A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose
1850. He is a descendant of one of the oldest and most honorable
3846 words | Chapter 180
families in the province, his ancestors having settled in what was then
New France, in 1680. Having the advantage of a good education, and with
natural abilities to enable him to make good use of the knowledge he had
gained, he was singled out by those who knew him, even in early life, as
one of the coming men of Lower Canada. He graduated from the Jesuits’
College, in Montreal, and was called to the bar in 1873, receiving the
degree of B.C.L. the same year from McGill College. He made a brilliant
success in the practice of law, and is now partner in one of Montreal’s
best known legal firms. Like so many young lawyers, he early devoted a
great deal of attention to politics, and became known not only as an
exceedingly active worker in the various campaigns, but as a speaker of
unusual power in influencing the people. In the Quebec general election
of 1875 he was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Chambly, and
carried the county in spite of the fiercest opposition. He had
apparently entered upon a career of great credit and usefulness in the
local house, when he was relegated to private life, being defeated in
the general election of 1878. The check was only temporary, however, for
the successful candidate was unseated and Mr. Prefontaine was re-elected
in June, 1879. But he was again unsuccessful in 1881 when the
Conservative government swept everything before them. During his
membership in the house he was elected mayor of Hochelaga, and was
re-elected in successive years, until 1884. He became an alderman of
Montreal a year later, his legal practice being in that city. The eyes
of the Dominion were turned to him in the memorable contest in Hochelaga
in 1886, during the Nationalist agitation succeeding the execution of
Louis Riel, the government having opened this constituency apparently to
test its strength. The contest was one of the most fiercely fought that
have ever been known in Canada. Mr. Prefontaine succeeded in carrying
the county against all opposition, and the rejoicing of the Nationalists
on the occasion was great. At the general election in 1887, the struggle
was almost again as great, but he succeeded in retaining the seat. In
the house he shows himself full of vigor. He speaks in trenchant style,
and his manner is affable and pleasant, and he ranks high among the
popular members of the house. He is a Liberal and a Nationalist. He was
married on the 20th June, 1876, to Hermine, daughter of the late Senator
J. B. Rolland, of Montreal.
* * * * *
=Piché, Eugene Urgel=, Barrister, Berthierville, Quebec province, was
born 13th July, 1824, at St. Sulpice, county of L’Assomption, and was
the son of Bonaventure Piché, an old and highly respected merchant, and
Emilie Lefèbre. He received his classical education at the College of
L’Assomption, and was admitted to the bar of Montreal, 13th March, 1846.
He was chief magistrate, and then member for the county of Berthier, in
the Provincial Parliament of Canada for four years, from January, 1858.
He was made a Queen’s counsel, 28th June, 1867, with precedence
immediately after the Hon. G. Ouimet, ex-premier of Quebec. Deputy of
the attorney-general, Sir George Cartier, and the Hon. G. Ouimet, and
representative of the crown before the court of Queen’s Bench from 1864
to 1871, in five districts, Montreal, Joliette, Beauharnois, Terrebonne
and Arthabaska. In 1869, he was appointed a school trustee by the
Council of Public Instruction of the province of Quebec; and in 1871,
one of the twelve commissioners for the taking of the census. In March,
1873, he was made clerk-assistant of the House of Commons; and on the
7th of March, 1874, appointed a special commissioner by the
governor-general to swear in the members of parliament, and swore in
Louis Riel as a member for Manitoba. Some time after, on receiving a
pension, he retired from the House of Commons, and returned to the
practice of his profession in Montreal, and afterwards in the district
of Richelieu, where he resided the first fourteen years of his career,
and where he is still practising. In September, 1872, he was admitted a
member of the bar of Manitoba. October, 1886, he was a candidate as
“National Independent Conservative” against Robillard, Conservative, and
Sylvester, Liberal, at the provincial election for Quebec, the Liberal
carrying the election. Space will not permit us to enumerate the many
important cases Mr. Piché has conducted successfully: the most
celebrated, however, being that of the ladies Dambourgés, daughters of
the brave and gallant Col. Dambourgés, who gallantly defended Quebec
against the invasion of the _Bastonnais_ in 1775. The legal contention
was with one of the most opulent families of the country, having at its
head the eminent Chief Justice Sir L. H. Lafontaine. The contest lasted
for twelve years, several lesser cases growing out of the original, and
occupied the attention of the whole jurisdiction of the province,
especially of Montreal and Quebec. Mr. Piché defended the case alone
against twelve able lawyers employed by his adversaries, and vanquished
them successively, until finally they appealed to the Privy Council of
England; but were again defeated by the subject of our sketch, who wrote
a clever letter to the clerk of the Privy Council, which proved so
convincing, that without any unnecessary delay, the case was decided in
favor of his clients. The justly deserved praise and admiration of the
public was lavishly bestowed upon Mr. Piché, as well as the private
recognition of the highest legal authorities of the Dominion, among the
latter being the then minister of justice, Sir John A. Macdonald. As a
member of parliament, our subject has been equally distinguished, and in
1858, at Toronto, having defeated the Macdonald government on the
amendment against Ottawa becoming the capital of Canada. The encomiums
of the press have fully testified and endorsed Mr. Piché’s remarkable
ability and talent, as well as sound practical judgment, in whatever
public position he has occupied. He was married October 18th, 1846, to
Marie Nina Marion, daughter of Captain Louis G. Marion. There is
scarcely any position, political or legal, that Mr. Piché’s remarkable
talents do not fit him for.
* * * * *
=Guevrement, Hon. Jean Baptiste=, Sorel, Senator of the Dominion of
Canada, was born at La Visitation, Isle du Pads, P.Q., on the 4th
September, 1826. He is a farmer, and has always taken an active part in
the politics of the country. In 1854 he was elected to represent
Richelieu in the Canadian Assembly, which he did till 1857, when he was
defeated at the general election that year. In 1858 he was chosen to
represent Sorel in the Legislative Council of Canada, which position he
filled till confederation. In 1867 he was a candidate for Richelieu in
the Quebec Legislature, but was defeated. In the same year he was called
to the Senate of Canada by royal proclamation. The Hon. Mr. Guevrement
is a Conservative in politics. On May 2nd, 1848, he married Marie Anne
Parelhus.
* * * * *
=Allan, Hon. George William=, D.C.L., Toronto, Speaker of the Senate of
Canada, Chancellor of the University of Trinity College, Toronto, was
born at Little York, now Toronto, on the 9th of January, 1822. His
father, the late Hon. William Allan, was a pioneer settler who took up
his abode in York, during Governor Simcoe’s term of office, and resided
in Toronto till his death in 1853. This gentleman, in his day, held a
very prominent place in public esteem, and being possessed of more than
ordinary ability and a good education, he enjoyed advantages not so
common in those early days as now. He was the first postmaster for York,
and the first custom collector for the port. During the war of 1812-15
he served in the militia as lieutenant-colonel, and his son has still in
his possession the flags of his old regiment. He figured prominently,
too, in commercial life, and was the first president of the Bank of
Upper Canada. He also held a seat in the Legislative Council of old
Canada for several years, and a seat in the Executive during the
administrations of Sir Francis Bond Head and Sir George Arthur. Our
subject’s mother was Leah Tyreer, whose father was Dr. John Gamble, who
belonged to a U. E. Loyalist family, and was a surgeon in the Queen’s
rangers. His corps was raised in Upper Canada after the arrival of
Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe. George William was educated by private
tuition during his earlier years, and was afterwards sent by his father
to Upper Canada College. When the rebellion, headed by William Lyon
Mackenzie, broke out in 1837, young Allan, then in his sixteenth year,
left U. C. College, and entered as a private “the Bank Rifle Corps,” of
which the present Chief Justice Hagarty, Judge Galt, and some others
still living were also members. He returned to the college at the end of
the following year, and remained there until he went up for his
examination as a law student which he passed in the “senior class,” in
Easter term, 1839. He was articled to and began his studies in the
office of Gamble & Boulton, and was subsequently called to the bar of
Upper Canada, in Hilary term, 1846. Before entering upon the active
practice of the law, young Allan was sent by his father to travel
abroad, and in addition to a very extended tour throughout Europe, he
visited many countries which, in those days, were not quite as
accessible as they are now. He went up the Nile to the borders of Nubia,
and afterwards travelled through Syria and the Holy Land, Asia Minor,
Turkey and Greece, meeting with not a few exciting adventures, arising
more particularly from the lawless and unsettled condition, at that
time, of many parts of Syria and Asia Minor. He was elected, not long
afterwards, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of England. Mr.
Allan early took a part in municipal affairs, his name appearing as one
of the aldermen for St. David’s Ward in 1849. In 1865 he was elected
mayor of the city and served in that capacity throughout the year. In
May, 1856, before again leaving Canada for a lengthened tour abroad, he
was presented by his fellow-citizens with a very complimentary address.
It was done up in neat book form, and is now a most interesting
document, as it contains the signatures of men of all ranks, parties and
creeds, a large proportion of whom have now passed away. Mr. Allan, in
the autumn of 1858, in response to a requisition from the electors of
the York division, for which he was returned by a very large majority,
took his seat for that division in the Legislative Council of old
Canada, which he retained until confederation. Mr. Allan took a
prominent part in the business of the Legislative Council, and filled
the office of chairman of the Private Bills Committee in that body for
many years. In May, 1867, he was called to the Senate by Royal
proclamation, and has ever since taken an active share in its
deliberations, as well as in the business of the Committee of the House,
having been chairman, first of the Private Bills Committee, and
subsequently of the Standing Committee on Banking and Commerce, which he
has now filled for many years. In politics he is a Conservative. Mr.
Allan has always taken a deep interest in the promotion of literature
and science in his native country. He was one of the original members of
the Royal Canadian Institute, and has filled the chair as president,
besides being a contributor to the Journal of the Institute. He has
always been a warm friend to the cause of higher education, and has been
closely connected with Trinity College University (of which he is now
the Chancellor, and from which he received his degree of D.C.L.), ever
since the founding of that Institution in 1852. In all matters connected
with Canadian art Mr. Allan has ever evinced a lively interest. He is
the president of the Ontario Society of Artists, and chairman of the Art
Union of Canada, and is the possessor of a large and valuable collection
of paintings by a Canadian artist, the late Paul Kane, illustrating
Indian life and customs, and the scenery of the great North-West.
Attached to horticultural pursuits himself, Mr. Allan has labored as
president of the Horticultural Society of Toronto, for more than
twenty-five years, to foster a taste for the study and cultivation of
flowers and fruits among his fellow-citizens, and it was with that
object that he presented to the Society, in 1857, the five acres of land
which, with the subsequent addition made fifteen, now forming the
Society’s Gardens. As we have already mentioned, Mr. Allan performed his
first military duty at a very early age. He has always taken a warm
interest in all matters connected with the Volunteers and Militia, and
is himself Lieut.-Colonel of the Regimental Division of East Toronto,
and an honorary member of the Queen’s Own Rifles. A member of the Church
of England, Mr. Allan has for many years borne an active part in the
Synod and other assemblies of his church. He has also filled the chair
as president of the Upper Canada Bible Society for more than twenty
years. In business affairs Mr. Allan fills more than one post of
considerable responsibility and importance. He has been for many years
chief commissioner of the Canada Company as well as president of one of
our largest and most successful loan companies, the Western Canada Loan
and Savings Company. In 1888, on the death of the Hon. Josiah B. Plumb,
Speaker of the Senate, the Hon. Mr. Allan was elected to the office.
While in his twenty-fourth year he married Louisa Maud, third daughter
of the late Honourable Sir John Robinson, Bart., C.B., chief Justice of
Upper Canada, and she died while sojourning at Rome, in 1852. He married
again, in 1857, Adelaide Harriet, third daughter of the Rev. T.
Schreiber, formerly of Bradwell Lodge, Essex, England, and has a family
of six children, three sons and three daughters.
* * * * *
=Futvoye, Isaac Booth=, Railway Superintendent Northern Division Central
Vermont, and Waterloo and Magog Railway, St. John’s, Quebec province,
was born in London, England, on the 28th November, 1832. His father was
Lieutenant-Colonel George Futvoye, who was for many years deputy
minister of militia, and a resident of Ottawa. The subject of our
sketch, Isaac Booth Futvoye, received his education at the High School
of Quebec, and entered the railway service 1st May, 1857. From that time
until 1st May, 1859, he served in the capacity of roadman (Engineer
corps), on the Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railway, when he was
appointed station agent at St. John’s, P.Q. From February, 1865, to May,
1876, in conjunction with this office, he also acted as agent for the
Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway, at the same place. From 24th May,
1876, to the present, he has acted as superintendent of the Stanstead,
Shefford and Chambly and the Montreal and Vermont Junction Railways.
These two railroads are now operated as the northern division of the
Central Vermont Railroad. On the 1st January, 1878, he also became
superintendent of the Waterloo and Magog Railroad. Mr. Futvoye is
considered one of our best authorities in his particular sphere, and is
respected and esteemed by all for his sound, practical judgment in
matters pertaining to railways. In religion, he is a Protestant,
belonging to the Episcopal church. He married, October 20th, 1860, Mary
Anne Doyou, of Granby, P.Q.
* * * * *
=Leblanc, Pierre Evariste=, Montreal, M.P.P. for Laval, was born at St.
Martin’s, in the county of Laval, 10th August, 1853. His ancestors came
to L’Isle Jesus from Acadia in 1757, after the conquest and dispersion
of its inhabitants by the British army. His father was Joseph Leblanc,
and his mother Adéle Belanger. The subject of our sketch commenced his
education at the Academy of St. Martin’s, leaving it to enter the
Jacques Cartier Normal School, from which he went to McGill University.
He entered into the study of law, deciding to make it his profession,
and was called to the bar of the province of Quebec 11th July, 1879. Mr.
Leblanc has always taken an active part in the politics of his country;
and in 1882, when the Hon. L. O. Loranger was elevated to the bench, he
was elected in his place to represent the county of Laval in the Quebec
legislature. The election being protested, he was unseated on petition,
but was re-elected, and was again elected at the last general election.
In politics he is a Conservative, and is held in high esteem by his many
friends. On the 12th January, 1886, he married Hermine, daughter of the
late Theodore Beaudry, of Montreal, and Catharine Valée.
* * * * *
=Davis, Donald Watson=, Merchant, Macleod, district of Alberta, M.P. for
Alberta, North-West Territory, was born in the town of Londonderry,
state of Vermont, United States, in 1849. His father and mother were
both natives of the state, but of English and Scotch descent. He
received his education in his native town. He came to Canada, and
settled in Macleod about 1870, where he conducts business as a merchant
and general stock dealer. He was elected to the House of Commons as
representative for Alberta at the last general election, and is a
supporter of the Conservative party. In 1887 he was married to Lillie,
daughter, of James Grier, J.P.
* * * * *
=Motton, Robert=, Q.C., Barrister, Stipendiary Magistrate and Judge of
Civil Court of the city of Halifax, N.S., is of English extraction, and
is a son of the late Robert Motton, also of Halifax, who did business
there for many years. Mr. Motton was born in Halifax about the year
1831, and received his early education at the Grammar School in that
city. Having mastered the classics, he decided to adopt the profession
of the law, for which the keenness of his mind, his witty and eloquent
tongue, and his knowledge of human nature eminently fitted him. He
studied in the office of Peter Lynch, Q.C., and after pursuing his
studies with diligence was called to the bar of Nova Scotia, on 7th
December, 1856. He began to practise in Halifax, and speedily built up a
large business, especially in criminal cases. He had great weight with
juries, being a polished and eloquent pleader. As a cross-examiner he
excelled. For years he was retained in the most important civil and
criminal cases, and it was admitted that his presence in any of the
courts of the province was an intimation that some important case was
going on, and he was looked upon as a natural adjunct to either one or
the other side. In politics he was for many years connected with the
Conservative party, and rendered them yeoman service in many hard-fought
battles. On the stump he was simply immense, his general humor, power of
word-painting, and acquaintance with the ins and outs of the situation
making him a complete master of his audience. In 1874 he opposed Captain
John Taylor, who offered as candidate of the Liberal party, the
Conservatives agreeing not to oppose, for one of the seats for Halifax
rendered vacant by the death of that brilliant orator and lawyer, Hon.
William Garvie. Mr. Motton represented the Young Halifax party, and
being opposed by the whole weight of the Liberal local government and
the Conservative vote, was defeated, but made, nevertheless, a gallant
fight. He afterwards claimed the seat on the ground of his opponent’s
disqualification, which he established before a committee of the House
of Assembly composed of a majority of Liberals, but who refused him the
seat because they were determined he should not enter the house to
oppose the government. Mr. Motton may have thought that he did not
receive that measure of support from his own party to which his services
entitled him; but however, after this his affection for the
Conservatives cooled, and he gradually became attached to the Liberal
party, among whom he was warmly welcomed, they having a proper
appreciation of his abilities. He was frequently employed in crown cases
by the local government. He was always ready to help any good cause with
the might of his tongue, and especially as an advocate of temperance. He
distinguished himself when the late D. Banks McKenzie started the blue
ribbon movement and the reform club in Halifax, in the summer of 1877.
Mr. Motton came to his assistance, and at the mass meeting held in the
rink addressed by such orators as Hon. P. C. Hill, provincial secretary
and premier, Rev. Dr. George W. Hill, of St. Paul’s and others Mr.
Motton made one of the happy efforts of the evening. He is a very
popular lecturer on Reminiscences of the Bar, and other popular
subjects, always drawing crowded houses attracted by his versatility,
solid diction, relieved by fresh and racy incidents, creating roars of
merriment and applause. In the Dominion campaign of February, 1878, when
Hon. A. G. Jones defeated M. H. Richey in the Halifax bye-election, Mr.
Motton was one of the ablest canvassers and hardest workers on the
Liberal side. His name at this time was freely spoken of as a Liberal
candidate for the local house. He resided at this time in Dartmouth, of
which municipality he was stipendiary magistrate and recorder. He
subsequently in 1879 resigned the position, as his increasing practice
in Halifax rendered the step advisable. The acceptance of his
resignation was followed by a most flattering and complimentary
resolution, regretting his withdrawal. Upon the resignation of Dr. Henry
Pryor, as stipendiary magistrate of Halifax city, a post which he had
filled for many years, Mr. Motton was tendered by the provincial
government and accepted the position, all parties agreeing the place
could find no worthier incumbent. His appointment as stipendiary and
judge of City Civil Court is the only one made by the government in Nova
Scotia. It is for life, and removable in the same way as other judges.
The secular and religious press, without any exception, endorsed the
selection. On the occasion of his first presiding in the City Civil
Court, the members of the bar present conveyed to him the gratification
with which his legal brethren viewed his elevation, and tendering him
their most hearty congratulations and best wishes. He has administered
the laws of the city with good judgment, forbearance, and impartiality,
and at the same time has made himself a terror to evil doers. He has
exerted a powerful influence towards suppressing vice in its many forms.
In religion he and his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, are
Methodists. He was appointed Queen’s counsel by the local government in
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