James Arthur Mathieu
James Arthur Mathieu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office December 11, 1911 – May 10, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | William Alfred Preston |
| Succeeded by | John Fullarton Callan |
| Constituency | Rainy River |
| In office December 1, 1926 – September 17, 1929 | |
| Preceded by | John Fullarton Callan |
| Succeeded by | William Herbert Elliott |
| Constituency | Rainy River |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 21, 1869 Alma, Wisconsin |
| Died | November 23, 1966 (aged 97) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Profession | Lumber merchant |
James Arthur Mathieu (August 21, 1869 – November 23, 1966) was known as "the last of the lumber kings,"[1] as well as "the Mighty Man of the Woods" and "the Lath King of America."[2] Born in Alma, Wisconsin.,[3] he became an Ontario lumber merchant, philanthropist and political figure. He represented Rainy River in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario initially as a Liberal-Conservative in 1911, and then as a Conservative from 1914 to 1923 and 1926 to 1929.
Biography[edit]
Having worked in his youth as a log driver on the Mississippi River,[1] Mathieu came to Rainy River from Minnesota around 1903 as a manager of the Rainy River Lumber Company's sawmill, later becoming manager and vice-president at the Shevlin-Clarke Company.[4] He was later involved in controversy as part of what became known as the "Old Tory Timber Ring,"[5] when fellow Conservative Howard Ferguson, as Minister of Lands and Forests, arranged for the sale of three timber limits in the Quetico Forest Reserve to Shevlin-Clarke for less than half the price they would have normally fetched,[6] and the company later paid a fine of $1.5 million for breaching the Crown Timber Act.[7] The transactions were criticized in a subsequent inquiry.[8]
In 1921, he left Shevlin-Clarke and founded J.A. Mathieu Limited, which set up a mill at Rainy Lake.[9] The company opened another sawmill in 1945 at Sapawe Lake, near Atikokan.[10][11] He was instrumental in pioneering the use of mechanized equipment in the woods (while other firms were still relying mainly on horses), as well as in using aircraft.[12] After his death, the company was acquired by Domtar.[11]
He set up an educational foundation to provide financial assistance for students from the area,[12] for which he was honoured in 1958 by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.[2] Mathieu also established a wildlife reserve and help fund community projects in the region.[12] During his time in the provincial assembly, he helped promote the development of roads to encourage settlement in the district.[12] He also served as President of the Northern Pine Manufacturers Association for 22 years.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Smith, Jessica (October 5, 2011). "From the Last of the Lumber Kings, to the Softwood Lumber Dispute". Atikokan Progress. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Lumbermen To Honor Mighty Woodsman". The Montreal Gazette. February 12, 1962.
- ^ Normandin, Pierre G., ed. (1914). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. p. 320.
- ^ "J.A. Mathieu Esq., M.P.P." Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. April 15, 1913.
- ^ Gillis & Roach 1986, p. 100.
- ^ Nelles 2005, p. 386.
- ^ "Mixed Division on Timber Bill in Legislature". Ottawa Citizen. March 27, 1922. p. 2., discussing the adoption of The Shevlin-Clarke Timber License Act, 1922, S.O. 1922, c. 20
- ^ "Lumber Company is Charged with Fraud". Toronto World. November 2, 1920. p. 5.
- ^ "Fort Frances: Where Manufacturing of Lumber, Paper, Machinery produces Wealth". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. December 10, 1925.
- ^ "The Past: A Symbolic History". borealforest.org. Lakehead University.
- ^ a b "Atikokan Community Profile" (PDF). atikokaninfo.com. Atikokan Economic Development Corporation. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
- ^ a b c d "J.A. Mathieu". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. November 23, 1966.
Further reading[edit]
- Gillis, R. Peter; Roach, Thomas R. (1986). Lost Initiatives: Canada's Forest Industries, Forest Policy, and Forest Conservation. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 103. ISBN 0-313-25415-X. ISSN 0084-9235.
{{cite book}}:|journal=ignored (help) - Nelles, H.V. (2005). Politics of Development: Forests, Mines, and Hydro-Electric Power in Ontario, 1849–1941 (2nd ed.). McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-2758-3.