Gustave Henry May (June 2, 1881 – May 31, 1943) was a photographer and politician in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada. He co-operated the first photo-engraving business in
western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
and served on the
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
from 1912 until 1914.
Biography
Gustave May was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1881 to Gustave Charles May (1845–1896) and Estelle Lebrethon, both of French ancestry. He came to Edmonton in 1904, where he became a partner with his brother-in-law Percy Byron in the Byron-May company, the first photo-engraving business in the Canadian west. In the 1910 municipal election he ran for alderman on the
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
, but finished tenth of eleven candidates. He was elected to a one-year term in the next election on a single-plank platform of increasing the availability of water within the city, and was re-elected to a two-year term in
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6 ...
. Having suffered a nervous breakdown earlier in the year, he did not seek re-election at the conclusion of this term in 1914.
At the time of the 1911 Census of Canada, he was living in Edmonton with his wife, Florence, and their sons, Gilbert, Joseph and Gustave. His occupation was listed as photographer. At the time of the 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, May was living in Edmonton with his wife, Florence, and their sons, Gilbert (age 10), Joseph (age 8), Gustave (age 6), and George (age 1). The census recorded him being in the photo business.
May moved back to the United States in 1918. In a draft registration card completed at the time of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, May indicated that he was living on Park Avenue in Fairview,
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.1930 United States Census
The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...
, he was working as a newspaper journalist and living in
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Ridgefield Park is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the village's population was 12,729,World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1942, May was living with his son, Joseph May, at 184 Teaneck Road in
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Ridgefield Park is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the village's population was 12,729,Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...
, of an
epithelioma
Epithelioma is an abnormal growth of the epithelium, which is the layer of tissue that covers the surfaces of organs and other structures of the body.
Classification
Epitheliomas can be benign growths or malignant carcinomas. They are classifi ...
. He was buried at Maple Grove Park Cemetery in Hackensack.New Jersey Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, death certificate #86 egistrar's No. 31 May 1943, Gustave A. May; NJDARM microfilm, Death Certificates #906 (1943: Lombardi, D.-Meu); New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.