Part 42

Mr. Rivet has extensive and important club affiliations, belonging to the Club St. Denis, the Club Canadien de Montreal and the Reform Club, and socially is found to be genial, charming and constantly courteous. In his profession he has made continued and rapid advancement and his accomplishments in the political field have been substantial and far-reaching, so that he is well entitled to a high place among the representative and useful citizens of the city where he makes his home.

JOSEPH ALCIDE CHAUSSE.

Since 1900 Joseph Alcide Chaussé has filled the important position of superintendent of buildings and city architect of Montreal and in that position has established for himself an enjoyable reputation. He is one of the foremost men in the profession, not only in the city, but in the Dominion and recognition has come to him from numerous national as well as foreign societies. Alcide Chaussé was born at St. Sulpice, Assumption county, Quebec, Canada, on January 7, 1868, a son of Edouard and Rose de Lima (Rivet) Chaussé, both natives of St. Sulpice, Quebec. The father, a prominent lumberman there and ex-alderman of the city of Montreal, died on March 15, 1909, the mother having preceded him in death, passing away on July 20, 1896. The Chaussé family is of ancient lineage and one of the old-established ones in the province of Quebec. Pierre Chaussé, le Chaudronnier (the brazier), was born in 1630 and was established at St. Anne de la Parade as early as 1681. Pierre Chaussé, another of the name, called la Lumière, was born in 1651, a son of Jean and Catherine (Groleau) Chaussé. He married Marie Madeleine Sel au Deselles on April 24, 1681, and they had five children. These are among the earliest ancestors of Mr. Chaussé recorded in Canadian history.

Alcide Chaussé received his fundamental education at St. Mary’s Academy in Montreal. He studied architecture with the late Alphonse Raza, of Montreal, from the 3d of March, 1884, to the 14th of March, 1887. From the 17th of March of that year until July 24, 1889, he was in Chicago, perfecting himself in the profession, and was admitted to practice in 1888. On the 20th of November, 1889, he opened an office for the practice of architecture at Montreal and continued with ever increasing success until May 21, 1900, when he was appointed to his present important position. A wide and comprehensive knowledge fits him particularly for this work and Mr. Chaussé has been in a large measure responsible for the upbuilding of the city along lines of the “plan beautiful.” He also holds the position of commissioner of the superior court for the district of Montreal and that of justice of the peace for the same district.

Mr. Chaussé is a charter member of the Province of Quebec Association of Architects, of which he served as president in 1906. In 1907 he was the promoter of and since its inception is, honorary secretary and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada; is an associate of the Canadian and American Societies of Civil Engineers; a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Construction; a member of the Board of Plumbers’ Examiners in Montreal; chairman of the committee on fire prevention of the American Society of Municipal Improvements; a member of the American Public Health Association; a member of the council of Le Comité Permanent des Congrès Internationaux des Architectes; member of the British Fire Prevention Committee; corresponding member of La Société Centrale des Architectes Français; the American Institute of Architects; La Société Centrale d’Architecture de Belgique; La Société Nationale des Architectes de France; Architekten-Verein at Berlin, Germany; Sociedad Central de Architectos, Madrid, Spain; and the Society of Portuguese Architects. He is a member of the council of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. Mr. Chaussé has been awarded gold, silver and bronze medals by various architectural societies for technical papers and lectures. He was a member of the International Congress of Architects held at Paris in 1900; at Madrid, in 1904; and London, England, in 1906; and of the International Fire Prevention Congress, held at London in 1903; a delegate to the Sixth Commercial Congress of the Empire, held at London, in 1906. In 1907 he conceived the project for the Institute of Architects of Canada. He is the author of several articles on fire prevention and fire protection; of the “Building Inspector’s Handbook,” published in 1902; the “Code of Building Laws of the Province of Quebec,” published in 1906; the “Handbook of Building Laws of Montreal”; and the “Supplement to the Code of Building Laws,” published in 1913, all of them published in English and French.

At Ste. Bridgide’s church, Montreal, on Saturday, September 8, 1894, Mr. Chaussé was united in marriage to Miss Rose de Lima Renaud, a daughter of Cyrille Renaud and Rose de Lima (Favreau) Renaud, both of Montreal. The father is a well known manufacturers’ agent of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Chaussé have two sons: Marcel, who was born July 7, 1902, and Fernand, born December 29, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Chaussé are members of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation, Church of the Holy Sacrament, on Mount Royal Avenue.

The political views of Mr. Chaussé coincide with the principles of the conservative party. He is a member of Le Club Canadien of Montreal, a member of L’Alliance Nationale, of which he served as grand marshal; and a member of the Association of St. Jean Baptiste, of which he has been president of Ste. Bridgide’s Section. He was also president of the Cêrcle Jeanne D’Arc of L’Alliance Nationale. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Chaussé finds recreation in curling and is a member of the St. Lawrence Curling Club of Montreal. His city residence is at No. 1433 St. Hubert Street, while the summer home of the family is Villa Iris, Sault-au-Recollet.

MORTIMER BARNETT DAVIS.

Manufacturing interests of Montreal find a prominent representative in Mortimer Barnett Davis, one of the leaders in the tobacco trade of the Dominion, being active in the management of an enterprise of mammoth proportions. It is true that he entered upon a business already established, but in enlarging and developing this many a man of less resolute spirit and of more limited business sagacity would have failed. Each step he has taken in the business world has been one of progress, bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities.

Mr. Davis was born February 6, 1866, in Montreal, a son of Samuel and Minnie (Falk) Davis, the former the founder of the firm of Samuel Davis & Sons, manufacturers and importers of cigars at Montreal. Mortimer B. Davis completed his education in the high school of his native city and early became associated with his father in business, receiving thorough training that acquainted him with every phase of the trade. He went upon the road as a traveling salesman and eventually was advanced to the position of manager after the firm had acquired the D. Ritchie Tobacco factory. He controlled the business most systematically and, finally, when it had been absorbed by the formation of the American Tobacco Company of Canada in 1895, he became president of the company and so continues. Later he gave to the country a great national industry in the Empire Tobacco Company, which is a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada. He was largely instrumental in establishing a permanent market for Canada leaf tobacco and promoting trade interests in his line between this and other lands. Something of the volume of business under his control is indicated in the fact that there are now three thousand workmen in his factories. No undertaking in connection with the tobacco trade seems too difficult or its scope too broad for him to successfully manage and control. Every effort which he puts forth seems to count for the utmost and obstacles and difficulties in his path seem but an impetus for renewed concentration and direction. His opinions carry weight in the management of other important financial, commercial and agricultural interests.

On the 12th of June, 1898, Mr. Davis was married to Miss Henrietta Myers, and they have one son. Mr. Davis belongs to the Royal Montreal Golf Club, and also holds membership in the Mount Royal, St. James, Montreal Hunt and Montreal Jockey Clubs, the Auto Club of Canada and the Forest and Stream Club, associations which indicate something of the nature of his interests and activities and which have brought about a well rounded character, justifying the expression of the Gazette, which termed him “a man of strength, vigor, capacity and wisdom.”

RENE ALPHONSE JOSEPH PIGEON.

René Alphonse Joseph Pigeon, patent solicitor of Montreal, member of the firm of Pigeon, Pigeon & Davis, was born at Billingsbridge, near Ottawa, on the 11th of July, 1890. The ancestral line can be traced back to Pierre Pigeon, who was born in 1636 and was married in Montreal to Jeanne Godart, who was born in 1638. Their marriage occurred in 1662, twenty years after the foundation of Montreal. Representatives of succeeding generations have lived in or near Montreal, some going to Laprairie and others to Verchères. The father, Hormisdas Honoré Pigeon, was born at Verchères, in Verchères county, P. Q., and after having lived for some years in the United States removed to Ottawa, where he has now been engaged in business for more than thirty years. He married Marie Tremblay who was born at Baie St. Paul, Charlevoix county, and was married in 1889. The Tremblays were among the earliest settlers of that section.

René Alphonse J. Pigeon was a student in the University of Ottawa, completing his studies there in 1907. He afterward studied mechanics and electricity and entered upon his professional career as draftsman in the office of Fetherstonhaugh, Dennison & Blackmore, patent solicitors at Ottawa. After a year he was promoted to the position of manager of their Ottawa office and was in the employ of that firm for four years. In 1912 he left them to establish himself in business in Montreal as a member of the present firm of Pigeon, Pigeon & Davis. Previous experience and thorough collegiate and professional training have well qualified him for the responsibilities, activities and duties of the profession. He is a typical young man of the age, alert, enterprising and progressive and is now at the head of a large, growing and successful business.

REV. JOSEPH N. O. DUPUIS, D. D., D. C. L.

In the life of the Catholic church of Canada Rev. Joseph Nazaire Odilon Dupuis occupies a foremost position as inspector and visitor of a number of parish schools which are attended by over thirty thousand children. He was chosen to this important office in 1913 by twenty-seven school commissions in Montreal which are formed into an association, and has done fruitful work in promoting education in the city.

Rev. Dupuis was born at Montreal on the 16th of December, 1871, and is a son of Nazaire Dupuis, founder of the commercial house of Dupuis Frères, and of Alphonsine (St. Onge) Dupuis. He pursued his classical studies at the College of Montreal and in June, 1890, entered ecclesiastical orders. He was ordained priest by Monseigneur Fabre on August 30, 1896. From 1896 to 1899 he studied at the Canadian College of Rome, Italy, returning from there with the degree of Doctor of Theology, bestowed by the propaganda in 1898, and the degree of Doctor of Canon Law, bestowed in 1899 by Apollinaire College. From 1899 to 1900 he studied at the Catholic Institute of Paris and at the Sorbonne. In the latter year he returned to Canada, becoming vicar of the Church of St. Jacques at Montreal, where he remained until 1902, when he was attached to the congregation St. Louis de France, remaining until 1904. He was appointed almoner of the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of the Sault au Récollet, where he remained for about nine years. At the same time he acted as chaplain at the Crèche of the Sisters of Miséricorde. In 1913 he was chosen by twenty-seven school commissions of Montreal, formed into an association, as a visitor and inspector of all the schools under the control of these commissions, having under his jurisdiction thirty thousand children divided over forty different parishes and eighty-two schools. Rev. Dupuis was one of the founders of Lafontaine Council of the Knights of Columbus. He is life governor of Notre Dame Hospital and is professor at Laval University and the author of several lecture papers. He has been heard as a preacher in nearly all of the churches of Montreal. Rev. Dupuis is a great lover of fine arts and literature and spent his last holidays in Italy and Spain, paying especial attention to the masterpieces of those countries.

HARRY HAYWARD HENSHAW.

Harry Hayward Henshaw, whose name was well known in electrical circles died in Montreal, his native city, May 15, 1908. He was born in 1865, a son of Joshua Henshaw, who for many years was paymaster with the Grand Trunk Railway. His mother bore the maiden name of Jane Fayrer and in the family were two sons and a daughter: Charles G., now living in Vancouver; Harry Hayward; and Lady Williams Taylor.

After pursuing his education in Montreal schools, Harry Hayward Henshaw obtained a position with the Grand Trunk Railway and afterward spent twenty years with the Royal Electric Company, gaining intimate and comprehensive knowledge of the various phases of the business, during the two decades of his identification therewith. When the Royal Electric Company became a part of the amalgamation forming the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company he became secretary and treasurer of the new company, remaining thus for many years, on the expiration of which period he became manager of the Allis-Chalmers Company, manufacturers of electric machinery. He had been with them for only a few months when ill health forced him to resign. Throughout almost the entire period of his business career he was connected with electrical interests and came to be a leading figure in electrical circles.

In Montreal in 1895 Mr. Henshaw was married to Florence Thompson Christie, a daughter of Peter M. and Margaret (Thompson) Christie, the latter being a daughter of Edward Thompson, a prominent citizen of Montreal serving as alderman from the Centre ward and rendering the city much valuable service. He was mainly instrumental in the widening of Notre Dame Street during his term of office, and in recognition of his efforts for this work he was publicly presented with a handsome silver service on Christmas Day, 1859. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Henshaw, William Christie, came to this city at an early day and was active in the soap manufacturing business until late in life when he retired. He was a prominent church man, being for forty years an elder in St. Paul’s church. To Mr. and Mrs. Henshaw was born a daughter, Margaret Fayrer. Mr. Henshaw was a member of St. James Club, Forest and Stream Club, and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. He belonged to the English Cathedral church and was interested in all that pertained to the city’s development and progress, along material, social and moral lines. His life measured up to high standards of manhood and citizenship and commanded for him the respect, confidence and good-will of those who knew him.

GEORGE CREAK.

George Creak, senior member of the firm of Creak, Cushing & Hodgson, chartered accountants, was born and educated in London, England. His parents were George and Maria Creak, of Clapham, London. For many years he was secretary and treasurer of the Merchants Cotton Company, began practice as a chartered accountant in 1895 and is now at the head of the above firm.

Mr. Creak is a member of the Association of Accountants of Montreal and is a fellow of the Dominion Association of Chartered Accountants. He is a Freeman of the city of London and is a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company, as were his father and grandfather before him. Mr. Creak belongs to the Anglican church and is a member of the Mount Royal Club, the Canada Club, the Art Association of Montreal, the Montreal Hunt Club, and the Board of Trade.

WILLIAM ERNEST FINDLAY.

Since entering business life William Ernest Findlay has devoted his attention uninterruptedly to the insurance profession, and his success is due to his close application, indefatigable energy and thorough understanding of every phase of the business in which he has so long been engaged. Montreal claims him as a native citizen, his birth having here occurred April 26, 1867, his parents being Captain Jonathan D. G. Findlay, R. N. and Mary (Forbes) Findlay, both now deceased. The son acquired his education in the model and private schools and, as previously stated, became connected with the insurance profession upon his entrance into business life. He was manager and inspector of the Northern Life Insurance Company and in 1906 was advanced to the position of general secretary, which he later resigned to devote his entire attention to his other interests. In his connection with the Northern Life he did much to shape the policy of the company and direct its activities, and its success is attributable in considerable measure to his efforts, sound judgment and ready understanding of the different phases of the business. He is now chief agent for Canada of the Niagara Fire Insurance Company of New York, and also for the province of Quebec for the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company and is an authority on fire prevention and underwriting.

On the 8th of February, 1897, Mr. Findlay was married to Laura Brockwill Grier, a daughter of William Grier, of Montreal, in which city they have since resided. Mr. Findlay has an interesting military chapter in his life record, having in 1891 been appointed second lieutenant of the Sixth Regiment Fusiliers. The following year brought him advancement to the rank of captain and in 1904 he became a member of the Corps Reserve. He holds a first class certificate from the Royal School of Infantry. He is a justice of the peace and commissioner of the superior court. He is a life member of Royal Victoria Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M., and a director of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He is honorary secretary-treasurer of the Canadian branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and has always been much interested in athletic affairs.

WALTER NORTON EVANS.