The late John Edgar, who for many years was connected with the fur industry in Montreal, was born in Woodstock, Ontario, March 12, 1843. During his boyhood the family removed to Hamilton, Ontario, where his school days were passed. He began his business career in the provision trade with Folingsby & Williamson in Hamilton and later came to Montreal as representative of that firm. Soon after his arrival in this city, or in 1866, he entered the firm of Greene & Sons Company, wholesale furriers, in which connection he worked his way upward, eventually becoming a partner in the business. About the year 1895, when Greene & Sons Company retired, Mr. Edgar succeeded to the business which he continued for some years under the firm name of Edgar, Swift & Company. When Mr. Swift retired Mr. Edgar formed a partnership with Mr. Charles Coristine under the firm name of Edgar, Coristine & Company, which relation was maintained for four years, after which Mr. Edgar continued the business alone until 1912, when he retired. He was one of the prominent furriers of the city, developing and building up a business of extensive proportions, and in commercial affairs his judgment was sound, his enterprise keen and his diligence unfaltering.
In Montreal Mr. Edgar was united in marriage to Miss Selina Kidner and unto them were born five children, three sons and two daughters: John Hamilton, who is connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway; Frank Clifton, connected with the Royal Bank of Canada at Montreal; William Dewar, of the custom house of Montreal; Katie Selina; and Lillian Maud. The death of the husband and father occurred September 12, 1913, and was the occasion of deep regret to many with whom he had been closely associated in business and social circles. In politics he was a conservative but without aspiration for public office. He belonged to the Royal Albert Lodge of Masons and was a faithful member of the Church of St. James the Apostle. In those connections are indicated the principles which governed his life and guided him in all of his relations.
CAMILLE TESSIER.
Camille Tessier, a young man possessed of laudable ambition and determination, is making continuous progress in the field of his chosen profession—that of the practice of law. He was born at Berthierville, Quebec, July 26, 1887, a son of Dominique and Odile (Des Rosiers) Tessier, the former a merchant at Berthierville. He is descended from French ancestors who landed here with the pioneers of the country. Like the greater part of Canada’s first inhabitants, they were farmers and spent their whole lives in cultivating the lands which they had first courageously conquered from the wilderness and from the forest on the north side of the St. Lawrence river, thus contributing in large measure to the actual prosperity of the country.
Camille Tessier was accorded liberal educational opportunities, which he improved, thus laying a broad foundation for his later success. He pursued a course in the commercial college of Berthierville, was a student in the Seminary of Joliette, attended St. Mary’s College at Montreal, Laval University at Montreal, in which he pursued his classical and professional courses, winning the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. He subsequently attended Eastman’s Business College of Poughkeepsie, New York. As advocate, barrister and solicitor he is making for himself a creditable position in professional ranks. He has been a member of the Montreal bar since the 7th of July, 1910, and the thoroughness and care with which he prepares his cases and the logic of his deductions have gained him rank among those who are winning success in the difficult and arduous profession to which he devotes his energies. He makes a specialty of commercial law and is a member of the Commercial Law League of America. He is working his way to success vigorously but quietly and honestly. Mr. Tessier is a member of the Roman Catholic church. He was married in Montreal, on the 28th of January, 1913, to Edmee Paquette, and they have one child, Jean Marcel, born in Outremont on the 28th of October, 1913. His courage and a laudable ambition of living a life of usefulness to his family and to his country have brought Mr. Tessier the high regard of associates and all who know aught of his career.
CHARLES GIDEON HILL.
The life record of Charles Gideon Hill constitutes an illustration of what the new world has to offer to ambitious young men. Coming to Canada as an orphan boy, he steadily worked his way upward, each forward step bringing him a broader outlook and wider opportunities. He became in time a successful merchant of Montreal and in later years devoted his time to the supervision of his invested interests, which included large property holdings and stock in many financial and commercial enterprises. He was seventy-six years of age at the time of his death, which occurred on the 12th of June, 1893, at the old home at No. 247 Bleury Street, where he had lived for more than half a century. He was born in England, but lost his father and mother when quite young, after which he crossed the Atlantic and for a time resided in New York. He afterward came to Montreal and gradually he worked his way upward in a business way, realizing at the outset of his career, that industry and honesty constitute the foundation upon which success is built. In time he was the proprietor of a small dry-goods establishment on St. Paul Street and conducted it successfully for many years, but about 1870, retired from commercial circles in order to supervise his large estate which also included the estate of William Galt. From time to time he became interested in business enterprises, holding stock in many leading financial and commercial concerns. His judgment was sound, his sagacity keen and in the control of important interests he established his position as one of the leading and capable business men of the city.
