A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose
1875. Immediately upon entering into business, he obtained a large
1810 words | Chapter 156
practice which he still holds, being at the head of the firm of Mills &
Gillies. They do a large business in conveyancing and real estate
transactions. Mr. Mills’ father, John Mills, of Granville Ferry, is a
merchant and shipbuilder, and the subject of this sketch is also largely
interested in shipping. He has for some years taken a great interest in
politics, and two years previous to the last Dominion general election,
was nominated as candidate of the Conservative party in Annapolis
county. He at once entered upon the canvass, and for a year previous to
the election devoted much of his time to political work. His opponent
was Colonel W. H. Ray, a man widely known and popular in the county, and
then representing it at Ottawa. Parties are pretty evenly matched in
Annapolis, and a candidate’s work is never easy there. Mr. Mills
canvassed the county thoroughly, visiting every section of it, and
seeing the leading men everywhere. In the May election for the local
house in 1886, one Liberal, Attorney-General Longley, and one
Conservative, Frank Andrews, were returned by very narrow majorities.
The question of Repeal had decided the local contest in favor of the
Liberals, and it was not known how far the same cry might prevail in the
Dominion election. Mr. Mills secured 1758 votes, against 1730 polled by
Col. Ray. He took his seat in the House of Commons last winter as a
supporter of the government. As yet he has not taken a leading part in
the debates, but with experience, may be expected to give a good account
of himself in the political arena. At Ottawa it is only the men of many
fights as a rule that are expected often to address the House. The
principal part of every debate is by mutual consent relegated to the
acknowledged leaders on either side, and younger and less practical
statesmen have opportunities of studying the moves in the play of the
principals. While devoting so much of his time to law and politics, Mr.
Mills has taken an interest in most of the business enterprises of his
native town, and is a director in several local corporations. A large
part of the apple crop of the Annapolis valley is exported from
Annapolis Royal. There is a direct line of steamers plying between the
town, Portland, Me., and Boston. The town has suffered much from the
ravages of fire, otherwise it would be one of the largest and most
flourishing towns in the province, its natural resources and advantages
being so great, and public-spirited citizens having at various times
expended large sums of money in many business and industrial
enterprises. Mr. Mills was a member of the municipal council from 1882
to 1887. He married, 23rd Oct., 1878, Bessie, daughter of A. W. Corbett,
of Annapolis.
* * * * *
=Roy, Rouer Joseph=, Q.C., Barrister, Montreal, was born on the 7th
January, 1821, in Montreal, province of Quebec. His father was Joseph
Roy, who represented the city of Montreal in the Quebec legislature,
before 1837. On the occasion of his death, which occurred in 1856, the
Hon. Joseph Papineau thus spoke of him:—“The one we have lost has left
us none but noble examples to imitate, and not one act or one word that
requires to be excused.” His mother, Miss Lusignan, belonged to a family
of Italian origin, which was allied to the noble house of the Rouer de
Villeroy of France. Mr. Roy, the subject of our sketch, was educated at
the Montreal College, where he took a full classical course, under
Messire Baile, completing his studies in 1838. He then began the study
of law under the Hon. M. O’Sullivan, formerly solicitor-general for
Lower Canada, and afterwards chief justice of Quebec. On Mr. Sullivan
being elevated to the bench as chief justice in 1840, Mr. Roy continued
his studies under the Hon. Andrew Stuart, also one of the
solicitor-generals of the province, and completed them some eighteen
months before he became of age. He was called to the bar of Quebec in
February, 1842. After a brilliant career as a barrister and leading
attorney, he was, in 1862, appointed joint city attorney for the city of
Montreal, and acted in that capacity up to the year 1876, when he became
the sole legal adviser of the city, which position he still holds. In
1856 he was unanimously elected by his brother barristers syndic of the
bar of Quebec, which position he held for four years. He was appointed
Queen’s counsel in 1864, and since 1864 he has been president of the
library committee of the bar. In 1887 he was elected _bâtonnier_ of the
bar of Quebec. He was appointed by the Fabrique, in 1870, churchwarden
of the parish of Notre Dame. This is an honor conferred upon a very
limited and selected number of persons, Mr. Roy being only the second
member of the profession who has held this honorable position. He is a
linguist of no mean ability, is a thorough Latin and Italian scholar, is
well versed in Greek lore, and is familiar with the English language, as
well as his native French. He was a captain of the Voltigeurs in 1849,
shortly after the burning of the parliament buildings in Montreal.
During his career as a practising barrister, he had the important case
of Grant vs. Beaudry, arising out of the Orange troubles of 1878, which
was carried to the Supreme Court and there decided in favor of his
client. He has been intrusted with several cases before Her Majesty’s
Privy Council in England, notably the St. James street case, which was
the cause of much excitement at the time, also the case of Castonguay
and LeClere, and more particularly the case of Lachevrotiere _dit_
Chavigny and the city of Montreal. This case arose out of a dispute with
regard to one of the principal squares of the city. Mr. Roy was married
on the 22nd of January, 1857, to Corinne Beaudry, daughter of the Hon.
Jean Beaudry, who, for many years was a member of the Legislative
Council of Canada, and mayor of the city of Montreal. Mr. Roy has a
family of eight children, seven daughters and a son, who to-day ranks
among the rising civil engineers of Canada.
* * * * *
=Weeks, Otto Swartz=, Halifax, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for the county of
Guysborough, is a native of Nova Scotia. His father was the Rev. Otto
Weeks, a clergyman of the Church of England, who entered King’s College,
Windsor, in the year 1820, and graduated B.A. in 1824, taking his degree
of M.A. in 1827. The family is of New England extraction. Mr. Weeks
received his early education in Halifax and studied law with A. James,
judge in equity for Nova Scotia. His talents attracted the attention of
the late Hon. Joseph Howe, who took a great interest in his progress.
Mr. Weeks began life as a newspaper reporter, and it being one of his
duties to report the speeches in the House of Assembly during the palmy
days of provincial eloquence and statesmanship, when giants like the
late Hon. J. W. Johnston, George R. Young, William Young, late Chief
Justice of Nova Scotia, James B. Uniacke, Joseph Howe, Herbert
Huntingdon, and many others strove for the honors, limited enough, which
the province had to offer, he early acquired a style of colloquial and
forensic speaking which materially aided him in later life. He was
admitted to the bar, 28th November, 1853, began practice at Brooklin,
Hants county, but shortly removed to Windsor, the shire town and seat of
the courts and public offices. Here he built up an extensive practice,
his partner for some years being his cousin, John W. Ouseley, at present
clerk of the House of Assembly. His business extended over the counties
of Hants, Kings and Annapolis, and he became leader of the midland
circuit, having for opponents at the bar, among others, John C. Hall,
Hiram Blanchard, Hon. John W. Ritchie, ex-equity judge, and Hon. James
McDonald, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia. His wife is Miss Ruggles, a
sister of T. W. Ruggles, barrister, of Bridgetown, Annapolis county,
N.S. Mr. Weeks has always been identified with the Liberal party, and in
December, 1874, was invited to fill the office of attorney-general in
the government of which Hon. P. Carteret Hill, D.C.L., was premier. He
at once took the field in the constituency of Guysborough, and having
for an opponent Captain Hadley, a well-known local politician, was
elected by a narrow majority in 1875. After this victory, Hon. P. C.
Hill, Mr. Weeks, and others, made a tour of the western counties holding
public meetings in Windsor and Bridgetown. Mr. Weeks brought great
strength to the government, especially in the debates in the house,
where his most formidable antagonist was Douglas B. Woodworth, ex M.P.
for King’s county, Nova Scotia. He held the office of attorney-general
for one year when he resigned it, but still kept his seat in the house,
and maintained his reputation as a keen and incisive debater. At the
general election in 1878 Mr. Weeks again contested Guysborough but was
defeated, there being a third Liberal candidate, D. C. Fraser, of New
Glasgow, N.S., in the field. After assuming the duties of the
attorney-generalship, Mr. Weeks relinquished his practice in Windsor,
and removed to Halifax where he has since resided. At the general
election of 1882 and 1886 he was elected for Guysborough. In former
years he occasionally came before the public as a lecturer on literary
topics, and always with marked success. Among his lyceum efforts
delivered in Windsor may be mentioned those on Music and on the modern
English poets. He excels as a reciter of poetry, and has a keen
appreciation of the beauties of English literature. Although a great
admirer of Hon. Joseph Howe, when that gentleman engaged in the famous
campaign of 1869, after accepting a seat in the cabinet of Sir John A.
Macdonald, Mr. Weeks took the stump against him and met him on many
platforms in the county. As a lawyer he possesses the most wide-spread
reputation of any man in the province, having great influence with
juries. His manner is very deliberate, but gives added force to the
pungency of his repartees, in making which he has no equal in Nova
Scotia. He has not been prominently connected with any of the social
movements of the time, although he took some degree of interest, in its
early days, of the volunteer movement. His whole attention has been
absorbed in the struggles of politics and the practice of his
profession. A bill which passed the house whilst he was a member of the
Hill government gave rise to the somewhat celebrated Great Seal Case of
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