Part 75

“Now, as far as professional progress is concerned, we can still cite without fear of criticism improvement of the law in regard to pilots who are now under control of my department, new conditions regarding more severe regulations, etc.; the revision of the law for the examination of captains and mates; the re-drafting of the law regarding the inspection of steamships; the creation of a competent tribunal of nautical inquiries; the establishment of navigation schools, and the organization of a scientific system of oceanographic and hydrographic observations. Here, in brief, between two viewpoints, we can, I believe, address our friends in order to show them in a new and authentic light the liberal work which has been done on the service of our grand maritime route. But you say in Quebec that with all this there still will be accidents on the river. This I cannot deny and no one regrets it more keenly than I. There will be accidents everywhere and these will happen in spite of all the precautions taken and at the moment when they are least expected. It is for this very reason that we call them accidents. Accidents happen on the canals, they will happen in mid-ocean and they might even happen in the port of Quebec if Providence so ordains, which I sincerely pray, not.”

At the outbreak of the Boer war Mr. Préfontaine gauged public feeling in Canada correctly and favored the contribution of men to the cause of the Empire and also favored the establishment of a Canadian navy. While maintaining offices in the city hall he displayed remarkable faculty for winning friends. It was said of him that no matter how bitterly opponents assailed him he never bore resentment. As years went by this trait actually made admirers out of those who had formerly been enemies. He was always ready to do a friendly act and was naturally of an optimistic temperament, being scarcely ever known to show a sign of dejection or low spirits. A belief in the possibilities of an undertaking always served as a stimulus to his intense activity, usually accompanied by the desired results.

In June, 1876, Mr. Préfontaine married Miss Hermantine Rolland, and unto them were born three sons: Rolland, a civil engineer in Montreal; Fernand, of the firm of Préfontaine & Drouin, architects of Montreal; and Adrien, now deceased.

Mr. Préfontaine died in Paris, France, December 25, 1905. At that time Mr. Lawrence A. Wilson said of his dead friend: “As the last candle lights were flickering out their little flames upon the gilded Christmas trees that had made so many young and old hearts happy, a cruel message, wrapped in thunder, reached us. A man had died: Yes! a big, big man in the fullest sense of the word. A generous friend he was always to the needful, irrespective of color, creed or nationality and one whom I have never known, during twenty years, to have harbored over night an ill feeling against his greatest political foe. When I asked him recently during a friendly conversation why he worked so hard to the detriment of his personal interests and particularly of his health, he replied, ‘My greatest pleasure is to be able to do something for my friends.’ He was a kind husband to his devoted but now sorrowing wife, a good father to his three bright boys, a solid friend to all those he trusted and a faithful, unflinching follower of his chief, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. That man was Raymond Préfontaine.”

The Montreal Daily Star editorially said of him: “Canadian public life has produced few men who would be more sincerely mourned by an army of personal friends than will the late Raymond Préfontaine. He was a man who was always bigger than his party, bigger than his numerous victories and broader in his sympathies than many a man who made more display of public spirit. A genuine liking for the big, generous man pervaded all classes of the community and was no small share of his strength in any political contest. His death comes at an exceedingly bad time for the country, just when he had taken up the problem of the St. Lawrence channel in real earnest and was bent upon giving us a clean bill of health. He has hardly been long enough in the federal field for the nation to learn to know him as he has long been known in this district. As a public man he has come in for not a little criticism. He was a candidate who stood fire well and was seldom irritated into replying with unwise petulance. Perhaps at times he displayed too great a faith in the financial recuperative powers of this city but after all is said and done, that was a generous fault. At this moment our people will only remember the attractive personality, the stanch British subject, the warm-hearted political leader who lies dead in the French capital.”

La Presse, whose editor, Mr. Dansereau, was a close personal friend of the late Hon. Raymond Préfontaine, after referring to the news of his death, continues: “We do not seek to hide our deep emotion, for he was counted among our oldest friends, and we were the last Canadians to grasp his hand before he embarked at New York on the steamer which took him across. Had he any presentiment? He was serious and pensive, nothing about him of the ordinary joy which is connected with the perspective of a short journey was shown in his manner. The distinguished deceased had eminent qualities, for he was a man of action and energy. He had done more in two years for the development and aiding of navigation than all his predecessors in the department since confederation. At least he has the merit of tracing a program that must not be laid aside. Life is ephemeral; fame matters little to him at this moment. But his family will have the consolation of a heritage more precious than fortune, that of his talent, his prestige, of his political and administrative worth.”

PROFESSOR THOMAS ALBERT STARKEY.

Professor Thomas Albert Starkey, a well known educator, lecturer and physician of Montreal, was born in Hertford, England, a son of Thomas Starkey. His early education was obtained in his native town and in 1894 he was graduated from London University with the degree of M. D. Subsequently he pursued a course in the University Collegiate Hospital in London and was house surgeon at the Brompton Hospital. Subsequently he was sent to India to carry on researches and promote the cure and prevention of the plague and cholera. He worked in the Imperial Research Laboratory in Bombay from 1899 until 1901 and afterward was given charge, under the sanitary commission, of the entire hygienic condition of two large districts, his labors there being of inestimable value in improving existing conditions.

On his return to England Dr. Starkey pursued public health work in the laboratory of University College at London and was also bacteriologist of the London county council. He came to the new world in 1902, being appointed in November of that year professor of hygiene at McGill University of Montreal. In 1906 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Sanitary Institute of England and is now secretary and examiner of the local branch of the same body. In 1910 he was elected the first president of the Canada Public Health Association in which connection his efforts have been far-reaching and beneficial. Not only has he done important practice and research work, but has also written upon questions relating to the public health. He has lectured on the Ancient and Modern Methods of Water Supply--A Comparison, and on kindred subjects, all of which have to do with the public health and the prevention of disease.

In September, 1904, Dr. Starkey was united in marriage to Miss Josephine MacCullum, a daughter of the late Dr. Duncan Campbell MacCullum, and they have one son, Hugh. It would be difficult to measure the usefulness of the life work of Dr. Starkey, but the scientific world acknowledges its indebtedness to his efforts and his labors, far-reaching and effective, have been beneficial forces for humanity in various sections of the world.

CHARLES CHAPUT.

It would be difficult to find a more active business man in Montreal and one whose labors are more gratifyingly resultant than Charles Chaput, who stands as one of the most successful merchants of the metropolis, ranks among its most substantial citizens and to quote the Montreal Gazette is “a man of unimpeachable integrity.” He was born in Montreal, November 14, 1841, a son of the late Leander Chaput, who came to Montreal from L’Assomption in 1832 and in 1842 founded what is now the well known wholesale grocery house of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee. He lived to the age of eighty-four years, passing away in 1901. His wife was Helene St. Denis, a daughter of J. B. St. Denis of Montreal.

Charles Chaput acquired his education in the best French and English schools in Montreal of the time. In 1857 at the age of sixteen years he joined his father’s firm as a junior clerk, at which time the firm was L. Chaput & Cie, and on his being made a partner in 1862 the style was changed to L. Chaput, Fils & Cie. In 1875 upon the retirement of his father Charles Chaput became the head of the firm, where he has since remained, although there have been many changes since in its personnel. In 1884 L. E. Geoffrion was admitted a partner and for years was actively interested in the conduct and management of the business. In 1896 E. St. Denis retired after having been a partner for forty years and in the same year Ferd Prudhomme was taken into partnership. In 1899 Armand Chaput and in 1909 Emile Chaput, sons of Charles Chaput, were admitted as members of the firm, which was incorporated on February 1, 1912, under name of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee, Charles Chaput becoming president, Armand Chaput vice president and manager and Ferd Prudhomme secretary and treasurer. The house of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee, has attained a widespread, honorable and unassailable reputation in business circles by reason of the straightforward and commendable principles employed in the conduct of its large interests.

For many years Mr. Chaput has maintained an extremely active business interest not only in the large firm of which he is now the head but also as a director in many other firms, in banks and in financial institutions. As a member of the council of the Board of Trade he has played a very important part in the work of that organization. A governor of Notre Dame Hospital, he has been largely instrumental in strengthening the finances of that splendid institution. He was for several years a director of La Banque d’Hochelaga and also of the Canada Life Insurance Company. He has been a councillor of the Chambre de Commerce and president of the Wholesale Grocers Guild. He is a director of the International Mercantile Agency, also vice president of the Montreal Business Men’s League and president of the Montreal Citizens Association and has ever taken an active interest in business matters and all things tending to promote the welfare of the city and the uplifting of humanity.

His charitable instincts and activities are broad and varied. Aside from the institutions above mentioned with which he is connected he is also a governor of the Montreal General Hospital and a member of the Montreal Dispensary. He cooperates earnestly and effectively in many movements which have for their object the alleviation of hard conditions of life for the unfortunate. In religious faith he is a Roman Catholic.

Mr. Chaput has never entered the political field, yet he has always maintained a deep and sincere interest in the political affairs of the country. Furthermore, he has played a very prominent part in municipal affairs and while not himself directly interested or a seeker of place he has been one of the leading figures in the organization of the Citizens’ Association and a sturdy exponent of municipal government through the medium of the Board of Control. He is progressive in all things, being ever ready to give his support to any movement that will tend to the improvement of conditions in Montreal.

Mr. Chaput married Rose Anne Smith, who died in September, 1883; he then married Clara Chevalier, who died in July, 1893; his third wife was L. Patoine in her maidenhood. He has a family of three sons and two daughters, all born to the first marriage. The eldest son, Rev. Father Charles Chaput, is a Jesuit priest and a professor of philosophy. The second son, Armand Chaput, is vice president of L. Chaput, Fils & Cie, Limitee. He married Juliette Auger, a daughter of J. C. Auger, formerly registrar of Montreal. The third son, Emile Chaput, is a director in the firm and married Rosalie Loranger, daughter of the Hon. Mr. Justice Loranger of Montreal. Rose Anna, the elder daughter, is the widow of Mr. Gabriel Marchand, M. P., son of the late Hon. F. G. Marchand, who was premier of the province of Quebec. Antoinette, the younger daughter, is the wife of Mr. E. Desaulniers, notary, of St. Lambert, P. Q.

Mr. Chaput holds membership in L’Association St. Jean Baptiste and in the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society--associations which show something of the nature of his interests and his delight in research work.

AIME CHASSE.

Aime Chasse, advocate, was born at St. Elphége, Yamaska County, Province of Quebec, October 9, 1886, of the marriage of Zoel Chasse, a cultivateur, and Julie (Proulx) Chasse. He studied the classics at the Seminaire de Nicolet, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1908. He studied law at Laval University in Montreal and at the same time in the office of Coderre & Coderre, in Montreal, and was admitted to the bar in July, 1912. Since the 1st of June, 1914, he has been a member of the law firm of Archambault & Chasse. Mr. Chasse has been president of the Association de la Jeunesse Conservatrice de Montreal since April 15, 1914. He has lived in Montreal since September, 1908. On January 7, 1911, he married Alphonsine Boisvert, of St. Elphége.

HON. LIEUTENANT COLONEL SIR HUGH MONTAGU ALLAN.

Clubman, sportsman and business man of marked enterprise--in these few words are summed up the life record of Sir Hugh Montagu Allan, whose interests have been many and whose activities far-reaching. To accumulate a fortune requires one kind of genius, to retain a fortune already acquired, to add to its legitimate increment and to make such use of it that its possessor may derive therefrom the greatest enjoyment and the public the greatest benefit, requires quite another kind of genius. Sir Hugh Montagu Allan belongs to that younger generation of business men of Montreal called upon to shoulder responsibilities differing materially from those resting upon their predecessors. In a broader field of enterprise they find themselves obliged to deal with affairs of greater magnitude and to solve more difficult and complicated financial and economic problems.

Such was the position in which Sir Hugh Montagu Allan found himself following the demise of his father, Sir Hugh Allan, an eminent figure in shipping and financial circles of Canada. The mother, Matilda Caroline (Smith) Allan, was the second daughter of the late John Smith, a prominent merchant of Montreal and it was in this city that Sir Hugh Montagu Allan was born October 13, 1860. His education acquired in Bishop’s College School at Lennoxville, was supplemented by study in Paris, France. He was a young man of but twenty-two years at the time of his father’s death and under the terms of his father’s will entered the firm of H. & A. Allan, steamship agents. It was in the latter connection that they established the Allan Line of steamships, then and now the most important factor in passenger service and freight carrying trade between Great Britain and Canada. More and more he has come into prominence, as he has given proof of his power to carefully, systematically, wisely and successfully promote the important interests of mammoth corporate concerns. He is today president of the Merchants Bank of Canada, the Acadia Coal Company, the Railway Securities Company, and vice president of the Canada Paper Company and the Canadian Vickers, Limited. His name is on the directorate of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company, the Canadian Transfer Company, the Labrador Company, the Dominion Iron & Steel Company, the Dominion Steel Corporation, the Mutual Life Association Company of Canada, the Canadian Cottons, Limited, the Royal Trust Company, the Montreal Investment Trust and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company of Montreal.

In December, 1878, he assumed the name of Hugh Montagu instead of Hugh Andrew Allan, by which he was previously known. Long connected with the Montreal Board of Trade, he served as a counselor for several years and as its treasurer in 1891 and 1892. Further interests of a public character which have profited by his cooperation include the Montreal Horticultural and Fruit Growing Association, of which he is a director and St. Andrew’s Society, of which he is president. His prominence as a sportsman is indicated in the fact that he is an ex-master of the Montreal Hunt. His horses have won the Queen’s plate, the Montreal hunt cup, members’ plate and hunters’ handicap steeplechase cup. Sir Hugh Montagu Allan is now president of the Montreal Jockey Club, vice president of the Canadian Racing Association and director of the International Horse Show Association. He was formerly vice president of the Montreal Racket Club and a director of the Montreal Skating Association and the Amateur Skating Association of Canada. His activities have touched many benevolent and charitable projects. He has been a director of the Sailors’ Institute, the Charity Organization Society, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and is vice president of the Montreal General Hospital. He gave five thousand dollars to the Charles Alexander Memorial Fund and the Allan Cup as a perpetual trophy for competition between amateur hockey clubs in 1910. He is one of the founders of the Mount Royal Club and the Winter Club at Montreal.

In October, 1893, Sir Hugh Montagu Allan wedded Marguerite Ethel Mackenzie, a daughter of the late Hector Mackenzie of Montreal. She was elected a member of the Central Council Victoria League at London, England, in 1909, and is honorary president of the Daughters of the Empire in Montreal. Sir Hugh and Lady Allan at their Montreal home, Ravenscrag, entertained H. R. H. Prince Arthur of Connaught in 1906, and H. I. H. Prince Fushimi of Japan in 1907. Sir Hugh was presented to the late King Edward in March, 1910, and Lady Allan was presented in July, 1906. He was knighted June 24, 1904, became C. V. O. in 1907, and Order of the Rising Sun of Japan (third class) in 1907. He was appointed honorable lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion, Fifth Regiment, Royal Highlanders, in 1911. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. In addition to Ravenscrag in Montreal, Sir Hugh has a summer home, Montrose, at Cacouna, and another estate, Allancroft, in Beaconsfield, province of Quebec. That he is an eminent and well known figure in club circles is indicated by the fact that he belongs to the St. James Club, Mount Royal Club, Canada Club, Auto and Aero Club, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey Club, Winter Club, Royal Montreal Golf Club, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, Canadian Club, Forest and Stream Club, Lachine Boating and Canoeing Club, Montreal Curling Club, Back River Polo Club, Montreal Racket Club, Montreal Thistle Curling Club, all of Montreal; Toronto Club, York Club of Toronto; Rideau Club, of Ottawa; Racquet and Tennis Club and Knickerbocker Club, of New York; and Junior Carlton Club, Canada Club, and Royal Thames Yacht Club, of London, England.

The subjective and objective forces of life are in him well balanced, making him cognizant of his own capabilities and powers, while at the same time he thoroughly understands his opportunities and his obligations. To make his native talents subserve the demands which conditions of society impose at the present time is the purpose of his life, and by reason of the mature judgment which characterizes his efforts at all times, he stands today with those whose activity in various lines does not exclude active participation in and support of other vital interests which go to make up human existence.

LOUIS EDOUARD FORTIER, M. D.

Dr. Louis Edouard Fortier, one of the most prominent of the French physicians of Montreal, was born in the city of Quebec, February 11, 1865, a son of Edouard and Celina (Marcotte) Fortier. The paternal grandfather, Louis Fortier, was a farmer and was the founder of the village of Fortierville, while his son Edouard was a merchant in the city of Quebec.