiasm was aroused while viewing the untold resources of the west during the many times he accompanied Sir Thomas Shaughnessy and R. B. Angus on their annual tours of inspection. When the life work of Senator Forget was ended the Montreal Daily Star said in part: “By the death of Senator Forget a man of affairs has been lost to Canada. A man of wide vision who saw far into the future and who modeled his career accordingly. A glance through the financial district at the half-masted flags at once conveys an idea of the number and the prominence of the institutions that Senator Forget had been interested in. Senator Forget stood out in Canadian finance, but more than that, he was a true Canadian citizen and had done his share towards the public weal, forgetting not his duty towards the state in the midst of tremendous private enterprises. He was a man of sympathies. At all times courteous and approachable, he could thrust aside great business matters to attend to the small wants of individuals, nor was he ever found wanting or indifferent when charity offered a plea.

“In finance Senator Forget was a true leader. He was one of the first men to loom large in high finance in Canada. He realized many possibilities which other men have realized too--but he followed that by action. He had the courage to follow his convictions and many solid institutions which today enjoy in themselves prosperity and largely aid in the advancement of the Dominion, owe to him debts which can never be repaid to the individual, though they will be to the people of the country. His financial ability brought him into prominence in connection with several of the largest corporations in the Dominion, prominent among which were the Montreal Street, the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company and the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, the Dominion Coal Company, and the Dominion Iron & Steel Company.

“Senator Forget was one of the colossal figures about whom have surged the tides and currents of Canadian finance. The news of his death this morning was as much of a shock as a surprise, both to those with whom he had been so long associated in connection with the organization and the management of the great financial and industrial enterprises of the Dominion and to the thousands of others to whom his name had come to be the shibboleth of success.

“But if Senator Forget represented one thing more than success it was absolute unswerving fidelity to his word. In all the heat and confusion of the stock market amidst the treacheries which sometimes attend on high financing and the deception and duplicity which beset the path of the successful man everywhere, there was never a question of his own unfaltering veracity. Senator Forget was wisely charitable, an intelligent patron of the arts, and a strong supporter of all movements which made for the better government of the city and the state. He will long be remembered for what he was as well as for what he did.”

Another Montreal paper said of him: “His rise to financial fame is written on the business history of Montreal, and the story of his success in the financial world is the history of the development of the city. Although Senator Forget’s estate will count up into the millions, its accumulation was not effected by continuous plain sailing.”

Obstacles and difficulties of grave import arose, but his financial capacity and strict integrity had won the confidence and trust of friends who rallied to his support, and although he saw the storm clouds gather, he was able to turn threatened disaster into brilliant achievement. His investments were most judiciously made and his judgment concerning important financial transactions seemed never at fault. Once his mind was made up as to the value of a security nothing could shake his confidence, and much of his success in life was due to his unerring judgment.

Slow to make a promise or express an opinion, Senator Forget never failed to fulfill a promise and when he gave his opinion it was the expression of his honest conviction and indicated a course which he would follow in a similar position. If he advised an investor it meant that he would not hesitate a moment in investing his own money in the same security. His unquestioned loyalty to his friends covered his entire business career. His recommendation of a security to an investor meant that he would fully support that security and there were instances in his career when even his vast resources were taxed in such support. This was true in connection with the Montreal Stock Exchange in a security where large sums were invested on his recommendation. The implicit confidence that capital had in his judgment enabled him to finance and successfully carry out projects that probably no other man of his time could have handled. His word was as good as his bond. His denial of a rumor killed it immediately just as an admission from him settled all doubt. He could see through a proposition readily and would decide important and extensive matters quickly. His decision was never hasty or ill advised but came as the result of the fact that he had mastered many grave business affairs and with readiness comprehended every phase of a situation that came before him. He was a man of strong personality. His was never the command of the tyrant to go but ever the call of the leader to come. He was never vacillating in his opinions of the best methods to be followed or the manner in which a given work was to be done. He was a most considerate and appreciative man and was always ready to encourage one who was striving upward. He was not a talkative man, that is he talked but comparatively little, yet he talked to the point and with great earnestness and thinking men listened to him with attention. He never laughed aloud, but his smile was one full of humor, enjoyment and good nature. Judging his manner by first appearance might do him an injustice, for a habit of earnest thought had brought a deep furrow in the forehead that might be regarded as a frown. An acquaintance, however, always received the most polite attention from him and his unfailing courtesy of manner showed him to be a perfect gentleman in the highest and best sense of the term.

His interest in benevolent and charitable projects was wide and his support thereof most generous. He became a director of the Notre Dame Hospital and was a governor of both the General Hospital and the Western Hospital. He was a governor of the Art Association and life governor of the Numismatic & Antiquarian Society; also president of the board of governors of Laval University. His political career is an interesting one, for he was not always a supporter of the liberal-conservative party. Although a fellow townsman of Sir Adolphe Chapleau, the Senator had been allied with Sir Henri Gustave Joly de Lotbinière in that leader’s contest with Chapleau, Angers and the rest of the conservative leaders of his time. In federal politics, however, Hon. Mr. Forget declined to follow the free trade policy of Mackenzie and Cartwright, which had been forced against his will upon Rodolphe Laflamme, and from the days of the national policy the Senator worked with the present conservative party. He was appointed to the upper house during the elections of 1896 and was the last conservative senator to enter that branch of the Canadian parliament. Senator Forget seldom addressed the senate, yet his advice in committee was of great value to his fellow members and it was here that the close friendship sprang up between Senator Forget and the ex-prime minister, Sir Mackenzie Bowell. The Senator was a loyal follower of R. L. Borden as leader of the conservative party, both in parliament and in the country. He realized that it was a very difficult matter for any leader to find complete favor in the eyes of all the provinces, but he was confident that Mr. Borden gave his services to the party and to the country in a patriotic manner and consequently deserved the support of a united party in both houses. The Montreal Gazette some years ago termed him “an astute and enterprising man of affairs.” He was more than that. He was a constructionist and builded where others saw no opportunity; he was a patriot without narrow partisanship; a Roman Catholic and stanch churchman without a particle of race prejudice, in evidence of which fact his closest friend in the senate of the Dominion was an ex-grand master of the Orange Grand Lodge of British North America--Sir Mackenzie Bowell. High honors had been accorded him, distinction and notable success had come to him. These things made him an eminent citizen, but, more than that, attractive social qualities and genuine personal worth had gained him the highest regard, confidence, good-will and friendship of his contemporaries and colleagues.

While Senator Forget was a member of a number of clubs, he manifested keenest interest perhaps in the Mount Royal Club, of which he was one of the founders. Among the other clubs to which he belonged were the St. James, of which he had been president; the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club; the Forest and Stream; the Montreal Hunt; the Country Club of Ottawa and the Manhattan Club of New York.

In May, 1876, Senator Forget married Miss Maria Raymond, a daughter of Gustav A. Raymond of Montreal. They were the parents of five children: Loulou, now Mrs. W. W. Skinner; Raymond, who died at the age of four years; Blanche, now Mrs. Guy Boyer; Marguerite; and Pauline. The two younger daughters accompanied their parents abroad and the family was sojourning at Nice when Senator Forget passed away, April 7, 1911.

CHARLES M. BLACK.

Thorough preparatory training and broadening experience well qualify Charles M. Black for the important and responsible duties that devolve upon him as secretary and treasurer of the insurance brokerage firm of R. Howard & Company of Montreal. He has many friends in this city, to whom his life record will prove of interest. He was born in Winnipeg in 1890, a son of William Allan Black and a grandson of Charles R. and Elizabeth (Hall) Black, of Montreal. There is a mingled strain of English and Scotch blood in his veins. The birth of William A. Black occurred in Montreal, November 17, 1862. His education was acquired in the schools of his native city, and for some years he was in the service of the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railway Companies. In 1882 he went to Manitoba and the following year became connected with the Ogilvie Milling Company, one of the foremost enterprises of that character in the country. Gradually in that connection he worked his way upward and in 1902 was appointed general manager of the western division, while in 1910 he was elected one of the directors of the company. Still further promotion has come to him in his election as vice president and managing director of the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company. He is likewise a member of the Winnipeg Board of Trade, a councillor of the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange and a member of the grain survey and grain standard boards. He is likewise a director of the Home Savings & Investment Company, Molson’s Bank and Larose Consolidated Mines and is managing director of the Kaministiquia Power Company and president of the Manitoba Cold Storage Company. He belongs to the Winnipeg and Manitoba Clubs. He was married in 1888 to Mary Campbell, daughter of Alexander McEwan, of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The illustrious example of his father has fired the ambition of Charles M. Black, who was reared in Montreal and Winnipeg. Making good use of time, talents and opportunities, he has steadily progressed and is today a well known factor in insurance brokerage circles of Montreal. The business of the firm of R. Howard & Company was established in 1901 and was organized under the present firm style on the 1st of February, 1913, when Charles M. Black became a member of the firm, of which he has since been secretary and treasurer, with Robert Howard as the president. He had received thorough initial business training in three years’ connection with his father, and he is also secretary and treasurer of the Financial Investment Company. A young man of determination and energy, he carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and obstacles and difficulties in his path serve but as an impetus for renewed effort on his part.

JOHN PRATT.

High on the list of Montreal’s worthy citizens who have passed from this life appears the name of John Pratt, who from 1839 until 1872 was one of the prosperous merchants of the city. He was born at Berthier, en haut, on the 20th of July, 1812, and after a well spent life of sixty-four years passed away July 22, 1876. He was survived for only a few weeks by his brother, Mr. C. F. Pratt, with whom he had commenced his business career and with whom he was almost continuously associated thereafter.

The father was a merchant at Berthier and in 1833 the sons, Charles F. and John, left the paternal home to establish a business house in Quebec under the firm name of C. F. Pratt & Company. Having succeeded almost beyond his expectations in that city, John Pratt opened a branch establishment at Three Rivers and, as in Quebec, won almost immediate prosperity in the conduct of the enterprise. Soon the brothers found that their sphere of action was too limited and in 1839 they extended the scope of their interests by founding the well known leather house of John Pratt & Company in Montreal.

In 1852 the Quebec house was closed, the brothers concentrating their energies upon the conduct of the Montreal business, out of which they made colossal fortunes, that of Mr. John Pratt amounting to about a million dollars. The tanneries at Roxton Falls were started by the Pratts, who for many years stood at the head of the leather business. In 1869, however, they put aside industrial and commercial interests, but while Charles Pratt confined himself to private affairs, his brother, John Pratt, whose name introduces this review, unable with his active temperament to remain comparatively unemployed, engaged in the conduct of several joint stock companies, with which he had identified himself. At the time of his death he was president of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, over whose board he had presided since 1867. He was president of the Banque du Peuple, of the Rubber Company, and others; and was vice president of the Citizens Assurance Company, a position which he also occupied in connection with other joint stock concerns. He was on the board of directors of the Valleyfield Cotton Company, an enterprise which he had done much to promote. Indeed, it may be said of Mr. Pratt that he was an undoubted authority on all business matters, being sagacious, practical, enterprising and energetic. He seemed to recognize almost from the beginning the possibilities of any undertaking, and he never faltered until his purpose was accomplished.

In 1863 Mr. Pratt was placed on the harbor board, but the succeeding year the government of Sir John Macdonald removed him from office, doing exactly the same by Hon. John Young and Mr. Thomas Cramp. In 1874, however, he was placed upon the newly constituted board, of which he was an active, practical and influential member. His natural modesty impelled him, upon several occasions, to decline nomination for parliament, to which, there is no doubt, had he so desired, he would have been elected. Politically he was a thorough reformer and even by those who differed from him, his opinions were looked upon with great respect. He was at all times a thorough gentleman, a faithful and considerate friend and a real philanthropist.

On the 3d of March, 1840, Mr. Pratt married Marie Mathilde Roy, the widow of Charles Ovide Perrault, who was killed in the rebellion of 1837. Mrs. Pratt died July 29, 1897. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pratt were: Marie Mathilde, who was married in 1862 to Desire Girouard; Charles Alfred, a practicing physician, who in 1866 married Alphonsine Leclair and resides at Longueuil; Eveline Marie Louise, the wife of Joseph Gustave Laviolette, of Montreal; Virginia, who was married September 30, 1878, to George H. Matthews; Aloysia, who was married June 17, 1878, to Percy Franklin Woodcock, the well known artist; Frederick Emile George, who was married May 31, 1883, to Albina Thibault, the widow of his younger brother; and Louis Edouard Albert, who married Albina Thibault and died August 11, 1880.

On the 27th of July, 1876, the body of Mr. John Pratt was taken from the family residence, No. 310 Lagauchetiere Street to the church of St. Jacques, St. Denis Street, and thence to the family vault in the Roman Catholic cemetery. The attendance at the church was immense, comprising all the influential and representative citizens, both French and English, of Montreal. At the church the burial service was celebrated by Rev. A. L. Sentenne, curé of the parish, assisted by Rev. Father Fleck, superior of the Jesuits.

Perhaps no better indication of Mr. Pratt’s high standing could be given than by quoting a letter received by Mrs. John Pratt, reading:

“Dear Madam:

“We, the harbor commissioners of Montreal, take the liberty of intruding upon you to express our sympathy and condolence to you and your family in the irretrievable loss sustained by the death of your late husband, our friend and colleague in the harbor trust. Our late friend rendered such efficient service in the management of this important trust and was so fully in sympathy with every movement for the good of his country and this city in which he lived, as to secure the esteem and confidence of every member of the commission. At such a time we are aware that nothing can be said to assuage the natural grief of yourself and family, still we hope, Dear Madam, it will prove consolatory to you and yours, that your husband, our friend, has filled up his season of life with so many good deeds and in so exemplary a manner, and that although he has now gone from among us, he will be remembered by all who knew him. This we trust will be to you and your family a source of comfort and help you to bear with fortitude and resignation your present great affliction.

“Thomas Cramp, “Hugh McLennan, “Andrew Allan, “Charles H. Gould, “John Young, “Adolphe Roy, “P. Donovan.

“Harbor commissioners’ office, Montreal, July 28, 1876.”

The board of directors of the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company, at its meeting on Friday, the 28th of July, 1876, passed unanimously the following resolution: