JOSEPH H. RAINVILLE, M. P.
Joseph H. Rainville, a member of parliament and deeply interested in questions concerning the government, province and Dominion, is today recognized as one of the younger leaders of the conservative party. He chose as a profession the practice of law, and it is a notable fact that members of the bar are more apt to become prominent figures in political circles than any other class of men. The reason for this is obvious, as the training which qualifies them for the onerous and difficult work of the courts also prepares them to solve the intricate and complex problems of local or general government.
Quebec numbers Mr. Rainville among her native sons, his birth having occurred at Ste. Angele, Rouville county, on the 8th of March, 1875. In the attainment of his education he attended successively Monnoir College, Marieville, and Laval University, where he won the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He entered upon the active practice of his profession with L. E. Beauregard of Montreal in 1901. No dreary novitiate awaited him. His capability won almost immediate recognition. He is an effective speaker, earnest in his appeals before the court, zealous in support of his cause, and at all times loyal to the interests of his clients.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Joseph H. Rainville has been a stalwart conservative, and in 1908 he unsuccessfully contested Vercheres county at the provincial election, being defeated by a majority of ninety-eight. When the tide of popular favor turned against the liberal government of the Dominion in September, 1911, he became a member for Chambly-Vercheres, so that he is now occupying a seat in the house. He frankly and fearlessly expresses his opinion, but also possesses the tact of the successful politician who seeks to conciliate rather than antagonize.
Mr. Rainville married Miss Gendreau, daughter of Dr. J. G. A. Gendreau of Montreal. Mr. Rainville is a lieutenant in the Eighty-fifth Regiment and is a member of the Montreal Gun Club. His friends speak of him as always a courteous, polished gentleman, both forceful and resourceful when occasion demands.
EDOUARD FABRE SURVEYER.
Edouard Fabre Surveyer, who throughout his professional career has been a representative of the Montreal bar and equally well known as an educator and author in the field of his profession, was born in this city in 1875. His father, L. J. A. Surveyer, is a Montreal merchant and a past vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. He married Hectorine Fabre, a daughter of the late E. R. Fabre and a sister of the late Archbishop Fabre, the late Hon. Hector Fabre, C. M. G., and of the late Lady Cartier.
E. Fabre Surveyer was a student in St. Mary’s (Jesuit) College, where he made an excellent record, winning the Angers bronze medal for letters in 1890, the Mercier gold medal for rhetoric in 1891 and the alumni gold medal for philosophy in 1893. He took up his law course in Laval University and was graduated LL. L. with first class honors in 1896. The same year he won his B. C. L. degree with first class honors from McGill University, but not content with the preparation that he had already made for active practice at the bar, he went abroad and completed his law course in Paris and took part in the first International Congress of Lawyers at Brussels in 1897. He was a delegate to the Universal Congress of Lawyers and Jurists at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904 and is correspondent for several Canadian, American, French and Belgian law reviews.
It was in 1897 that Mr. Surveyer entered upon active practice in Montreal in connection with McGibbon, Casgrain, Ryan & Mitchell. He has not only obtained success in practice but has also gained recognition for his ability in other professional connections. He has been the editor of the Quebec Practice Reports since their establishment in 1897 and since 1905 has been a lecturer in practice and pleading in McGill University. He was made a king’s counsel by the government of Quebec in 1909. On withdrawal from the firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Mitchell & Surveyer in 1909 he entered into a partnership with H. A. Lovett, K. C., a connection that was continued until the following year. Since September, 1913, Mr. Surveyer has been the senior member of the firm of Surveyer, Ogden & Mariotti. Mr. Surveyer also has an office in New York city in connection with the firm of Daly, Hoyt & Mason, attorneys at law. He has published a pamphlet, The Bench and Bar of Montreal, and there are few who are more familiar with the history of the courts of this city than Mr. Surveyer. In 1903 he was president of the Junior Bar Association of Montreal, while in 1914 he became the secretary of the newly formed Canadian Bar Association. A fluent speaker, forceful and earnest, Mr. Surveyer has as ready a command of English as he has of French.