Part 6

=Langelier, The Honorable Sir François-Xavier=, Statesman, and Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, comes of very distinguished ancestry, and is one of the most respected, capable and learned of French-Canadian gentlemen, who has taken a leading part in the public life of Canada, and by his brilliant achievements, ripe scholarship and administrative ability, has served as an inspiration and shining example to all who would win a high place in the confidence and esteem of their fellow-countrymen. His parents were Louis Sabastien Langelier and Julie Esther (Cassault). Paternal ancestor came to Canada from Fresquiennes, near Rouen, Normandy, 1652; mother’s family from Granville, France; born at Ste. Rosalie, Province of Quebec, Dec. 24, 1838. Educated at St. Hyacinthe College and Laval University (LL.B., 1860; LL.L., avec grande distinction, 1861; LL.D., 1878), and Paris, France; D.C.L. (honorary) Lennoxville, 1903; married, first Feb., 1884, Virginie Sarah Sophie (died May, 1891), daughter of the late I. Legare, Quebec; secondly, May, 1892, Marie Louise, daughter of late Frederic Braun, late Civil Service, Ottawa; advocate, 1861; was one of the leaders of the Provincial Bar; K.C. (Province Quebec), 1878; also created K.C. by Dominion Government, 1880 (Marquis of Lorne); Batonnier (district Quebec) 1887; Batonnier-General of the Province, 1888; practised his profession successfully in the city of Quebec, where he was many years, from 1866, a member of the law faculty, Laval University, and subsequently, Dean of the Faculty and a member of the Council of the University; was also Vice-President of the Canadian Bar Association; President of the Institute Canadien and President of the Council of the Arts and Manufacturers’ Association; served as Mayor of Quebec, 1882-90; entered political life as a Liberal, and a free trader; was in turn a follower of Mackenzie, Blake and Laurier; unsuccessfully contested Bagot (Local), 1871; subsequently successively sat for Montmagny and Portneuf; sat for Megantic (House of Commons), 1884-87, and for Quebec Centre, 1887-1898; was Commissioner of Crown Lands and Treasurer, successively, in the local Administration of Sir H. G. Joly de Lotbinière, 1878-89; one of the signers of the address from the Liberal party to the Pope, 1896, resulting in the appointment of a Papal ablegate to Canada; a puisne Judge of Supreme Court of Province of Quebec, Jan. 14, 1898; delegated to perform the duties of the Chief Justice for the District of Quebec, June 6, 1906; as Chief Justice, became a member of the Board of Arbitrators, appointed 1891, for the settlement of accounts outstanding at Confederation between the Dominion and the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario; acted as Administrator of the Government of Quebec during the absence of Sir L. A. Jetté, 1903; knighted by his late Majesty King Edward, 1907; and made a Knight of Grace in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England in 1912; appointed Lieutenant-Governor, Province of Quebec, May, 1911; died February 8, 1915; has served as a Royal Commissioner on several occasions; was prominently identified with the movement for the organization of the Anti-Alcoholic League and its first President, 1907; was also President of the special committee appointed in connection with the tercentenary of the foundation of Quebec, 1906. Elected F.R.S.O., 1908; President, 1910; in addition to other legal productions, is the author of “Traite de la preuve, en matiere civile et commerciale,” and of “Cours de Droit Civil de Quebec.” Is the father of the following children: Juliette, Braun, who took service in the present war, was wounded three times, got the military cross for his bravery, and was promoted captain in the 22nd Batt. French Canadians; Françoise, Marc and Gerard. His Honor is a member of the following clubs: The Quebec Garrison and The Canadian. In religion, a Roman Catholic.

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=Lynch, Hon. William Warren, B.C., Q.C., D.C.L., LL.D.=, was born near the Village of Bedford, County of Missisquoi, Province of Quebec, on September 30, 1845. His father, Thomas Lynch, came from the County of Cavan, Ireland, about the year 1830. He served during the Canadian Rebellion in the Shefford Troop of Cavalry, and died at Knowlton, Brome County, on March 19, 1883. His mother, Charlotte R. Williams, was born at Stukely, County of Shefford, Province of Quebec, in the year 1805. Her parents were descendants of U.E. Loyalists, who came from the State of Vermont at the close of the American Revolutionary War. She died in 1885. Mr. Lynch, after taking advantage of the elementary schools in the vicinity of his birthplace, went to Stanbridge Academy in 1858, then a most flourishing institution, under the direction of Hobart Butler, M.A., where he prepared himself for a university course. During his last years at Stanbridge he acted as assistant teacher to Mr. Butler, and then entered the University of Vermont, Burlington, in August, 1861, but owing to the Civil War, which had shortly before broken out, the university course was considerably affected, and Mr. Lynch did not continue his studies there. In September, 1862, he entered the Arts Course of McGill University, Montreal, having secured one of the scholarships offered at a competitive examination. His health failing, he was obliged to abandon his studies before the Christmas examinations. He then engaged in school teaching in winter, and worked on his father’s farm in summer. In 1865 he was admitted to the study of the law, and pursued his studies in the office, first of S. W. Foster, of Knowlton, and afterwards of John Monk, of Montreal. He took his degree of B.C.L. at McGill in May, 1868, and secured the Elizabeth Torrance gold medal, and was admitted to practice in June. The following year he commenced the practice of his profession at Knowlton, and subsequently removed to Sweetsburg, the chef lieu of Bedford District. In the fall of 1870 he assumed the editorial control of the “Observer,” which was started at Cowansville, an adjoining village, and which became an influential organ of public opinion in the district. In June, 1871, during the provincial elections, which were then in progress, he went to Knowlton to report for his paper the proceedings of nomination day. There were then two candidates in the field, and to the surprise of Mr. Lynch, and without his interference, both candidates withdrew, and he was declared member elect for the County of Brome. During the Fenian troubles of 1866 Mr. Lynch took an active part in the formation of a company of volunteers at Brome, of which he became lieutenant, and remained such until his resignation in 1871. During the Fenian raid of 1870 he was at the front with his battalion. In keeping with the promise made to his electors, he became a resident of the County of Brome, returning to Knowlton in the fall of 1871. He has held successively the offices of school commissioner and chairman of that body for a number of years; and was also the Mayor of the Township of Brome, and Warden of the County. In May, 1874, he married Ellen Florence, eldest daughter of J. C. Pettes, a successful merchant of Knowlton, by whom he has two children. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was some years since, deputy grand master for the District of Bedford. Mr. Lynch early in life identified himself with the Conservative party, to which he has ever borne faithful allegiance. He took an active part in the political discussions in the Legislature of Quebec on the subject of the dismissal of the De Boucherville Government, by M. Letellier, and it was upon a motion made by him that the Joly Government were defeated on October 30, 1879. He was made a Q.C. by the Joly Government in 1879, which was subsequently ratified by a similar title conferred upon him by the Federal authorities in 1881. When M. Chapleau assumed office as premier of the province, he invited Mr. Lynch to the council as Solicitor-General, which appointment was subsequently ratified by the electorate of Brome. On the abolition of the office of Solicitor-General, Mr. Lynch was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands, on July 31, 1882. In September, 1887, his constituents tendered him a reception in the shape of a picnic, which was attended by a large number of public men, and at which a presentation of a handsome sum of money was made to him by his political admirers and friends. He then went to Montreal to resume the practice of his profession, in partnership with the present Mr. Justice Archibald and Mr. Geo. G. Foster, K.C. Shortly after, he was appointed by the Dominion Government a Commissioner, in conjunction with the late Mr. Justice Burridge, then Deputy Minister of Justice, and Mr. Dingman, of the Department of the Interior, to settle the Indian title to certain lands in the Township of Dundee, County of Huntington, and continued to hold that office during the successive administrations of Messrs. Mousseau, Ross and Taillon, and until the defeat of the last-named administration in January, 1887. During the session of 1887 he was named by the House of Assembly one of the Commissioners to perfect the revision of the provincial statutes. He was one of the leaders of the Opposition to the Government of the late Honore Mercier until his appointment to the bench in July, 1889, as Judge of the Superior Court for the District of Bedford, his native district. He has always taken a warm interest in educational matters, was twice President of the Provincial Association of Protestant Teachers, was for some years a member of the Protestant Committee of the Council of Public Instruction, and was the first President of the District of Bedford McGill Graduates’ Society. In June, 1883, the University of Bishops’ College offered him the degree of D.C.L., but owing to absence it was not conferred. In 1904, McGill University gave him the degree of LL.D. He is a devoted member of the Church of England and has often been a delegate to its synods. Since he became judge he has devoted his leisure to the promotion of various matters of local concern, such as good roads, historical societies and the Knowlton Conference.

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=Parmelee, William George, LL.D., D.C.L.= (Quebec City), English Secretary of the Department of Public Instruction, and Joint Secretary of the Council of Public Instruction of the Province of Quebec, was born at Waterloo, in the Eastern Townships, in 1860. He is a son of Rufus E. Parmelee, whose father had come originally from the United States. On the mother’s side, the subject of this sketch is of Scottish descent. He received his early education at Waterloo Academy, finally graduating as a teacher from the McGill Normal School of Montreal. He afterward became head master of the Model School Department and, later, a Professor of the Normal School. Previous to his holding these positions, he had been a member of the staff of St. Francis College, Richmond, P.Q., from 1881 to 1885. From McGill Normal School he was selected for his present position in 1891; and for more than a quarter of a century he has been in touch with the educational affairs of Quebec. He has proved himself a departmental administrator of widely recognized professional acumen. The academic honors that have been bestowed upon him from the time of his extra-mural course at Queen’s University, from which he graduated in 1889, stand as an endorsation of his scholarship, these including a D.C.L. from Bishop’s College in 1902, and an LL.D. from McGill University in 1911. He has likewise been honored by being chosen more than once, President of the Teachers’ Association of his native province; President of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec for three several terms; President of the Young Men’s Association; a delegate to the Federal Council of the United Empire Educational League in London, England, and later on as a delegate to the Imperial Conference on Education in the same centre. Taking an interest in local military affairs he was awarded a Captaincy in the 8th Royal Rifles Company, and later on received the honorary rank of Colonel. Nor has he neglected literary pursuits in his spare moments, having had published two of his papers read before the Literary and Historical Society, and entitled, “Wolfe as a Man and a Soldier,” and “The Fraser Highlanders.” He has also won high literary credit as joint-collaborateur with Dr. Arthur Doughty, the Dominion Archivist, in six volumes dealing with the “Siege of Quebec.” In 1886 he married Miss Louise Foss, of Waterloo. Their family consists of four daughters.

[Illustration: HON. P. E. BLONDIN Ottawa]

=McCorkill, The Hon. Justice John Charles= (Quebec City), was born in the town of Farnham, P.Q., on August 31, 1854. His father was Mr. Robert McCorkill, of Farnham and the Eastern Townships. His mother’s maiden name was Miss Margaret Meighen. His wife is a daughter of the Hon. Senator Leonard of London, Ontario, their marriage having taken place in 1884. From the district elementary school, he entered the classes of the McGill Model School, and in time obtained a certificate to teach from the McGill Normal School. For a period he acted as Principal of the Montreal British and Canadian School, thereafter taking his degree of B.C.L. as a preliminary step to his becoming a lawyer. At first he became a partner in the Greenshields legal firm, but subsequently removed to the Bedford District and finally opened a central office at Cowansville. While rising to a high rank as an advocate, he was encouraged to enter the political field, and after suffering defeat twice in succession, was at length elected to the Legislative Assembly as the representative of Missisquoi. In time he was appointed Legislative Councillor for the District of Bedford, where he was so appreciatively known as a public-spirited citizen and an able lawyer, who had held the position of Batonnier of the Bar and other offices of rank. In 1903, he resigned his seat in the upper chamber of the Provincial Parliament, to become Provincial Treasurer in the Parent Administration, and was elected to the Legislature by the Constituency of Brome. This office he held for three years, up to the time of his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court for the District of Quebec. While Treasurer, his term was marked by important legislation, such as the revision of the taxation laws relating to banking institutions and succession duties, which resulted in a surplus for the province of half-a-million dollars. After the date of his appointment to the Bench, he was made a Joint Commissioner with the Hon. Mr. Mathieu and Mr. L. J. Gauthier, to revise the Municipal Code of the Province of Quebec. His record as a legal practitioner and advocate, as well as a financier and public-spirited citizen, has been a full one, wherever he has resided, in Montreal, in the Eastern Townships, or in the city of Quebec. For several years he was Mayor of Cowansville, where he was also President of the Missisquoi Historical Society. He has been President of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, and is a member of the Council of Public Instruction. Even in military affairs he has taken an

## active part, having been Captain as well as Major in the Militia between

the years of 1879 and 1887. His literary tastes have expressed themselves in the historical papers he has written from time to time. Altogether the Hon. Justice McCorkill may truly be spoken of as possessing a forceful and clear-visioned personality, able and willing always to share in the civic and provincial advancement of the community in which he lives or has lived.

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=Taschereau, The Hon. Louis Alexander= (Quebec City), Minister of Public Works for the Province of Quebec, is the son of the Hon. Justice Taschereau, who married Miss Josephine Caron, the daughter of the Hon. Justice Caron, formerly Lieut.-Governor. He was born on the 5th of March, 1867. He was educated at the Quebec Seminary and Laval University, graduating as a Licentiate of Law in 1889, preliminary to his entering upon his professional career as partner of Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Later he became associated with what is now the legal firm of Taschereau, Roy, Cannon, Parent & Casgrain. As a lawyer, Mr. Taschereau came at once to be recognized as one of the leading legal practitioners of the district, among his successes being the part he took in the Gaynor and Greene extradition case in 1902. In addition to his duties as an advocate he took part in civic affairs, and for a time held a seat as an alderman of his native city. In 1900, he was elected for the constituency of Montmorency in the Legislative Assembly, and has continued ever since to be its representative. Seven years after, with his skill in debate, duly recognized by his parliamentary associates, he was selected to take his place in the Gouin Administration as Minister of Public Works and Labor. His administrative ability has been in keeping with his statesmanlike insight and foresight, and his skill in debate. His advice is ever in demand when any legal technicality has to be examined and explained to both sides of the Assembly. In fact, he has taken a high place as the Premier’s ally in all matters pertaining to the progress of the province, while he has won the highest credit within parliamentary circles and beyond them, for the efficiency of the Department in his charge. He has been a member of the Battlefields Park Commission since the day it was organized, and is likewise a Governor of the Catholic Church Society. He is a nephew of the late Cardinal Taschereau, Archbishop of Quebec. In 1891 he married Miss Adine Dionne, daughter of the Hon. E. Dionne, of the Legislative Council of Quebec, by whom he has had three sons and two daughters. Altogether he has made a record for himself in his native city and province as an able advocate, an astute governmental administrator, and a loyal citizen. Sprung from a distinguished and talented family, his career as a public man has added to its fame.

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=Ross, James Gibb= (Quebec City), Senator of Canada, was born in Carluke, a village of Lanarkshire, in Scotland, on April 18, 1819. He came out to Canada in 1832, in company with his elder brother, John Ross; and, after attending one of the private schools of Quebec for a year or two, he entered the business office of his uncle, Mr. James Gibb. At this time the firm of James Gibb & Company was one of the largest of the wholesale grocery and provision houses in what has always been known as the Lower Town of Quebec; and there the Scottish lad laid the foundation of his business career, which was eventually to place him among the wealthiest merchants of Canada. In 1843, Mr. Thomas O. Gibb, son of Mr. James Gibb, returned to Quebec, after finishing his school education in Edinburgh; and in the same year a company was formed in which Thomas O. Gibb, John Ross, and James G. Ross were the partners, until the first mentioned of the three died in 1845. Eventually, on Mr. James Gibb’s death, the two Ross brothers took the business name of Ross & Co., and as such continued in active operation up to the year 1868. By this time the firm had amplified its business by other branches of trading; and in 1868 the older of the two members of the firm withdrew to conduct a business of his own, for the most part confined, as it was, to the grocery and provision trade. With him was associated his youngest brother, Frank Ross. At the time of the Senator’s death, in 1888, the firm of Ross & Co. had developed into one of the wealthiest business concerns in the country, having depots for the distribution of their wares in nearly all the larger cities of Canada and the United States. With millions at his command, the sole partner of the firm took an

## active interest in shipbuilding and railroad construction. Nearly every

branch of industry was enhanced by the money advances of the multi-millionaire. The shipping interests, especially, felt the effects of his business acumen, especially when he took in charge for sailing purposes the ships the building of which he had assisted with advances of money, but which, for market reasons could not for a time be sold. The railroads which came in for assistance included the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway and the Quebec Central, both of which may trace their success as paying concerns to the financial foresight of Senator James G. Ross, who thus both directly and indirectly aided the colonization of the country and its trading interests by the assistance he extended to their promoters. Nor was it easy for one so prominent in the commercial interests of the ancient capital to refuse to be nominated as a candidate for parliamentary honors. On two several occasions he was called upon to contest the electoral division of Quebec Centre, once in the Conservative interest in 1872, against Mr. Cauchon, afterwards Governor of Manitoba, and a second time as an Independent, in 1878, against Mr. Malouin. In both instances he was defeated, though afterwards he was considered worthy to succeed the Hon. David Price as Senator, in 1884. He was unmarried; but in the families of his two brothers, John and Frank, he is notably represented to-day by Mr. John Theodore Ross, the only son of the former, and Frank W. Ross, surviving son of the latter, both of whom have evidently in them the desire inherited from their uncle, James G. Ross, to advance the interests of their native city. The Hon. Senator Ross was a prominent citizen other than in business and political circles. He took an interest in school improvements and church advancement. He was for many years President of the Quebec Bank, a Director of the Quebec High School, and an elder in Chalmers Church. As may well be said of his beneficent uncle, James Gibb, Senator James Gibb Ross was a liberal benefactor to the institutions of Quebec, both before his death and after it. He accumulated his millions in Peter Street, and every Protestant institution in the city of his adoption benefited by his wealth in some way or another.

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