Foremost among the younger generation of business men in Montreal and one who had attained a high standing in the financial circles of the city, was Thornton Davidson, whose untimely death in the sinking of the steamship Titanic, April 15, 1912, ended a career that had not only been successful, but gave great promise for the future.
Thornton Davidson was a native of Montreal, and was born on the 17th of May, 1880. His father was the Hon. C. Peers Davidson, D. C. L., a distinguished jurist, and his mother Alice Mattice, second daughter of William Mattice of Cornwall, Ontario. Reared in Montreal, Thornton Davidson attended the city schools, graduating from high school. Throughout his active business career he was connected with financial interests, later becoming manager of the Montreal branch of the New York house of Charles Head & Company.
THORNTON DAVIDSON
In 1908 he established the firm of Thornton Davidson & Company which soon took a prominent position among the leading brokerage and investment security houses in the city. In 1909 Mr. Davidson became a member of the Montreal Stock Exchange. His thorough capability and great energy were factors in the success of the business which he established and of which he remained the head until his death. His personal popularity made him a valued member of the club life of the city, where he held membership in the St. James, Racquet, Montreal Hunt, Montreal Jockey, Montreal Polo, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht, Manitou and Canada Clubs, and also in Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.
On November 3, 1906, in Montreal, Mr. Davidson was married to Miss Orian Hays, daughter of Charles Melville Hays. Returning from Europe in company with his wife and the latter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Hays, on the ill-fated Titanic, Mr. Davidson was among those brave men who on April 15, 1912, gave precedence to women and children and went down with the ship. Such an act is just what his friends would have expected of Thornton Davidson in such an emergency. His associates knew him as a capable business man and a most genial companion, but they recognized in him also the strength of character which manifests itself in the highest type of manhood when a crisis arises.
WILLIAM FAWCETT HAMILTON, M. D.
Important professional connections indicate the high standing of Dr. William Fawcett Hamilton of Montreal, who, in addition to an extensive private practice has done much hospital work. He is a son of Gustavus W. and Eleanor (Goodwin) Hamilton, and was born in Baie Verte, New Brunswick. His early education was acquired in the schools of his native town and in Upper Sackville and then, having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he entered McGill University of Montreal, from which he was graduated with the class of 1891, receiving the degrees of M. D. and C. M. He has now successfully practiced his profession in this city for more than two decades and has advanced steadily to a place of prominence as a representative of the medical profession. From 1891 until 1894 he was medical superintendent of the Montreal General Hospital and in the latter year became assistant physician of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and upon the death of Dr. James Stewart, in 1906, he was appointed attending physician of that institution. He has proven himself a man of ability and public opinion has accorded him rank with the eminent physicians of the city. He is now associate professor of clinical medicine at McGill University and as an instructor displays capability in imparting readily, clearly, concisely and forcibly to others the knowledge that he has acquired. In 1909 he was elected a member of the Board of Victorian Order of Nurses, and he is a member of the Association of American Physicians and vice president of the Montreal Medico-Chirurgical Society. Through these connections he keeps in close touch with the advanced work of the profession and has himself been a leader along the line of professional progress.
In June, 1897, Dr. Hamilton married Miss Janet Mills of Westmount, P. Q. Aside from his activity in the professional field Dr. Hamilton has done important public service as a director of the Young Men’s Christian Association and as senator of the Montreal Wesleyan Theological College. He is an active and helpful member of the Methodist church, and his social nature finds expression in his membership in the University Club and the Montreal Country Club.