Moses Judah Hays (1799 – 12 November 1861) was a Canadian businessman and municipal leader. He established and managed the first

water-works Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

in Montreal, and served as the city's

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

from 1854 until his death.

Early life

Moses Judah Hays was born into a prominent Jewish family in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. His mother, Brandele Abigail (; 1762–1840), was the sister of fur trader David David. His father, Andrew Hays (1742–1835), one of the founders of the Shearith Israel Synagogue, came from a well-established

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

family which emigrated from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

to the United States in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. Among his relatives were lawyer Daniel P. Hays, ophthalmologist

Isaac Hays Isaac Hays (1796 – 1879) was an American ophthalmologist, medical ethicist, and naturalist. A founding member of the American Medical Association, and the first president of the Philadelphia Ophthalmological Society, Hays published the fir ...

, police officer , and painter .

Career

Hays began his career as a clerk in Montreal's Royal Engineers Department, and continued to contribute to civic life for many years thereafter. He joined the Montreal Mechanics' Institution in 1829. When Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832, Hays established its first municipal water system, which he operated until selling it to the city at a loss in 1845. He was also a director of

Joseph Masson Joseph Masson (January 5, 1791 – May 15, 1847) was a Canadian businessman, who is considered the first French Canadian millionaire. Seigneur of Terrebonne, Quebec, president of Masson societies, president of the City Gas, he was also vice-p ...

's gas company and of the Montreal Provident and Savings Bank, and between 1836 and 1840 served as a judge on the Court of Special Sessions which administered the city. In 1837, he and

Benjamin Hart Benjamin Hart (born 17 October 1977) is an English actor best known for his roles as Foz in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', and as Adam Rhodes in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. Biography Acting career Hart attended Rodborough ...

were appointed

magistrates 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 judici ...

, becoming the first Jews in Canada to be appointed to that office. Incendie de la maison Hayes square Dalhousie Montreal

He opened Hays House in Dalhousie Square in 1847. The four-storey block of buildings included a hotel, a shopping area, and a theatre, and featured a panoramic view extending over the entire city. It became a centre of activity for Montreal's '' nouveau riche''. The theatre hosted concerts by

Anna Bishop Anna Bishop (9 January 181018 March 1884) was an English operatic soprano. She sang in many countries on every continent, and was the most widely travelled singer of the 19th century.Nicolas-Charles Bochsa, the

Germania Musical Society The Germania Musical Society (1848–1854) was an orchestra that performed in the United States in the mid-19th century. Its musicians emigrated from Germany after a successful tour of England.H. Earle Johnson. "The Germania Musical Society." Musi ...

, and others, as well as theatrical performances. After the burning of the Parliament Buildings in April 1849, Hays leased the building to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

to serve as its temporary seat. It was destroyed in the

Great Fire of 1852 The Great Fire of 1852 was a fire in Montreal that began on July 8, 1852, and left as many as 10,000 people homeless (at a time when the city's population was only 57,000) and destroyed almost half of the city's housing. The fire occurred at a tim ...

. Hays was active in the Montreal Jewish community, serving as ''

gabbai A ''gabbai'' ( he, גבאי), also known as ''shamash'' (, sometimes spelled ''shamas'') or warden ( UK, similar to churchwarden) is a beadle or sexton, a person who assists in the running of synagogue services in some way. The role may be under ...

'' and later president of the Shearith Israel Synagogue. He planned and superintended the construction of a new building for the Synagogue, which opened in 1838. In 1847, he and Rev.

Abraham de Sola Abraham de Sola (; September 18, 1825 – June 5, 1882) was a Canadian rabbi, author, Orientalist, and academic. Originating from a large renowned family of rabbis and scholars, De Sola was recognized as one of the foremost leaders of Orthodo ...

organized the Hebrew Philanthropic Society to assist poor Jewish immigrants. Outside the Jewish community Hays served as president of the Montreal Agricultural Society, secretary of the Montreal Mechanics' Institute, and a member of the Provincial Grand Lodge. In 1849 he was appointed to Montreal's Central Board of Health. In 1854 he was installed as Chief of Police. Hays died of a sudden heart attack on the morning of 12 November 1861.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Moses Judah 1799 births 1861 deaths 19th-century Canadian Jews Anglophone Quebec people Montreal police chiefs