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 (1869-08-21)August 21, 1869
Alma, Wisconsin
Died November 23, 1966(1966-11-23) (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

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

  1. 1 2 Smith, Jessica (October 5, 2011). "From the Last of the Lumber Kings, to the Softwood Lumber Dispute". Atikokan Progress.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lumbermen To Honor Mighty Woodsman". The Montreal Gazette. February 12, 1962.
  3. ↑ Normandin, Pierre G., ed. (1914). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. p. 320.
  4. ↑ "J.A. Mathieu Esq., M.P.P.". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. April 15, 1913.
  5. ↑ Gillis & Roach 1986, p. 100.
  6. ↑ Nelles 2005, p. 386.
  7. ↑ "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
  8. ↑ "Lumber Company is Charged with Fraud". Toronto World. November 2, 1920. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Fort Frances: Where Manufacturing of Lumber, Paper, Machinery produces Wealth". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. December 10, 1925.
  10. ↑ "The Past: A Symbolic History". borealforest.org. Lakehead University.
  11. 1 2 "Atikokan Community Profile" (PDF). atikokaninfo.com. Atikokan Economic Development Corporation. p. 3.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "J.A. Mathieu". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. November 23, 1966.

Further reading


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