George Henry Yale

Major George Henry Yale (28 September 1820 – 18 June 1897) was a Canadian military officer, industrialist and politician. He became one of the founders of Louiseville, Quebec, and was elected its first mayor. He was made Justice of the Peace under Baronet La Fontaine, and was involved in number of ventures related to the fur trade. He was twice candidate for the Parliament of Canada.

He also gave his name to Yaletown village, which he acquired from Lord Samuel Gerrard, president of the Bank of Montreal, and was the second pioneer tanner in Canada in his domain. Members of his family included fur merchant James Murray Yale, his uncle, and Isabella Yale, his cousin, who became the daughter-in-law of Gov. Sir George Simpson of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Early life Yaletown village in Louiseville, Quebec, showing the watermill, fur factories and houses, where Maj. Yale's employees lived

George Henry Yale was born on September 28, 1820, in Vercheres, Quebec, to Felicite Picard and tanner Miles Yale, members of the Yale family. His uncle was Chief trader James Murray Yale, commander of Fort Langley during the Fraser Gold Rush, and his granduncle was Capt. Elihu Yale, one of the first bayonet manufacturers in Connecticut. His cousin Isabella Yale was the daughter-in-law of Sir George Simpson, Governor of the HBC and a large landowner of the Golden Square Mile in Montreal. A cousin married the son of William Dalby, mayor of Victoria, and two others married to chief traders, one of which was the grandson of Etienne Lucier, one of the founders of Fort Astoria for John Jacob Astor. His New York cousin, Moses Yale Beach, became a pioneer of the penny press newspapers, and the father of innovator Alfred Ely Beach and politician Moses S. Beach, who ran the New York Sun under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

George Henry Yale's uncle, Andrew Yale, owned a shipbuilding company in Old Montreal and Hochelaga, manufacturing steamers, sloops and barges. His customers included the family of the Lords of Boucherville, through Dr. Charles Boucher de Grosbois, brewer merchant.

Career

George Henry Yale followed his family as a child to St-Antoine de la Rivière-du-Loup. In 1856, Yale bought land on the Maskinongé River from Samuel Gerrard, Lord of Carufel and Lanaudière, and gave it the name of Yaletown. He built on the land a tannery, two commercial buildings, a mill, a saw mill and a flour mill. The tannery is then under the management of his brother Sylvestre Yale and their nephew William Laurent, under the name of Yale, Laurent & Company. In 1868, Yale paid back $70,000 of debts to Americans Brown & Childs, who were one of the largest shoe manufacturers of Montreal. Yale acquired it back from his family in 1872, with Maj. Lambert as a partner, and added the company to his portfolio of businesses, now including the village of Yaletown with its fourteen houses. On September 2, 1868, Yale is recorded a customer of the luxurious British American Hotel in Old Montreal, built by John Molson, and had been previously a guest of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in 1859. In 1871, his leather manufacturing business represented about 62% of the total economic output of Rivière-du-Loup.

In 1873, Yale sold his properties to F. Shaw & Bros, tanners of Montreal, which were sold back to Donoan & Moran, leather manufacturers of Montreal. His son-in-law, Maj. Lambert became one of the aldermen of the city, and Yale was reelected mayor in 1882, and alderman in 1883.

Yale's son-in-law, Major Francois-Xavier Lambert, served under Col. Charles-Eugène Panet, later Senator, and was among the general staff of Sir Adolphe-Philippe Caron, Minister of Militia and Defence, and Maj. Gen. Sir Frederick D. Middleton. Lambert then served at the adjutant general office under Commanding Gen. Sir Edward S. Smyth, and was made Senior Major under Lt. Col. de Lotbinière Harwood, grandson of the Marquess of Lotbinière.

Later career

In 1882, Yale founded a shoe factory named La manufacture de chaussures de la ville de Louiseville, with MP Édouard Caron, and 3 other merchants. In the same year, he was one of the three candidates to the House of Commons of Canada, trying to obtain a seat in Canada's Parliament, but was defeated by 319 votes to Frédéric Houde, a newspaper owner.

In 1882, Yale sold some factories to Marceau, which were seized by Banque Ville-Marie in 1884, and sold in March 1888, to John Heenan for $8,500. The capital stock was at $50,000. The village grew to 150 inhabitants, with the tannery producing 20,000 leather products per year. Calixte's son, Paul Galibert, became board director of the Montreal Street Railway, Canada Steamship Lines, and the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Co. of Sir Rodolphe Forget and Sir Herbert Samuel Holt.

Death In 1891, Yale's factories burned down for a third time, bringing losses of more than $15,000, and was once again uninsured. In the same year, Maj. Yale left Louiseville to established himself permanently in Montreal.

Under Premier Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, 1st Baronet, Yale was appointed Justice of the Peace on many occasions for Maskinonge County, and was described as an industrialist. Other nominees included Senator John Jones Ross, previously Premier of Quebec, and Senator Hippolyte Montplaisir.

George Henry Yale died on June 18, 1897, in Montreal.

Yale's brothers-in-law were Charles Robert, merchant tailor, and Mr. Papineau, a cabinet maker in Montreal. His nephew, politician Arthur Yale, would achieve much success in Plateau-Mount Royal, being one of its first aldermen and investors, and his great-grandson, lawyer Jacob Yale Fortier, would become proprietor of number of enterprises related to clothing, alcohol, real estate and other ventures. His grandniece was Claire Yale.