Part 44

Charles H. Maguire, who figured prominently in insurance circles in Montreal, was born in Quebec in 1858 and died at The Glade, Boisbriand, province of Quebec, July 31, 1907. His father was Hon. Judge Maguire of the superior court of Quebec, a very able and distinguished citizen and jurist, who was born April 15, 1810, and died July 5, 1880. He married Miss Frances Horan, also of Quebec.

Their son, Charles H. Maguire, was educated in the seminary of that city and for a few years was connected with the bank there, thus receiving his initial business training. About 1897 he came to Montreal and engaged in the insurance business as a member of the firm of Esinhart & Maguire, which succeeded the late Walter Kavanagh as chief agents for the Scottish Union & the National Insurance Company of Edinburgh. They also became chief agents for the German-American and the Rochester German Insurance Company, conducting an insurance business of large proportions, his name becoming a synonym for successful achievements in insurance circles.

Mr. Maguire was also active in interests of the city and his devotion to the public welfare was manifest in many tangible ways. He was fond of outdoor sports, especially those of an aquatic character. He always adhered to the religious faith in which he was reared--that of the Catholic church.

Mr. Maguire was married twice. In Quebec he wedded Miss Mountain, who is survived by two children: Eustace J. Maguire, now living in Denver, Colorado; and Sister Mary of the Annunciation, of the Congregation of Notre Dame. In Montreal, in 1904, Mr. Maguire wedded Henrietta Kavanagh, a daughter of Henry Kavanagh, who was born in Carlow, Ireland and came to Montreal in 1838.

LOUIS J. LORANGER, LL. D., K. C.

Louis J. Loranger, a man distinguished by scholarly attainments and a wide knowledge of commercial law, is practicing at the Montreal bar as the senior partner in the firm of Loranger, Loranger & Prud’homme. Born on the 22d of September, 1870, the eldest son of Hon. Louis Quesime and Marie Anne Rosalie (Lafranboise) Loranger, of whom more extended mention is made elsewhere in this work, in the city which is still his place of residence, he has here since remained, and the record of his progress is a familiar one to many of his contemporaries, who recognize the fact that native talent well developed and opportunities carefully improved have brought him to his present creditable position as a representative of the legal profession. He was a student in St. Mary’s College of Montreal and afterward in Laval University, from which he received the degrees of B. A. and M. L. A., a special examination later bringing him the LL. D. degree. He was called to the bar on the 10th of January, 1894, and for eighteen years was a partner of Mr. Justice Beaudin. Their practice was extensive and of a most important character. His present position as legal adviser to La Chambre de Commerce and to the Citizens’ Association and the Association of Architects indicates his rank among the foremost members of the Montreal bar. He is also vice president of the International Law Association and a member of the council of the bar. He was made a king’s counsel in 1910.

Mr. Loranger is a conservative in politics and is president of La Jeunesse Conservative. He belongs to the Conservative Club, Le Club Cartier, the Union Catholique and L’Alliance Nationale. The name is today an honored one in legal circles not only in Canada but throughout America, for he has a wide acquaintance among the eminent representatives of the bar south of the border.

WALTER KAVANAGH.

Walter Kavanagh was one of the best known representatives of insurance interests in Canada. For a quarter of a century he had been chief agent for the Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, for which he did a large business. He also held the chief agency of the German-American company and recently had been appointed to the same position with the Rochester German Insurance Company.

Mr. Kavanagh was of Irish extraction, of which he gave evidence in his brightness, warmth of heart, geniality and lively wit, which will long be remembered by those who were his social associates. As an insurance agent he was full of energy, aggressive, and thoroughly in earnest in promoting the interests of the companies he represented. It is but natural that such success as attended the efforts of Mr. Kavanagh should have created heart burnings in those who had not the ability to reach his plane in the insurance world, and that his position should have been at times jealously envied it is superfluous to mention, for there were many who tried to emulate his success and many who sought to rival his popularity. Mr. Kavanagh died November 22, 1905.

FRANCIS WOLFERSTAN THOMAS.

The world has little use for a misanthrope. The worth of the individual is largely judged by what he has accomplished in behalf of his fellowmen and, as a modern philosopher has put it: “Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success.” Judged by this standard Francis Wolferstan Thomas was a most successful man. Along strictly business lines, too, his advancement was continuous until he stood among the prominent representatives of banking interests in the country, the growth and development of The Molson’s Bank of Montreal being attributable in large measure to his efforts and sound business judgment. He was born at Moorwinstow, Cornwall, England, January 9, 1834, and was educated at King Edward VI School in Sherburne, Dorsetshire. It was the family wish that he should enter the priesthood of the Anglican church; and later he was intended for the army, but before a commission was procured he came to Canada, arriving here in October, 1851. He came of ancestry honorable and distinguished. His paternal grandfather was the Rev. Thomas Thomas, a fellow of Oxford and vicar of Tidenham in Gloucestershire. He married Elizabeth Wolferstan, of Hartland, Devon, and their family included Rev. Francis Wolferstan Thomas, who became rector of Parkham, North Devon. He married a lady of the ancient and important family of Shearrue, whose seat is at Woodlands, Cornwall. They were the parents of Francis Wolferstan Thomas.

The latter came to Canada with the intention of following agricultural pursuits, but gave up that plan and turned his attention to engineering, securing temporary employment with the Grand Trunk Railway Company. Soon afterward, however, he sought other employment and his native talents and training gained him recognition in appointment to a position in the Bank of Upper Canada. A year later James Stevenson, the cashier of the Quebec Bank, who was then managing the Bank of Montreal, offered Mr. Thomas a position, which he accepted. He was afterward rapidly promoted in recognition of his ability and the rapidity with which he mastered the various phases of the banking business, until in 1865 he was appointed manager of the London branch of the bank in western Canada. In 1870 the position of cashier in Molson’s Bank was offered him and after carefully considering the subject of making a change he at length accepted, and the continuous growth and development of the bank from that time until his death testified to his ability, resourcefulness and initiative. He occupied a commanding position in banking circles, his opinions being largely accepted as authority upon all vital questions of the financial world of Canada. He was also a director of the Canadian Life Assurance Company. His high standing among the financiers of the country is indicated in the fact that in 1896 he was honored with the presidency of the Dominion Bankers Association, and he was also a member of the council of the Montreal Board of Trade and chairman of the bankers’ branch of the Board of Trade. He was likewise a director of the Montreal Cemetery Company.

In 1861 Mr. Thomas was married to Harriet Amelia Goodhue, a native of London, Ontario, and third daughter of the late Hon. George Jarvis Goodhue, M. L. C., and a representative of one of the distinguished families of Salem, Massachusetts. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, of whom four are living. Mrs. Thomas ably seconded her husband in his many philanthropic and beneficent efforts. She has served as manager of the Ladies’ Benevolent Society for thirty-four years and was its treasurer for nineteen years; she was first directress of the Mackay Institute for Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind; first directress of the Church Home; and president of the Montreal School of Cookery, founded by the Princess Louise. Both Mr. and Mrs. Thomas held membership in the Church of England. Probably no other man in the city led such an active and useful life in respect to charities and public movements having to do with the upbuilding and welfare of Montreal. For years he was a prominent member of the Good Government Association. He was also a director of the Art Association and was a member of the council of the Board of Arts and Manufactures. No good work done in the name of charity or religion ever sought his aid in vain. He was a member of the committee of managers of the Montreal General Hospital and of the St. John’s Ambulance Association, and thus he reached out in helpful spirit toward the unfortunate. He was treasurer of the Church Home, treasurer of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane, treasurer of the Andrews Home, treasurer of the Murray Bay Convalescent Home, president of the Mackay Institute for Protestant Deaf Mutes and the Blind, and vice president of the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In 1894 he was elected president of the Montreal General Hospital and the following year was chosen president of the St. George Society. He was for many years an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and was district deputy grandmaster of the London district. One of his most successful accomplishments was the erection of the Montreal General Hospital Jubilee Training Home for Nurses in 1897. While eminently successful in business, he regarded his banking interests as but one phase of life, and it never was allowed to overshadow his duties to his fellowmen. It would be more just to say that it was a deep interest in mankind rather than a sense of duty that prompted his active support of and cooperation in the many movements with which he became allied--movements which seek to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate, to advance the interests of science, to promote civilization and uplift mankind.

Mr. Thomas passed away on May 18, 1900, and the Montreal Star in an editorial said: “In mourning the death of Mr. F. Wolferstan Thomas, Montreal sorrows for the loss of one of her most prominent and useful citizens. A successful banker Mr. Thomas was, as the growth of Molson’s Bank under his guidance shows; but he was more than that. He was a citizen in the fullest sense of that much abused word. At every point he bore the duties that attach to citizenship duties, that far too many busy men neglect. Then he was a philanthropist, as his long and valuable services in connection with the General Hospital, the Mackay Institute and the other establishments founded for the succor of the sick and suffering abundantly demonstrate. The mere list of the associations for the good of his fellowmen with which he was actively connected, make up a long paragraph. As his sympathies enrolled him among the forces which ease the grind of life for the unfortunate, so his stanch integrity and keen judgment classed him with those who made for honest government and just laws.

“His influence for good--both the good that smiles in charity and the good that is stern against aggression--will be missed in the community; as his tall straight figure will be missed from the streets and from such assemblies of citizens as gather for deeds of brotherhood and public benefit.”

REV. JOHN C. BROPHY.

Rev. John C. Brophy, pastor of St. Agnes’ Catholic church in Montreal, exemplifies in his beneficial, upright and useful life the high ideals of the priesthood he represents and has become a force in the spread of Catholic doctrines and the promotion of Catholic education among the people of the city.

St. Agnes’ parish was organized in 1905 of English-speaking people, and the services were held first in a room in St. John Baptist church. Later the congregation, which has grown continually since the foundation of the parish, gathered in a hall in St. John Baptist Market where they listened to the wise counsel of the founder and first parish priest, Rev. W. J. Casey. He died May 13, 1912, and was succeeded by Rev. John C. Brophy, the present incumbent, who has proved a worthy follower in his footsteps. Father Brophy has about five hundred Catholic families under his charge and has already accomplished excellent work among them, holding their love and respect in large measure. He has taken a great interest in the cause of Catholic education and has carried forward the work along this line, begun by his predecessor, by his able superintendence of the Olier School for boys, and the Sacred Heart Academy for girls. This latter institution is under the direction of the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

Father Brophy’s life has been one of earnest and consecrated usefulness, for he constantly exemplifies in his actions the high doctrines in which he believes. A man of good business ability, he has proved an excellent administrator of the business affairs of his parish, and his example of spiritual attainment and self-sacrificing labor may well serve as an inspiration to his people.

THOMAS CAMPBELL BULMER.

The attractive suburb of Westmount is largely the monument to the business enterprise and progressive methods of Thomas Campbell Bulmer, now deceased, who was almost a lifelong resident of Montreal, and for a long period an active factor in its business circles. He was born at Three Rivers, Quebec, in 1846, and was educated in the public schools there and in Montreal, being brought to the latter city when a youth of ten years by his father, Thomas Bulmer, who was a native of Yorkshire, England, and on coming to Canada settled at Three Rivers, but in 1856 removed to Montreal, where for many years he was active as a contractor and builder. He married Anna Phoebe Fearon, also a native of England.

When his school days were over, Thomas Campbell Bulmer served an apprenticeship to the book binding trade, became proficient as a workman and in 1868 joined Henry Morton and Charles Phillips in a partnership under the style of Morton, Phillips & Bulmer. The business developed and grew until the firm occupied a prominent position among stationers, blank book makers and printers. A few years prior to his death Mr. Bulmer withdrew from that connection, in which he had realized a handsome profit, to engage in the real-estate business at Westmount. He was recognized as the father of that beautiful suburb, having been one of the first men to foresee the value of that section as a residential district. He was actively engaged to the time of his death in its improvement, development and upbuilding and made it one of the beautiful suburban districts of Montreal.

Mr. Bulmer passed away on April 7, 1902. For many years he had been an exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity and had been equally faithful as a member of the Anglican church. Sterling motives and high principles guided him in all of his relations and made him an upright man, so that he left behind him not only the substantial rewards of earnest, persistent labor, but also that good name which is to be chosen in preference to great riches.

NAPOLEON GIROUX.

Napoleon Giroux, a native of Montreal, where he was born August 12, 1863, is a successful merchant of this city, where he has also other property interests. He conducts a book and stationery store, which he owns. He is a son of Carolus and Mary (Hayes) Giroux, the former a carpenter-contractor.

Napoleon Giroux received his education in the Jesuit College and the University of Ottawa. He chose the book-selling line as his life vocation and became a clerk in an establishment of that character. He later made himself independent and now owns one of the most profitable stores in the city of this character.

On the 13th of October, 1884, Mr. Giroux was married in Montreal to Miss Rose Anna Galipeau, a daughter of Louis and Vitaline (Gariepy) Galipeau, the former a contractor-builder. Mr. and Mrs. Giroux have five children: Charlemagne; Albina, who married Joseph Casgrain; Eva; Emile, who married Miss Juliette Jalbert; and Hubert. Both Mr. and Mrs. Giroux are popular in social circles of the city. The former is public-spirited and has always taken a deep interest in municipal affairs, public honors having come to him in his election to the office of alderman of the city of Montreal, in which capacity he has served since 1902. Both he and his family are devout communicants of the Catholic church. He is president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the parish of St. Pierre and also belongs to the Cercle St. Pierre. The success which Mr. Giroux has achieved as a bookseller must be ascribed to his discriminating taste as a man of letters. His excellent education has well prepared him for carefully selecting his stock of books, and his gracious and kindly demeanor to his patrons is continually adding to the list of his satisfied customers. Mr. Giroux has widened his views upon life and enhanced his classical education by extensive travels, having visited Europe on various occasions.