James Arthur Mathieu

James Arthur Mathieu (August 21, 1869 – November 23, 1966) was known as "the last of the lumber kings,"[1] as well as "the Mighty Man of the Woods" and "the Lath King of America."[2] Born in Alma, Wisconsin.,[3] he became an Ontario lumber merchant, philanthropist and political figure. He represented Rainy River in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario initially as a Liberal-Conservative in 1911, and then as a Conservative from 1914 to 1923 and 1926 to 1929.

James Arthur Mathieu
Ontario MPP
In office
December 11, 1911 – May 10, 1923
Preceded byWilliam Alfred Preston
Succeeded byJohn Fullarton Callan
ConstituencyRainy River
In office
December 1, 1926 – September 17, 1929
Preceded byJohn Fullarton Callan
Succeeded byWilliam Herbert Elliott
ConstituencyRainy River
Personal details
Born(1869-08-21)August 21, 1869
Alma, Wisconsin
DiedNovember 23, 1966(1966-11-23) (aged 97)
Political partyConservative
ProfessionLumber merchant

Biography

Having worked in his youth as a log driver on the Mississippi River,[1] Mathieu came to Rainy River from Minnesota around 1903 as a manager of the Rainy River Lumber Company's sawmill, later becoming manager and vice-president at the Shevlin-Clarke Company.[4] He was later involved in controversy as part of what became known as the "Old Tory Timber Ring,"[5] when fellow Conservative Howard Ferguson, as Minister of Lands and Forests, arranged for the sale of three timber limits in the Quetico Forest Reserve to Shevlin-Clarke for less than half the price they would have normally fetched,[6] and the company later paid a fine of $1.5 million for breaching the Crown Timber Act.[7] The transactions were criticized in a subsequent inquiry.[8]

In 1921, he left Shevlin-Clarke and founded J.A. Mathieu Limited, which set up a mill at Rainy Lake.[9] The company opened another sawmill in 1945 at Sapawe Lake, near Atikokan.[10][11] He was instrumental in pioneering the use of mechanized equipment in the woods (while other firms were still relying mainly on horses), as well as in using aircraft.[12] After his death, the company was acquired by Domtar.[11]

He set up an educational foundation to provide financial assistance for students from the area,[12] for which he was honoured in 1958 by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.[2] Mathieu also established a wildlife reserve and help fund community projects in the region.[12] During his time in the provincial assembly, he helped promote the development of roads to encourage settlement in the district.[12] He also served as President of the Northern Pine Manufacturers Association for 22 years.[2]

References
  1. Smith, Jessica (October 5, 2011). "From the Last of the Lumber Kings, to the Softwood Lumber Dispute". Atikokan Progress. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015.
  2. "Lumbermen To Honor Mighty Woodsman". The Montreal Gazette. February 12, 1962.
  3. Normandin, Pierre G., ed. (1914). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. p. 320.
  4. "J.A. Mathieu Esq., M.P.P." Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. April 15, 1913.
  5. Gillis & Roach 1986, p. 100.
  6. Nelles 2005, p. 386.
  7. "Mixed Division on Timber Bill in Legislature". Ottawa Citizen. March 27, 1922. p. 2., discussing the adoption of The Shevlin-Clarke Timber License Act, 1922, S.O. 1922, c. 20
  8. "Lumber Company is Charged with Fraud". Toronto World. November 2, 1920. p. 5.
  9. "Fort Frances: Where Manufacturing of Lumber, Paper, Machinery produces Wealth". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. December 10, 1925.
  10. "The Past: A Symbolic History". borealforest.org. Lakehead University.
  11. "Atikokan Community Profile" (PDF). atikokaninfo.com. Atikokan Economic Development Corporation. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
  12. "J.A. Mathieu". Fort Frances Times and Rainy Lake Herald. November 23, 1966.

Further reading
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