Hodder, Edward M., M.D.—The late Dr. Hodder was the son of Captain Hodder, R.N., and was born December 30th, 1810, at Sandgate, Kent, England. He entered the navy in 1822, as midshipman under his father, but only took one cruise, leaving the service at the expiration of one year, having a strong desire to study medicine, for which profession he had a preference. Educated as a boy, first at Guernsey Grammar School, afterwards at St. Servans, France, he began his medical studies in London, under the late Mr. Amesbury, very celebrated as a surgeon, with whom he spent five years. At the close of his career as a student, he passed the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He afterwards went to Paris, where he spent two years more in the study of his profession, and subsequently he visited Edinburgh, and there, too, passed a considerable time in seeing the hospital practice of the then famous teachers of that city. He began practice in London, where he remained but two years, and thinking his prospects would be improved by removal to St. Servans, in France, he settled there for a time. His French home being too quiet for his tastes, after remaining a single year, he took it into his head to visit Canada, in 1835, returning to France again in a few months. For the next three years he practised his profession in this French town, when, having still a longing after Canada ever since he visited it, he left, never to return, and henceforth resolved to make his home in Ontario. He settled in the neighborhood of Queenston, in the Niagara district, where he remained, doing a very extensive practice, for five years. In 1843 he removed to Toronto, where he continued to practise up to the time of his death. In 1834 he married Frances Tench, daughter of Captain Tench, H.M. 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers, who survives him. Besides his widow, he leaves a large family of sons and daughters, who mourn the loss of one who, year by year, during a long and most active life was ever unwearying for their comfort and happiness. In 1854 he was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and in 1865 a fellow of the Obstetrical Society of London, and was, at the time of his death, and for some years past, one of its honorary local secretaries. In 1845 he received the degree of C.M. from King’s College, Toronto, and M.D. from Trinity College in 1853. In 1850 he established, in concert with Dr. Bovell, the Upper Canada School of Medicine, which that year became the medical department of Trinity College. For several years, while Trinity College Medical School was in abeyance, Dr. Hodder was a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine. But on the revival of his old school, in 1870, he was, by the unanimous wish of his colleagues, appointed dean of the faculty, which position he held at the time of his death—having been re-appointed in 1877, when the act incorporating the school passed the provincial legislature. From 1852 to 1872 he was the leading member of the acting staff of the Toronto General Hospital, and at decease was senior consulting surgeon to both of these institutions, as well as to several others of like character. Although devoted to his professional work, Dr. Hodder found time in the way of recreation to gratify his continued love for the water. He was mainly instrumental in forming the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, of which he was commodore for many years previous and up to his death, in 1877.
Child, Marcus.—The late Mr. Child, of Coaticook, Quebec province, was one of the early settlers of the Eastern Townships and during his lifetime, took an active interest in public affairs. He was born in West Boylstone, Mass., United States, in the year 1792, and when only nineteen years of age, came to Canada, and took up his abode with his uncle, Captain Levi Bigelow, who was engaged in trade at the place now known as Derby Line. He remained with this uncle until about the time of the breaking out of the war of 1812, when he left him, and commenced business on his own account in Stanstead Plain, and was very successful in trade. He was early appointed postmaster and magistrate, but was deprived of his office of postmaster on the outbreak of the Canadian rebellion of 1837-8, on account of his political views. Previous to 1837 he was elected to represent his county in the Provincial parliament of Quebec, and after the union of the provinces he still continued to sit in the Legislature of Canada. In 1845 he was appointed school inspector for the district of St. Francis. In 1855 he removed his family to Coaticook, where he continued to reside until his death, in March, 1859, leaving many to regret his early demise, but feeling that one who had faithfully performed his duty in this world had gone to his reward in the higher life. In 1819 he was married to Lydia Chadwick, of Worcester, Mass., United States, by whom he had two children, the eldest of whom, wife of Lewis Sleeper, died in June, 1858; and the other, the mother of G. M. Child, in February, 1878.
Methot, Joseph Edouard, Advocate, Three Rivers, province of Quebec, was born in the parish of Ste. Anne de la Pérade, county of Champlain, Quebec, on the 24th May, 1855. He is the son of Joseph Telesphore Methot, a well-known merchant, and Celine Mathe, his wife, a daughter of Olivier Mathe. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Three Rivers Seminary. Having completed his course in that institution, he was admitted to the study of the law in the office of A. Turcotte, the speaker of the Quebec Legislative Council, and was called to the bar in July, 1875. That he will make his mark as one of the foremost men in his profession, is looked upon as a foregone conclusion by his friends. A notable case which brought him into special prominence was the question which was of so much importance to commercial travellers, and which was contested at Three Rivers, as to whether the corporation by-law taxing commercial travellers could be enforced. Mr. Methot so ably conducted the case against the municipal authorities that he gained it for his clients, and at the same time got the objectionable by-law annulled. He is a Conservative in politics, and has been the attorney for the members of that party in almost all the election petitions for the district of Three Rivers since 1881. He served in the 79th battalion from 1873 to 1878. He is a Roman Catholic in religion. He was married on the 12th January, 1881, to Alide, daughter of L. T. Dorias, of St. Grégoire le Grand, Quebec, M.P.P. for the county of Nicolet.
Ross, Hon. James Gibb, Quebec, Senator of the Dominion of Canada, is a merchant in the ancient capital, occupying a prominent position among the commercial men of the city, and wields an influence over several branches of the local trade and industry. Hon. Mr. Ross is eminently a self-made man. He was born, about sixty-eight years ago, in the small village of Carlake, about eighteen miles from the city of Glasgow, and, after receiving such education as the parish school could afford, came, while still young, to Canada, where he entered as a clerk the office of his maternal uncle, the late James Gibb, president of the Quebec Bank, and then doing an extensive wholesale grocery business in the Lower Town of that city. Here Mr. Ross acquired his business training and habits of industry. On the uncle’s death, Mr. Ross continued the business, with his brother, John Ross (deceased in September, 1887), and the partnership was continued down to 1868, when it was dissolved. Long before this, however, Hon. Mr. Ross had begun to turn his attention to other investments for his large and increasing capital. The ship-building industry at Quebec was then in its palmiest days, and in it he became largely interested, advancing large sums of money to the local ship-builders, and the Western timber producers. From ship-building to ship-owning there was but a step, and a number of his vessels, both sail and steam, soon dotted the St. Lawrence. He also purchased large timber limits, built mills, became interested in railways, steamboats, etc., and by this means helped to develop to a large extent the resources of Canada and build up the local industries of the city of his adoption. Quebec owes to him, in a large measure, the successful construction of the Lake St. John and Quebec Central Railway, and few local undertakings can be specified to which he has not given a helping hand, and in which he is not concerned. At present, although a wealthy man, he is still as punctual and hard working as the humblest clerk in his office. He is to be found at his post early and late, and, though he has considerably restricted his shipping interests of recent years, his investments and speculations in other directions continue as extensive as ever. He is president of the Quebec Bank, a large stockholder in other institutions, financial and industrial, and naturally wields a large amount, of local influence. A Conservative from predilection, his life has, nevertheless, been always too busy a one to allow of his taking an active part in politics. However, much against his will, he yielded in 1873 to the solicitations and pressure of a large body of his fellow-citizens, and at the general election of that year for the Canadian House of Commons, he offered himself as a candidate for Quebec Centre against that veteran politician, the late Hon. Joseph Cauchon, then the vigorous editor of Le Journal de Québec, and afterwards lieutenant-governor of Manitoba. The division was largely inhabited by a French-Canadian population, party feeling ran very high at the time, and religious and national prejudices were invoked against Mr. Ross, with the result that, after a very severe and exciting contest, he lost his election. At the general elections of 1878, he again offered for the same division, against Jacques Malouin, who had succeeded to the seat after Mr. Cauchon’s appointment to the lieutenant-governorship of Manitoba, but was again defeated. But in January, 1884, on the death of the Hon. David E. Price, he was called by the government of Sir John A. Macdonald, to the great satisfaction of the citizens of Quebec, to a seat in the Senate for Les Laurentides division. He has always taken a deep interest in the political welfare of Canada.
Nelson, Hugh, Victoria, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, was born at Larne, county of Antrim, Ireland, on the 25th May, 1830. He settled in British Columbia in June, 1858, and engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1866, when he became a partner in the lumbering firm of Moody, Dietry & Nelson, at Burrard Inlet. He was vice-president and manager of the Moodyville Saw Mill Company until 1882, when he retired from business. In November, 1870 he was elected to represent New Westminster in the British Columbia legislature, which seat he held until its dissolution in 1871, when the colony entered into confederation with the Dominion of Canada. He was then returned to represent the same constituency in November, 1871, and again at the general election in 1872 by acclamation, when absent from the province. He was a member of the Yale convention, and among the first promoters of confederation in British Columbia. He received a diploma of honor for services rendered in connection with the International Fisheries Exhibition, in London, England, in 1883. He was called to the Senate of Canada on the 12th December, 1879, and remained until the 8th February, 1887, when he was appointed lieutenant-governor of British Columbia. He was married on the 17th September, 1885, to Emily, youngest daughter of the late J. B. Staunton, civil service of Canada.