Success in business resulting entirely from capable management,
keen discrimination and unfaltering enterprise came to Captain
George Hillyard Matthews, who for many years was president of the
Sincennes-McNaughton Line. His birth occurred in Montreal on the
14th of August, 1846, and he passed away at the comparatively
early age of fifty-seven years, dying on the 19th of January,
1904. He was a son of George Matthews, of Mount Victoria, Hudson
and Montreal. The father came to Canada from Essex, England,
as a young man and in this country married a Miss Hudson, also
a native of England. They became the parents of six children,
including Captain Matthews, who received his military education
at Sandhurst, England, in 1871. The following year he entered the
army and served for a period of eight years, when he resigned.
He was an honorary member of the officers’ mess of the Third
Victoria Rifles and also honorary president of the Army and Navy
Veterans Association. He never ceased to feel a deep interest in
military affairs and believed in the maintenance of a high
standard of service in connection with the army and navy.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN GEORGE H. MATTHEWS]
Captain Matthews’ business affairs also brought him prominently
before the public. For many years he was president of the
Sincennes-McNaughton Line and during his term of office the
major portion of the harbor fleet of tugs was built under his
supervision. As opportunity offered he made judicious investments
in real estate and became the owner of a large amount of property
in Montreal. Following the death of Baron de Longueuil, he took
charge of his estate, which he wisely managed.
In 1878 Captain Matthews was united in marriage to Miss Virginia
Pratt, a daughter of John Pratt, one of the early settlers of
Montreal. He held membership in the St. James Club and he was
interested in various significant and vital questions of the day,
especially in fish and game protection. He also took an active
interest in politics. He was acquainted with all of the different
phases of public life having to do with the prosperity and
progress of his city and province, and his aid and cooperation
could always be counted upon to further movements for the general
good.
DAVID BURKE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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