Prominent in real-estate circles of Montreal is Paul Brisset des Nos, whose activities in that field have had an important bearing upon the growth of the city. He has successfully handled important deals and has been connected with some of the largest transactions consummated in real estate. At present he is manager of the L’Alliance Immobilière, Incorporated, which he established in 1912 and which is capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars. He is among the successful Parisians who have selected Montreal as their field of labor, and yet he often visits the land of his birth. Having had all the advantages of an excellent education, he understands mankind and judges conditions correctly, and these features are largely the corner stone of his success. He was born in Paris, November 17, 1873, and comes of a distinguished family, his father being André Brisset des Nos, for many years manager for La Foncière, Paris, and his mother Clémentine Hébert de la Rousselière.
Paul Brisset des Nos enjoyed the advantages of a classical course, attending the College of the Jesuits in his native city, located at the rue de Madrid, and also the school of the same order at the rue Bleury at Montreal. He made his first step into the business world as partner of his father, who was engaged in the wholesale wine and liquor business at 23 Gosford Street, Montreal, the business being conducted under the name of André Brisset & Fils. He was connected with this firm for six years but in 1906 he opened a real-estate office. For about seven years he was located at Pointe-aux-Trembles but subsequently gave much of his time to two tracts of land which he had acquired in the district of the Rivière des Prairies, which he subdivided into eighteen hundred lots, all of which have been disposed of today. Among other enterprises he was concerned in the building of four butter factories near Montreal. In 1912 he established and incorporated the L’Alliance Immobilière, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, and has since been manager thereof. He is a number of the Montreal Real Estate Exchange.
On the 11th of February, 1901, at Montreal, Mr. Brisset des Nos was united in marriage to Miss Yvonne Lareau, a daughter of the late Edmond Lareau, deputy of Rouville. Mr. and Mrs. Brisset des Nos have the following children: Paul, ten years of age; Aliette, aged eight; Yves six; and Madeleine, three.
It is conceded on all sides that realty activities largely contribute to the growth of a community and in that way Mr. Brisset des Nos has participated in the development and commercial expansion of Montreal. He is public-spirited and takes a deep interest in any forward movement promoted in the cause of the general welfare. Although he has been connected with real-estate transactions for a comparatively short time, he has made his influence felt in that field to such an extent that his opinions and advice are often sought by investors. L’Alliance Immobilière, founded upon a solid basis, may well look toward a prosperous future under the able management of Mr. Brisset des Nos, whose wide experience and sound judgment are among the most important assets of the corporation.
PAUL BRISSET DES NOS
HON. SIR LOMER GOUIN.
Hon. Sir Lomer Gouin, a distinguished representative of the Montreal bar and a statesman whose grasp of affairs has made him largely master of situations affecting government interests, was born at Grondines, P. Q., March 19, 1861, a son of Dr. J. N. and Victorie Seraphine (Fugere) Gouin. The family has long been established in this province. Sir Lomer Gouin in the attainment of his education attended successfully Sorel College, Levis College and the Laval University. He won his LL. B. degree in 1884 and in 1902 the honorary degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him while McGill also created him an LL. D. in 1911. He pursued his law studies under the direction of the late Sir John Abbot and the late Hon. R. Laflamme, two of the most eminent members of the bar of Montreal. Passing the required examinations, Sir Lomer Gouin was admitted to practice as an advocate in 1884, and his advancement in his profession has brought him to a position of leadership at the provincial bar. He was at one time a law partner of Judge Pagnuelo and afterward of the late Hon. H. Mercier. His knowledge of the law is comprehensive and exact and in the application of its principles he has proven himself one of the ablest representatives of the bar in Montreal. He was elected batonnier-general of the provincial bar in 1910, was appointed an officer of de l’Institut Public of France in 1902 and also of the Legion of Honor in 1907. Aside from his profession, he is known in financial circles as a director of the Royal Trust Company, of the Montreal City and District Savings Bank and of the Mount Royal Assurance Company. The Venerable Archdeacon Kerr characterized him as “a straightforward business man,” and in all his career he has never deviated from high standards of manhood and citizenship.
In 1908 he was knighted by King George at the Quebec Tercentenary celebration. His public service has been of an important character and is of wide scope, and in 1898 he was appointed a member of the council of public instruction, P. Q., and in 1910 was elected president of the North American Fish and Game Protective Association. He has likewise been president of the Canadian Camp. In 1900 he was chosen an alderman of Montreal and exercises his official prerogatives in support of various measures for the general good. Mr. Gouin is a liberal in politics and for some years has been active in the party. He unsuccessfully contested Richelieu for the House of Commons at the general election in 1891, and he sat for Montreal, St. James division, in the local house in 1897-1908. Since then he has sat for Port Neuf. He is regarded as an administrator of breadth of view, great knowledge and ability and unimpeachable probity. From 1900 until 1904 Sir Lomer Gouin was commissioner of public works under the Parent administration, and since March 23, 1905, has been premier and attorney-general for the province of Quebec. An eminent statesmen has characterized him as “the greatest prime minister the province has ever known.” His comprehensive knowledge of the law and his ready grasp of affairs, combined with his unfaltering loyalty to the best interests of government, classes him with the most prominent Canadian statesmen. In 1906 he was chairman of the Ottawa Inter-Provincial Conference and was a delegate thereto in 1910. He has edited a special edition of the Quebec Municipal Code, and he seems familiar with all the various phases of the important municipal, provincial and national problems which are now engaging public attention.