George Washington Stephens (22 September 1832 – 20 June 1904) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

businessman, lawyer, and politician. Born in

Swanton, Vermont Swanton, Vermont may refer to: * Swanton (town), Vermont * Swanton (village), Vermont, located within the above town {{geodis ...

, the son of Harrison Stephens (1801–1881) and Sarah Jackson, his father was a wealthy

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

merchant from Vermont who had moved to Montreal in the 1830s. Stephens was born at Swanton while his mother was on a visit there. Stephens was one of the first boys to attend the newly established

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 wa ...

. After leaving school, he worked in the retail hardware trade and with his brother in the family business, then in 1863 Stephens received a law degree from

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 Univ ...

and was admitted to the

Bar of Quebec The Bar of Quebec (french: Barreau du Québec) is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower C ...

. He started practicing law in a partnership but soon practiced alone. In 1865 he married the much younger Elizabeth Mary McIntosh, who was of Scottish origin. They had a son, George Washington Stephens Jr. (1866–1942). After the sudden and unexpected death of Elizabeth, Stephens married her younger sister, Frances Ramsey McIntosh, in 1878. They had a son together, Francis Chattan Stephens (1887–1918), who went to become a stockbroker and, during

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, a Captain in the Canadian 13th Battalion. Chattan, as he was called, married a daughter of Canadian military minister

Albert Edward Kemp Sir Albert Edward Kemp (August 11, 1858 – August 12, 1929) was a Canadian businessman and politician. Kemp was a Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence and Minister of Overseas Military Forces during World War I. A Conservative and ...

in 1912. Their daughter, Frances Elizabeth (1912–2014) married Murray Gordon Ballantyne, son of

Charles Colquhoun Ballantyne Charles Colquhoun Ballantyne, (August 9, 1867 – October 19, 1950) was a Canadian politician. A millionaire and one-time owner of Sherwin Williams Paints in Montreal, Ballantyne was president of the Canadian Manufacturer's Association and ...

, politician. In 1868, Stephens was elected to the

Montreal City Council The Montreal City Council (french: Conseil municipal de Montréal) is the governing body in the mayor–council government in the city of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the ...

as a councillor for the Saint-Laurent ward. He served on the council from 1868 to 1879, 1881 to 1882, and from 1889 to 1892. In

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

, he was elected as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate to 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, ...

for the electoral district of Montréal-Centre. He was defeated in the 1886 election and again in the 1890 election. He was elected again for

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

in the

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and

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punit ...

elections. He was appointed minister without portfolio in the cabinet of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Félix-Gabriel Marchand Félix-Gabriel Marchand (January 9, 1832 – September 25, 1900) was a journalist, author, notary and politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the 11th premier of Quebec from May 24, 1897, to September 25, 1900. Born in what is Saint-Jean-sur ...

in 1897. He was re-appointed to the same office in the cabinet of Premier

Simon-Napoléon Parent Simon-Napoléon Parent (September 12, 1855 – September 7, 1920) was the 12th premier of Quebec from October 3, 1900 to March 21, 1905, as well as serving as President of the Quebec Bridge and Railway Company. Background Parent was born i ...

. He did not run in the 1900 election and was appointed a provincial commission on colonization in 1902. His son, George Washington Stephens, was also a politician in Quebec. His second wife, Frances, perished in the sinking of the British luxury liner ''

RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' (named after the Roman province in Western Europe corresponding to modern Portugal) was a British ocean liner that was launched by the Cunard Line in 1906 and that held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlantic c ...

'' in 1915. Her body was recovered and the coffin sent back to Canada on the ''Hesperian'' which was sunk by a torpedo allegedly by the same German submarine that had sunk the ''Lusitania''.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, George 1832 births 1904 deaths High School of Montreal alumni McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Montreal city councillors Lawyers in Quebec Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Anglophone Quebec people People from Swanton (town), Vermont Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery