Lieutenant Colonel Frederick William Hibbard

Lieutenant Colonel Frederick William Hibbard has been frequently before the public as a speaker and writer upon topics of public interest. Although never a candidate he was for years a participant in both federal and provincial politics and has appeared on numerous public occasions both in the province of Quebec and in that of Ontario. He is the senior member of the firm of Hibbard, Boyer & Gosselin, and a successful member of the Montreal bar. Ireland claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred in Dublin on the 19th of October, 1865. His father was the late Lieutenant Colonel Ashley Hibbard, of Montreal, and his mother was Sarah Ann Hibbard, the second daughter of the Rev. Ambrose Lane, M. A., perpetual curate of St. Thomas, Pendleton, Manchester, England.

After spending some years under private instruction, Lieutenant Colonel F. W. Hibbard entered McGill University, where he took his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886. After a couple of years spent in teaching he returned to the university for the study of law, graduating as B. C. L. in 1891. In addition to the degree of B. C. L. received in that year he was also gold medallist. In 1892 he received the degree of M. A. He began practice as a barrister in 1893 and was created king’s counsel in 1907. His advancement at the bar has been continuous and long since he left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few. From 1907 until 1910 he was crown prosecutor for the district of Montreal, and his clientele of a private character has been extensive and important. In literary circles he is known and has given papers and addresses upon a number of subjects. In 1903 he was president of the St. James Literary Society of Montreal. His popularity as a lecturer is based both upon the entertaining and the instructive nature of his discourses. He has addressed various audiences upon the following comprehensive subjects:—Canadian Constitutional Government, The Land Defence of Canada, The Value of Organized Effort in Municipal Affairs, The Prophecy of the West, and Canadians at Home and Abroad. He is not merely a theorist, for his ideas have many times taken practical, tangible form, and in 1910 his fitness for the position led to his appointment to the presidency of the Quebec public utilities commission. In military circles his name is known, for he holds a first class certificate from the Royal School of Artillery, and in 1894 joined the Second Regiment Canadian Artillery as a lieutenant. He was advanced to the rank of captain in 1895, major in 1897, lieutenant colonel in command in 1901 and R. O. in 1906. He was one of the artillery officers of the Second Canadian Contingent at Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, received the Diamond Jubilee medal from the hand of King Edward, and was presented to the late Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. In 1900 he was elected to the presidency of the Montreal Military Institute and in 1905 became vice president of the Dominion Artillery Association.

Lieutenant Colonel Hibbard was married in November, 1898, to Miss Emily Laura Baker, the third daughter of Joseph S. Baker, of Dunham, P. Q. He finds recreation in golf and has been president of the Outremont Golf Club. He is a member of the St. James and University Clubs and the Quebec Garrison Club. A liberal in politics, he has been active in support of the principles of his party, recognizing the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship. In religious belief is an Anglican, having twice served as warden of his church, is a member of the synod of Montreal and of the executive committee of the diocese. Mr. D. A. Lafortune, his colleague as crown prosecutor, has characterized him as “a man of dignity and learning.” His lifelong habit of study and investigation, his deep and continuous interest in important public questions, and his earnest purpose, prompting him to action in behalf of the public welfare, have made him a citizen of value in advancing progress and working toward that better ordering of things which is always the goal of progress.