WILLIAM H. ATHERTON, PH. D.
Dr. Atherton has been the author of many contributions and criticisms to literary, philosophical and civic journals. His first work, published anonymously under the auspices of the Catholic Truth Society of England, was the Life of Father Damien, the Leper Priest, which appeared in England in 1889, attracting attention as the first authentic life then published. Dr. Atherton has identified himself with the literary life of Montreal. He was one of the founders of the Montreal branch of the Dickens’ Fellowship of which he has been vice president for three years and president for the years 1912-1913-1914. He is the author of the two volumes of the history of Montreal under the French Régime and under the English Rule now being published.
HON. RAYMOND PREFONTAINE.
Joseph Raymond Fournier Préfontaine was a member of an old French family which was established in 1680 in New France. Mr. Préfontaine was born at Longueuil on the 16th of September, 1850. He began his education under private tutors and completed his classical studies at St. Mary’s College under the direction of the Jesuit Fathers. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree at McGill University and was admitted to the bar in 1873. While taking up his private practice he began at the same time occupying himself with public affairs with success.
There are few men who, step by step, possessed more than he the rare gift of being always the man of his time and who at all times retained the favor of his friends. He made his debut in municipal politics as alderman for Hochelaga, and in 1879 became the mayor of that municipality, which honorary post he held until 1884. At this period the progress of Montreal was slow, it being the custom to retard rather than hasten her development. The town and city officers at that time were struggling along with inadequate acts and regulations. They were like the undeterred scientists of old who obstinately tried to solve the problem of squaring the circle although without the slightest vestige of success. New blood was needed and Hochelaga supplied the first infusion in the person of Mr. Préfontaine. When Hochelaga was annexed to Montreal Mr. Préfontaine became alderman of the Montreal council and president of the public works commission. The task which confronted him was not a small one. On the one hand he had to fight against a routine held sacred, and on the other hand against a majority which was absolutely neglecting the eastern part of Montreal.
In 1898 Mr. Préfontaine was mayor of Montreal and began to carry out his program of action. Nothing was neglected for the advancement of the city, and he employed to the utmost his legal acumen and ability in restoring Montreal to her rights. From that time he displayed a deep and abiding devotion to Montreal East which owes so much to him, his labors in this connection being the crowning achievement of his efforts. It was he who gave to the city the Viger railroad station, and this was in itself but a small matter when compared with the shipbuilding yards, the mammoth warehouses and thousands of habitations that he by his persistency won for the French region of the metropolis. He thought of everything; the street railway service, the electric lighting system, the street paving, all these bore the stamp of his personality. He was sometimes unjustly accused of lending himself to questionable deals but always emerged from these ordeals without a stain upon his character or a shadow of doubt remaining as to the entire justification of his actions.
He was the Haussman of the city. It was generally known that he was the friend of the working men and would defend their interests as his own. It was but natural therefore that the workingmen of Hochelaga were his best friends and his stanchest partisans. They were his standard bearers throughout the entire town and were the first who made possible his election to the magistracy of the city. Mr. Préfontaine lifted Montreal out of the old routine and after he was elected mayor all worked hand and glove with him in order to crown his work, and it is not short of the truth to say that a complete reorganization of the municipal autonomy took place.
Hon. Mr. Préfontaine at the time of his death had been in politics for thirty years. In 1875 he was elected member of parliament from Chambly to the legislature of Quebec and continued to represent that county from 1886 to 1896 in the Dominion parliament. In his early days he served as president of the Young Men’s Liberal Association and later as president of the Club National. He was always the man of the hour. His remarkable popularity, the wide prestige which he enjoyed in the liberal party and the financial world, his intimate knowledge of political and administrative affairs, all betokened him the foremost man in the province of Quebec and more particularly in the district of Montreal. He was actively interested in all the movements of his party; few were the counties which he did not visit during the campaigns, and he took part in all the important debates. From his debut he was always in the public eye. Men like him are always the first in all ranks of life. One sees him ceaselessly battling when vital interests are at stake. At the general elections of 1900 he was elected by a large majority for Maisonneuve and Terrebonne. At the time of his death he was representing Maisonneuve, which had elected him by a majority of twenty-five hundred votes. When the Hon. Mr. Tarte resigned from the Laurier cabinet Mr. Préfontaine was prevailed upon to accept the portfolio of marine and fisheries. It is to him that Canada owes the fine organization of this department and the excellent results obtained.