William Lewis Shurtleff, , (March 29, 1864 – January 1, 1954) was a Quebec lawyer and newspaper owner. He was the defense lawyer for

Harry Kendall Thaw Harry Kendall Thaw (February 12, 1871 – February 22, 1947) was the son of American coal and railroad baron William Thaw Sr. Heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune, he is most notable for having murdered the renowned architect Stanford Wh ...

in 1913. The '' Buffalo Morning Express'' calls him "one of the leading lawyers in Canada".

Biography

He was born on March 29, 1864, in

Coaticook Coaticook ( , ) is a town on the Coaticook River, located in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It resides in the region of Estrie, which is often referred to colloquially as the Eastern Townships. It is the seat of the Coaticook Regional County Mu ...

to Ruth E. and Lyman Shurtleff. In March 1889, he and L.S. Channel bought the Coaticook ''Observer'', which had been founded in 1869. In December of that year, Shurtleff became the sole owner of the newspaper. In 1897, he became secretary-treasurer of the Coaticook Electric Light and Power Company. In 1911, he wrote a pamphlet on reciprocity, as the possibility of

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

between Canada and the United States was then known. In 1912, he was appointed organizer-in-chief for the Eastern Townships by the Conservative Association. In 1914, he conducted an investigation relating to the dismissal of a postmaster. His report was tabled in the House of Commons on March 5, 1914.

Mr. Pelletier, a member of the King's Privy Council, presented, --Return to an Order of the House of the 2nd February, 1914, for a copy of all charges, correspondence, letters, telegrams and other documents, relating to the dismissal of Mr. Goyette, Postmaster at St. Valrien de Milton, Shefford County, Quebec, and of the evidence taken, and of the reports of investigation held by Dr. W. L. Shurtleff, in regard to the same.

In 1916, he was a member of the Protestant Committee of the Council of Public Instruction of Quebec. He died on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

, January 1, 1954. He was buried in Mount Forest Cemetery in

Coaticook, Quebec Coaticook ( , ) is a town on the Coaticook River, located in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It resides in the region of Estrie, which is often referred to colloquially as the Eastern Townships. It is the seat of the Coaticook Regional County M ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shurtleff, W.L. Lawyers in Quebec Canadian King's Counsel 1864 births 1954 deaths 19th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people)