Frederic Jacob Yale Fortier (1888 – 1940) was a prominent lawyer, judge,

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

and businessman from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He became

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

of Montreal-East, vice-president of the Law Faculty of

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

, and a partner of Senator

Jacob Nicol Jacob Nicol, (April 25, 1876 – September 23, 1958) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, newspaper publisher, and politician. He became Senator under Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King. Early life Born in Roxton Pond, Que ...

. He was the proprietor and board director of dozens of corporations, including companies operating in finance, real estate, manufacturing, alcohol and retail. He also gave public talks on

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, which he admired, and became a

Knight of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. The org ...

Early life

Born on August 3, 1888, at St-David of Yamaska, Jacob Yale Fortier was the son of Dr. Louis-Alexandre Fortier and Marie-Antoinette Lambert, daughter of Major Francois-Xavier Lambert, doctor from

Mcgill McGill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin, from which the names of many places and organizations are derived. It may refer to: People * McGill (surname) (including a list of individuals with the surname) * McGill family (Monrovia), a promin ...

and Justice of the Peace.Jacob Yale Fortier
Biographies canadiennes-françaises, 1928, 1928 - 1929, 8th Year, Raphael Ouimet, Historical Society of Montreal, Eclaireur Limited, Westmount, Montreal, 1929, p. 302 He was a grandson of Mary Victoria Yale, daughter of Major George Henry Yale, and a cousin of politician Arthur Yale, socialite Claire Yale, artist John Yale, and Dr. Pierre-Paul Yale, members of the

Yale family Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges char ...

. Yale Fortier's grandfather was politician Moise Fortier, Member of Parliament for 14 years and active during the formation of Canada, when the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

united the provinces of

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

and

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

. His grandfather was also Mayor of Saint-David-d'Yamaska, Justice of the Peace and President of the Richelieu, Drummond and Arthabaska Railway. His father Dr. Fortier, a friend of politician François-Sévère Désaulniers, initially practiced in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

before coming back to Saint-David where he became Mayor,

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

, President of the commission on Catholic schools and French journal

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

of the legislative council, replacing Napoléon Legendre, grandfather of

Maurice Roy Maurice Roy (January 25, 1905 – October 24, 1985) was a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1947 to 1981. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965. Early life Roy was born in Quebec City as one of thre ...

, Cardinal and Archbishop of Quebec.Le Canada
14 septembre 1918, samedi 14 septembre 1918, p. 8 His brother was a lawyer from

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

, and his two uncles were the abbot Jacob Fortier of St. Joseph Cathedral, California, and Dr. Alma Fortier of Minnesota. Yale Fortier was educated at College St-Aime-sur-le-Richelieu. He then started his studies in 1900 at Nicolet College, finishing his studies at the College of Montreal.L'Action Universitaire
Volume VII, No, 2, Saint-Hyacinthe, October 1940, p. 22 He studied in 1912 at

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, then became a lawyer in Montreal in 1912. He was made

in Sherbrooke in 1923, and King's Counsel once more in Montreal in 1926.La tribune
7 octobre 1926, jeudi 7 octobre 1926, p. 5 He received his nomination at the same time as Wilfrid Girouard,

Oscar Drouin Oscar Drouin (September 29, 1890 – July 16, 1953) was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Background He was born on September 29, 1890, in Quebec City. Member of the legislature Drouin won a by-election in 1928 and became the Liberal Membe ...

and

Léon Casgrain Léon Casgrain (August 13, 1892 – November 5, 1967) was a Canadian politician and jurist from Quebec. Biography He was born on August 13, 1892, in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec, Rivière-Ouelle and was an attorney. He ran as a Liberal Party of ...

Career

He became a partner of the law firms Weindfield, Sperber, Ledieu & Fortier, of Pilon & Fortier, and of Pelissier, Wilson & Fortier. In 1924, he left his practice in Montreal to become a lawyer in

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

, and became a partner in the firm Nicol, Lazure, Couture & Fortier. He later became vice-president of the Law Department of

. After a few years in Sherbrooke, he came back to Montreal and became a partner of lawyer Demetrius Baril, joining the firm of Peron & Vallee. By 1926, he became the partner of Ernest Pelissier, who was the

Bâtonnier In some legal systems, the bâtonnier is the head of the legal profession (the bar). Jersey In Jersey, the Bâtonnier is head of the profession of advocate. The role includes administering the legal aid system for the island (the day-to-day adm ...

of Montreal, being the head of the

Bar of Montreal The Bar of Montreal () is the section of the Bar of Quebec for lawyers in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has it beginnings in 1693 when, as a Royal Province of the French colonial empire, ''Canadien'' lawyers first tried to obtain offic ...

Édifice Lucien-Saulnier The Palais de justice is a courthouse in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1 Notre-Dame Street East in the Old Montreal neighbourhood of the Ville-Marie borough. It was completed in 1971. Though located in the Old Montreal historic dist ...

, and succeeding to Joseph-Léonide Perron, later Minister of Transports under Premier of Quebec,

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (; March 5, 1867 – July 6, 1952) was the 14th premier of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. A member of the Parti libéral du Québec, Taschereau's near 16-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among ...

. With M. Pelissier, he was also Prosecutor of the School Board of Saint-Grégoire of Thaumaturge. Their other partner was Guillaume St-Pierre, lawyer-in-chief of the city of Montreal. He then became a partner of Senator and newspapers proprietor

, also Treasurer of Quebec, Judge Wilfrid Lazure and lawyer J. S. Couture, who were also Batonniers of the Barreau de Saint-François. Their firm, Nicol, Lazure, Couture & Fortier, had office at Edifice Olivier, angle of Wellington Street and King Street in

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

.La tribune
1 mai 1929, mercredi 1 mai 1929, p. 3-7 In 1928, Yale Fortier attended the banquet of Minister

Joseph-Édouard Perrault Joseph-Édouard Perrault, (; July 30, 1874 – June 13, 1948) was a lawyer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Arthabaska from 1916 to 1936 in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Liberal member. Early life and career He ...

, law partner of Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Lt. Gov. of Quebec, and

, Premier of Quebec. He was a member of Cercle Universitaire, honorary member of the 5th Military officers Regiment of Sherbrooke, member of the Sherbrooke Canoe Club, and became a

. He was also a member of the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (, ) is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in ...

, along with dozens of doctors, and of the St. Lawrence Kiwaynis Club. He became

(Judge) of Montreal-East in 1929, becoming a

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of Montreal and was nominated at the Palais de Justice. Yale Fortier was a public speaker on

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

; a man he strongly admired for his love of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and was covered in the newspaper

La Presse is a French-language online newspaper published daily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1884, it is now owned by an independent nonprofit trust. ' was formerly a broadsheet daily, considered a newspaper of record in Canada. Its Sunday edi ...

. At the time of his discourses, he was

(Judge) of Montreal-East, and saw Napoleon as a man oriented toward peace and progress, not after wealth, and envied by Russia and England for his military prowess.La presse
4 octobre 1934, jeudi 4 octobre 1934, p. 20 His discourses were given at the Societe des Oliviers, cofounded by Lt. Col.

Antonio Barrette Antonio J. Barrette (May 26, 1899 – December 15, 1968) was a Canadian politician born in Joliette, Quebec, Canada, who served as the 18th premier of Quebec. Member of the legislature Barrette ran as a Conservative candidate in the provi ...

, Premier of Quebec. Throughout the 1910s, Yale Fortier founded number of enterprises which would have, in total capital stock, a value of about $850,000, or over 500 million dollars in 2024 money in relation to

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

. They operated in various industries, including real estate, jewelry, manufacturing, retail, automobiles, clothing, metal, alcohol and others. His partner in the ventures was Marcus Meyer Sperber, a lawyer and

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

of Westmount, while another business partner, Henry Weinfield, was a lawyer,

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

, and counsel of the New York Art Corporation. His other partner, lawyer Pierre Ledieu, was the nephew of politician

Georges Duhamel Georges Duhamel may refer to: * Georges Duhamel (politician) (1855–1892), Canadian lawyer and political * Georges Duhamel (footballer) (1879–), French footballer * Georges Duhamel (author) (1884–1966), French author {{DEFAULTSORT:Duha ...

, Solicitor General under Premier

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Libera ...

and supporter of patriot

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

Businesses

In 1913, he cofounded the Vosbergs Company, with a capital stock of $100,000, with Henry Weinfield and Pierre Ledieu, and was made board director.Sessional papers of the Dominion of Canada
1915, p. 59-92 In the same year, he founded with the same partners the Valois Lands Company, a real estate investment firm, with a capital stock of $90,000, and was made a board director. In 1914, he cofounded the Germaise Company, with a capital stock of $20,000, being manufacturers of dry goods, clothing and home furnishings, with lawyers and partners Michael Germaise, Thomas H. Tansey and Jessie Brown. In 1915, he founded the Biltmore Realties Company, with lawyer Abraham Wilfred Muhlstock and accountant Jean Charles Duhamel, a real estate brokerage and investment firm, with a capital stock of $100,000.L'autorité
11 décembre 1915, samedi 11 décembre 1915, p. 4 In the same year, he founded the Diamond Metal Company, with Muhlstock and Duhamel, dealers in all kinds of metal, junk, rags, rubber and other waste material, with a capital stock of $20,000. In 1916, he founded the Jewel Realty Company, with lawyer Abraham Wilfrid Muhlstock and accountant Jean Charles Duhamel, a real estate brokerage and development firm, with a capital stock of $100,000. In 1916, he founded with the same advocates the Montreal Waterproof & Clothing Company with a capital stock of about $100,000.Report of the Secretary of State of Canada
for the year 1917, Government Publications, 1918, Toronto, p. 54-75-96 In 1916, he founded the Tip-It Welding Company with a capital stock of $20,000, and in the same year, founded the Prudential Credit and Financial Bureau Company, with a capital stock of $20,000. In the same year, he founded with Henry Weinfield, lawyer of Westmount, Marcus Meyer Sperber, Nathan Salomon and Jean-Charles Duhamel, the Guarantee Shoe Store Company, taking over the business of Samuel Bazaar, shoe dealer of Montreal. The enterprise was in the dealing and manufacturing of shoes, rubbers, laces, felts and skins, with a capital stock of $10,000. In the same year, he founded the Desales Manufacturing Company, with a capital stock of $100,000. In 1917, he founded the Compagnie d'Automobile Martel, with Henry Weinfield, Marcus Mayer Sperber, Abraham Muhlstock, all lawyers, and accountant Jean-Charles Duhamel, manufacturers and dealers of

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...

wagon A wagon (or waggon) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by Working animal#Draft animals, draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are i ...

s, automobiles and

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

s, with a capital stock of $20,000. In 1918, he founded the Nathan Lande Company with Henry Weinfield and Marcus Meyer Sperber, with a capital stock of $35,000, and was one of its board directors. In 1919, Yale Fortier is recorded as one of the co-owners and board directors of the Dominion Bottle Company, Goldfine and Chananie Company, and British 5, 10, 15 and 25 Cents Store Company, all seated in the city of Montreal and with a capital stock of about $100,000. In the same year, he cofounded the Style-Fit Cloack Company, with Lyon Levine, Henry Wienfield and Marcus Meyer Sperber, manufacturer and dealer in both wholesale and retail of ladies

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

s, with a capital stock of $10,000.

Death

Jacob Yale Fortier died on September 13, 1940, at his office at 418 St-Sulpice Street, next to Hotel St-Sulpice and Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal.The Gazette
16 Sep 1940, Mon ·Page 16 He was among the most prominent lawyers of Montreal at the time and died while working. His in-laws included notary Charles Archambault, Dr. Edgar Brosseau, Dr. Archambault and Dr. Ferland. He was buried at

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (, ) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of Côte-des-Neiges Road ...

. In attendance were lawyer Alfred Cinqmars of Outremont, nephew of politician Arthur Yale, lawyer Henry Lemaître Auger, Minister under

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname "Le Chef" (, "The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A Conservatism in Canada, conservative, Quebec nationalism, ...

, Arthur Vallee, Bâtonnier of Québec, and dozens of other lawyers and doctors. Yale Fortier was married to Marie Pomerleau and the curate of Ile-Bizard assisted the ceremony with abbot Emile Lambert.L'illustration nouvelle
18 septembre 1940, mercredi 18 septembre 1940, p. 19

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortier, Jacob Yale 1888 births 1940 deaths Yale family Lawyers from Montreal People from Sherbrooke Businesspeople from Montreal Lawyers in Quebec