Jonathan Saxton Campbell Würtele, (January 27, 1828 – April 24, 1904) was a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

, lawyer, judge and political figure. He represented Yamaska in the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec The Legislative Assembly of Quebec (French: ''Assemblée législative du Québec'') was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature from 1867 to December 31, 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, t ...

from 1875 to 1886.

Biography

He was born at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

in 1828, the son of merchant

Jonathan Würtele Jonathan Würtele (September 16, 1792 – November 19, 1853) was a seigneur, merchant and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born in Quebec City in 1792, the son of a merchant of German origin. He entered business at Quebec and took ov ...

. He attended Quebec High School, studied law privately with

Jean Chabot Jean Chabot (October 15, 1806 – May 31, 1860) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada East. He was born in Saint-Charles near Lévis in 1806 and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He articled in law with Elzéar Bédar ...

, and was called to the bar in 1850. He practised law at

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 ...

with Henry Hague Judah. After the death of his father in 1853, he inherited the seigneuries of Deguire (also known as Rivière-David), Bourg-Marie-Est, Saint-François and La Lussaudière. He settled at Saint-David-d'Yamaska, where he served as justice of the peace, chairman of the school board and mayor. He helped found the

Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (french: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic assoc ...

there and also served as its president. In 1854, he married Julia, the daughter of

Wolfred Nelson Wolfred Nelson (10 July 1791 – 17 June 1863) was the mayor of Montreal, Quebec, from 1854 to 1856. Biography Nelson was born in Montreal. His father, William Nelson, was an immigrant to Colonial America from Newsham, North Yorkshire, En ...

. He founded the Yamaska Navigation Company in 1858 which transported goods along the Yamaska and

Saint-François River The Saint-François River is a right tributary of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its source is Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards Sherbrooke, where it changes course ...

s. Würtele was chief clerk of the Seigneurial Commission, charged with settling the claims for compensation following the abolition of seigneurial tenure in 1854. He returned to his law practice in partnership with

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...

from 1866 to 1868 and then with Frederick Thomas Judah. He also taught commercial law at

McGill College McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University ...

. He received the degree of B. C. L. from McGill in 1870, and of D. C. L. in 1882. In 1873, he was named

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

. He married Sarah Braniff in 1875, after the death of his first wife. He was made an officer of public instruction in 1880 and an officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

in France in 1882. Würtele negotiated a loan in France for the province of Quebec in 1880, and organized at the same time the Credit foncier Franco Canadien, of which he was a director. He has been counsel of the

German Society of Montreal The German Society of Montreal (French: ''Société allemande de Montréal''; German: ''Deutsche Gesellschaft zu Montreal'') is a Montreal-based non-profit organization with the mission to promote the German language and culture in Montreal and to ...

, and has held the offices of chief clerk of the seignioral commission, mayor of St. David, and president of the school commissioners of that place. Würtele was elected to the legislature of Quebec, reelected in 1878 and in 1881, and again in 1882 on his being appointed provincial treasurer. He served as provincial treasurer from 1882 to 1884 and speaker for the legislative assembly from 1884 to 1886. In 1886, he was named judge in the

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Qu ...

, first for Ottawa district and, in 1888, for Montreal district. In 1891, he was named associate judge in the Court of Queen's Bench and, in 1892, puisne judge in the same court. He wrote ''Manual of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec'' (Quebec, 1885). He died at Montreal in 1904 and was buried in the

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (french: Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run a ...

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wurtele, Jonathan Saxton Campbell 1828 births 1904 deaths Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs Presidents of the National Assembly of Quebec Judges in Quebec Mayors of places in Quebec Canadian people of German descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Politicians from Quebec City Lawyers in Quebec Canadian King's Counsel Academic staff of McGill University Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery