Paul E. Mercier

Paul E. Mercier, one of the best known civil engineers in Montreal and a member of the firm of Baulne & Mercier, has won a position of high standing in his profession. He was born at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, March 15, 1877. His father was the late Hon. Honore Mercier, premier of Quebec, of whom a more extended mention appears elsewhere in this work, while his mother previous to her marriage was Virginie St. Denis.

When four years of age Mr. Mercier was brought to Montreal and in the schools of the city pursued his early education. He afterward attended St. Mary’s College and was graduated with honor from Ecole Polytechnique with the Bachelor of Science degree in 1899. During his holiday periods he was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and following the completion of his college course he went to the Yukon, where he spent a year as assistant engineer of the Dominion public works and two years as district engineer in the Yukon.

Following his return Mr. Mercier was for two years district engineer of Dominion public works for the district of Quebec and from 1904 until 1907 was engineer in charge of work of the National Transcontinental Railway. In the latter year he returned to Montreal and opened an office as consulting engineer, while in 1910 he formed a partnership with S. A. Baulne, with offices in the Shaughnessy Building. Reading between the lines one may see that his progress has been continuous and that he has advanced step by step until he now occupies a commanding position in engineering circles. His ability has increased through experience and continuous study and investigation. He keeps abreast with the leaders of the profession in all that pertains to his chosen life work and his ability has won him wide recognition and well earned reputation. In 1911 he was appointed professor of railway engineering at Ecole Polytechnique and in 1913 was appointed on the board of examiners for the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. On May 16, 1914, he was appointed deputy chief engineer of public works of Montreal. He has important membership relations along professional lines. He has been secretary of the Association des Anciens Elèves de L’Ecole Polytechnique since its organization and he has been professor of transportation and communication at l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal. He is a member of the American Railway Engineering Association, the Quebec Land Surveyors’ Corporation, the Society of Civil Engineers of France and the Association International Congress of Navigation. Mr. Mercier is also well known in military connections. He is captain of the Corps of Guides of the Canadian Volunteer Militia and organized and commands as major the Canadian Officers Training Corps of Laval University.

On the 29th of June, 1901, Mr. Mercier was married, at Whitehorse, Yukon, to Miss Marie Louise Tache, of Ottawa, Ontario, and their children are Simone, Jeanne, Yvonne and Heva.