Part 21

DAVID MORRICE.

The life record of David Morrice might be summed up in the term successful achievement. It has, however, been more than the success that is calculated in the terms of dollars and cents, for his outlook of life has ever been broad, his conceptions of its opportunities accurate and his recognition of its duties and obligations correct. He has as fully and carefully met the last mentioned as he has his chances in a business way. While he has passed the eighty-fourth milestone on life’s journey, in spirit and interest he seems yet in his prime. To him might be applied the words of Victor Hugo: “The snows of age are upon his head, but the spring of youth is in his heart.” He was born in St. Martin, Perthshire, Scotland, August 11, 1829, and after acquiring his early education there, started in business life as an employe in dry-goods stores, remaining for some time in that connection in Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester and London. The growing western country attracted him with its almost limitless opportunities, and in 1863 he established himself in Montreal where he founded the business that has since become one of the most important commercial enterprises of the city. Under the name of The D. Morrice Company the business is now one of extensive proportions. Manufacturers’ agents and general merchants, they have one of the largest and best appointed establishments of the city, and Mr. Morrice is also at the head of important productive industries and is said to be one of the best authorities in cotton matters in the Dominion. He is president of Penman’s Limited; of the Canadian Cottons, Ltd.; and of the Montreal Investment & Freehold Company. He is likewise a director of the Bank of Montreal; of the Dominion Textile Company; and of the Mount Royal Cemetery Company. While he has now in large measure retired from active management of these interests, his opinions still carry weight in business councils, and his judgment and discrimination are those of a man of not more than three score years and ten. While conducting important and extensive commercial and manufacturing interests, he has found time to become a factor in the management and control of many projects for the benefit of his fellowmen in the alleviation of the hardships of life for the unfortunate. He is now vice president of the Montreal Tubercular Association; president of the Montreal General Hospital; president of the Montreal Sailors’ Institute; president of the Mackay Institute for the Deaf and Dumb; and governor of the Montreal Boys’ Home. He has long been an interested member of the Montreal Art Association of which he is one of the councillors and he maintains an equal interest in Christian education as chairman of the board of managers of the Montreal Presbyterian College, in which position he has remained for forty-two years. He has ever been a firm believer in the early religious training of the young and has labored untiringly to advance the interests of moral direction for the youth of the land. In 1905 he was chosen vice president of the Quebec Sunday School Union and in 1902 was president of the Presbyterian Sunday School Association. In 1882 he erected the David Morrice Hall of the Montreal Presbyterian College at a cost of ninety thousand dollars. His gift to the Montreal General Hospital in 1906 made that institution richer by twenty-five thousand dollars and in 1910 he gave ten thousand dollars to the Montreal Art Association.

On the 14th of June, 1860, Mr. Morrice married Anne S. Anderson of Toronto, and of their children, William J. and David J., are connected with The D. Morrice Company. The others are Robert B., who is connected with Penman’s Limited; Arthur A., a resident of Toronto; James Wilson, a distinguished artist; and a daughter, who is now the wife of Allen G. Law, of the firm of Law, Young & Company of Montreal. The son, James Wilson Morrice, born in Montreal in 1864, attended the city schools and the Toronto University and afterward developed his art talent by study in Paris. He has not only won high reputation in that city but also in London and is considered one of the greatest painters of Brittany coast scenes. He has been a frequent exhibitor at the Paris Salon and one of his pictures has been purchased by the French government and another by the Canadian government for the National Art Gallery at Ottawa. He largely paints landscapes, yet gives some attention to figures and in all of his work there is an even balance maintained between technique, creative faculty and poetic feeling.

Mr. David Morrice is now eighty-four years of age, but still maintains deep and active interest in the church and in the benevolent and civic projects with which he is identified. Moreover, he still holds membership in the St. James Club, the Montreal Club, the Mount Royal Club, the Montreal Hunt Club and the Forest and Stream Club. Someone has said, “there is an old age which need not suggest idleness or lack of occupation; on the contrary there is an old age which grows stronger and better, mentally and morally as the years advance and gives out of the rich stores of its wisdom and experience for the benefit of others.” Such is the record of David Morrice.

J. F. DUBREUIL.

One of the able advocates of Montreal and one who has filled with honor various official positions, is J. F. Dubreuil, a descendant of a distinguished family which has found mention in Abbé Tanguay’s “Dictionnaire Généalogique.” In this book L’Abbé Cyprien Tanguay mentions among the earliest ancestors of the house of Dubreuil the following. Christopher Dubreuil, born in 1696; Jean Du Breuil, born in 1655, a son of Pierre and Catherine (Gosselin) Du Breuil, married September 28, 1682, at Montreal; wife died December 22, 1685: one child; married August 6, 1686, Ste. Famille Marguerite Gaultier: seven children. Jean Etienne Dubreuil was a notaire royal and a brother of the above mentioned Jean. He married twice and had a family of many sons and daughters.

J. F. Dubreuil was born at Lachine, province of Quebec, January 24, 1845, and is a son of Joseph and Hélène (Barré) Dubreuil, the former of Pointe-aux-Trembles and the latter, of Montreal. The father was for many years a notary public. J. F. Dubreuil received his education at the Jesuit College of Montreal, famed for its thorough teachers, and completed the course of instruction by graduation on February 6, 1866. He subsequently engaged as an advocate and as he was able, capable and conscientious, soon enjoyed a profitable practice, his services being demanded by a representative clientèle. He served from 1873 to 1882 as deputy clerk of the crown and peace, and from June, 1883, until June, 1889, as deputy sheriff of Montreal.

On January 26, 1869, at Sorel, Mr. Dubreuil was united in marriage to Miss Marie L. C. Beaupré and they have the following children: J. F. L., vice president of the Commercial Travelers Association; George, who is employed in the registry office at Hochelaga; Charles, of Richelieu, Ontario; and Raoul, who is with the Canadian Electric Company.

In his political faith Mr. Dubreuil is a conservative, giving his support to that organization. For many years he has made Montreal his home and has witnessed the change from a comparatively small city to that of a world’s metropolis, having participated in bringing about the transformation according to the best of his ability. He is deeply interested in the growth of the city along material, as well as intellectual, lines and as he has always lived a life of conscientious righteousness, is highly esteemed and respected in the community where he is widely known.

JOHN RANKIN.

No worthy enterprise of Montreal sought in vain the assistance of John Rankin, and his public spirit found expression in tangible effort for the general good. At the same time he conducted important business affairs as representative of large corporate interests of his native land. He was born in Lanark, Scotland, in 1825, and had traveled far on life’s journey when death called him February 27, 1908. Coming to Canada in 1854, he carried on business first under his own name and afterward as senior partner in the firm of Rankin, Beattie & Company. He also represented J. & P. Coates, the world renowned thread manufacturers of Paisley, for many years, and was instrumental in establishing for them a large Canadian business. He was likewise financial agent for the house of Arthur & Company, of Glasgow, and in the further development of his business interests became one of the founders of the Shedden Company and of the Guarantee Company of North America. As his worth and business talent became recognized his cooperation was sought along many lines and when keen business judgment prompted his investment in any interest he was almost at once accorded voice in the management. He became a promoter of the New York Daily Graphic, the Consolidated Bank and of the Montreal & Sorel Railway, now a part of the Delaware & Hudson system. As a business man, his position was second to none and his record was one which any man might be proud to possess. He never made engagements that he did not keep, nor incurred obligations that he did not meet, and his name became a recognized synonym of integrity and enterprise in commercial and industrial circles. At River David, in 1861, Mr. Rankin was married to Miss Louisa S. C. Wurtele, a daughter of Jonathan Wurtele, in his life time, Seignor of River David. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rankin: James L., a contractor of Montreal; Archibald J., who resides in Edmonton, Alberta, where he is a clerk in the government offices; John, who is a civil engineer, residing at Victoria, British Columbia; Norman S., who is connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Calgary; Allan C., a bacteriologist in the employ of the Siam government, at Bangkok; A. G. Ernest, who is a notary of Montreal; Louisa M., who is Mrs. John Fair, of Montreal; and Isobel S., at home.

None ever questioned Mr. Rankin’s interest in the city and the general welfare of its people. He stood for all those things which are a feature in civic betterment and his interest in moral progress was evidenced in his membership in St. Paul’s Presbyterian church, of which he was secretary and treasurer when the present edifice was erected. He was also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital. His high standing is further indicated in the fact that his name was on the membership roll of St. James Club. To him were accorded the “blest accompaniments of age--honor, riches, troops of friends.”

The summer home of Mrs. Rankin is “Manor House,” Pointe Seche, County Kamouraska, Quebec.

EMMANUEL PERSILLIER LACHAPELLE, M. D.

While Dr. Emmanuel Persillier Lachapelle has gained prominence and won honor in various directions, perhaps the one act which will longest stand as an enduring monument to his worth and work will be the creation of the board of health of the province of Quebec, of which he is now the president. His efforts were a potent factor in bringing about the organization of this board, the far-reaching effects of which are immeasurable. In this and other connections he has entered upon a campaign of education for the purpose of bringing to the public a knowledge of sanitary and health conditions that will forever prevent widespread contagion and check the ravages of disease even in individual cases. A man of strong character and wide knowledge of men and things, his life work has by no means reached its full fruition. In private and hospital practice he has gained eminence and his name is associated with one of the strongest and best equipped medical schools of the country.

Dr. Lachapelle was born on the 21st of December, 1845, at Sault au Récollet, Quebec, his parents being Pierre Persillier and Marie Zoe (Toupin) Lachapelle, descendants of some of the earliest settlers of New France. His father was born at Cote des Neiges, in the county of Hochelaga, in the province of Quebec. Making his home at Sault au Récollet he followed farming and was proprietor of grain mills. His parents were Pascal Persillier and Marie (Ladouceur) Lachapelle, who lived at Cote des Neiges. The maternal grandparents of Dr. Lachapelle were Charles P. and Angelique (Leduc) Toupin, of Montreal. The ancestors came to this country in the early days of the French colony and were married at Laprairie, near Montreal, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river.

After acquiring a classical education in the Montreal College Dr. Lachapelle entered upon the study of medicine in the old Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery and after a brilliant course was admitted to practice in 1869. From the first years of his professional life he devoted considerable attention to the question of hygienic science. He continued his reading and research after leaving college and is still as keen and devoted a student as ever. He has long been ranked as a successful practitioner of high standing in Montreal, especially prominent in the field of hygiene.

In 1872 Dr. Lachapelle was appointed surgeon of the Sixty-fifth Regiment, Mount Royal Rifles, and retained the appointment until 1886. He was unable to accompany the regiment on active service to the northwest in 1885, owing to the demands of his professional engagements, but he personally superintended the preparation of the medical equipment which the regiment took on service and secured the services of an assistant surgeon, who went with the regiment.

Dr. Lachapelle took a very active part in the refounding of the medical legislation and in 1878 was elected a governor and the treasurer of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Province of Quebec, retaining an official connection with that important body almost continuously since, while for nine years he has held the position of president. At the time of the memorable small-pox epidemic in Montreal in 1885-6, when hundreds of new cases of the disease were reported daily, until the death rate claimed ten thousand victims, and when the city was practically placed in a state of quarantine in respect to the rest of the continent, Dr. Lachapelle came to the front as an outspoken and fearless advocate of the drastic measures adopted to check the disease. The contagion was spreading so rapidly throughout the country that it became necessary to take advantage of an old statute law and to create a central board of health which would apply throughout the province means for prevention and cure. Such a course had previously been adopted in Montreal. The moment the horror of the great pestilence was at an end Dr. Lachapelle proceeded to organize the forces of medical science for the conservation of the health of the people. He was chiefly instrumental in getting the provincial government to pass a law for the creation of a provincial board of health with powers coterminus with provincial bounds. Prior to that time there was only a local authority operating within restricted bounds. From that time forward the body which Dr. Lachapelle may be said to have created was to have jurisdiction over the whole province. The beneficial results of this measure were soon seen in better methods, improved sanitation and, above all, in the general vaccination of the people who had been so terribly scourged because of the lack of this preventative in 1885. For the most important and valuable work which he did in this connection Dr. Lachapelle received high encomiums from all sections of the American continent and from foreign lands as well, not the least flattering being the recognition of the French republic in 1898 which conferred upon him the Order of the Legion of Honor. With the establishment of the provincial board of health he was appointed its president, a position which he has since filled with credit to himself and great advantage to the entire province.

Moreover the name of Dr. Lachapelle has been intimately associated with the effort to improve medical legislation and to raise the standard of medical education in Quebec. On the establishment of a branch of Laval University in Montreal, decided upon in 1878, and the inauguration of the medical faculty in temporary class-rooms in the old Chateau du Ramezay, on Notre Dame Street, he was one of the most ardent instigators and supporters of the movement and contributed in a great measure to its success. At the present time he holds the positions of dean of the medical faculty at the university and of professor of hygiene; from 1876 until 1894 he was proprietor and editor of L’Union Médicale. In 1885 he had the honor of presiding as president over the convention of the American Public Health Association. He had the honor of being elected an associate member of the Société Française d’Hygiène of Paris. He has been closely and prominently associated with the Notre Dame Hospital ever since its establishment and can almost be called its founder. The splendid institution which owes its establishment partly to the clinical requirements of the then recently founded medical faculty of Laval was incorporated in 1880, Dr. Lachapelle being a member of the board of governors and holding the position of general superintendent until 1906, while to the present time he is president of the hospital.

A stanch member of the liberal party, Dr. Lachapelle has often been urged to become a candidate in nomination for political preferment but although willing to use his influence for the benefit of his party he has invariably declined to accept a nomination because of a sense of duty toward his professional interests and benevolent engagements. In 1902 he was urged by many of the most influential citizens of Montreal, both French and English, irrespective of party to accept nomination for the mayoralty. He did accept provisionally but later withdrew to avoid racial complications. When the city government was changed about three years ago it was deemed fitting that one so eminent as an authority on sanitation and hygiene and one so dignified and high-minded as a foremost citizen should be a member of the new board which was henceforth to administer the affairs of the city. The Doctor has little inclination for publicity but yielded to the appeals addressed to him and became controller of Montreal. He has made a most admirable official, the value of his service being widely recognized. It is his desire to accomplish the best possible measures of reform during his term of office, and his efforts have already been productive of great good. He was elected in 1910 for a term of four years.

Aside from his professional and public activities previously mentioned Dr. Lachapelle is also a director of the Credit Foncier Franco-Canadien and of other financial institutions and life insurance companies. He has been identified with various national and benevolent movements and in 1876 had the honor of serving as general president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society. He is also a member of the British Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, Société Médicale de Montreal, the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, the Royal Edward Institute of Montreal and the Canadian Anti-Tuberculosis League. He has been attending physician to the Hôtel-Dieu and other institutions, and served as a delegate from the Canadian government to the second Pan-American Medical Congress held in Mexico in 1896, and to other similar bodies. He has been a frequent contributor to medical literature, writing largely for the Union Médicale du Canada and other periodicals. He is a councillor of the University Club and a member of the metropolitan parks commission. In religious faith he is a Roman Catholic and in political belief a liberal. He belongs to the Mount Royal, University and Montreal Jockey Clubs. By reason of notable ability he has attained to a position of prominence and power and has been termed “a second Laurier.” Were his ambitions along political lines he would undoubtedly attain distinction in that field. He prefers, however, the even broader field of professional activity wherein his scientific investigation and research combined with practical knowledge and skill have gained him eminence and made his life work of signal serviceableness to mankind.

BERNARD MELANCON.

Bernard Melancon, a notary public who has engaged in the practice of his profession for more than four years in Montreal, was born at St. Jacques l’Achigan on the 20th of August, 1881, a son of Moise and Elodie (Gaudet) Melancon, the former a zouave who participated in active military duty in 1869-70. The son attended College Ste. Marie, a Jesuit school, and Laval University of Montreal. He prepared for the notarial profession, becoming a notary on the 16th of July, 1909, after which he was associated with M. M. Loranger under the firm name of Loranger & Melancon. Subsequently he became a member of the firm of Mayrand, Loranger, Ecrement & Melancon, but now practices as a member of the firm Loranger, Seguin & Melancon, with offices at No. 99 St. James Street, Montreal. He is conducting a successful business and stands well in the profession, possessing the comprehensive knowledge so necessary to success as well as the energy and ability which must precede progress in any profession or business line.

Mr. Melancon is a nationalist in political faith and allegiance and in religious belief is a Roman Catholic. He was married at Montreal on the 18th of June, 1912, to Miss Annette Jodian, a daughter of L. O. Jodian, who died on the 17th of May, 1913. Mr. Melancon is yet a young man, but has already made progress that many an older member of the profession might well envy, and his past record gives indications of future advancement.

GABRIEL HURTUBISE.

The earliest record of the Hurtubise family leads back to one Louis Heurtebise (the spelling having been changed later), who was born in 1667 and married on May 3, 1688, at Montreal, Jeanne Gatteau and died on January 24, 1703. The present generation of this old and distinguished French-Canadian family is represented by Gabriel Hurtubise, a civil engineer and land surveyor, who is independently established in business under the firm name of Hurtubise & Hurtubise, his brother Louis being his partner. He was born on November 3, 1883, in the city of Montreal, and is a son of Edwin and Emélie (Brault) Hurtubise, both of whom have passed away. The father was prominent in insurance circles in Montreal as a member of the firm of Hurtubise & St. Cyr, representatives of the Royal Insurance Company, and died on the 30th of December, 1913, in Montreal.

Gabriel Hurtubise enjoyed advantageous educational facilities at St. Mary’s College, pursuing his more professional studies at the Polytechnic School of Laval University, from which he graduated on June 14, 1907, as civil engineer, and on June 10, 1909, as land surveyor. He has since been prominently engaged in this line in Montreal, having had charge of most important contracts. He began his career under F. C. Laberge, C. E. and Q. L. S., of Montreal. At present he is a member of the firm of Hurtubise & Hurtubise, who are doing an extensive and profitable business.