William James Hushion

The Hon.
William James Hushion
Senator for Victoria, Quebec
In office
February 15, 1940 – January 29, 1954
Appointed byWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King
Preceded byEdmund William Tobin
Succeeded byJohn Thomas Hackett
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for St. Ann
In office
1935–1940
Preceded byJohn Alexander Sullivan
Succeeded byThomas P. Healy
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for St. Antoine
In office
1924–1925
Preceded byWalter George Mitchell
Succeeded byLeslie Gordon Bell
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Montréal–Sainte-Anne
In office
1923–1924
Preceded byBernard-Augustin Conroy
Succeeded byJoseph Henry Dillon
Member of Montreal City Council
Member of Parliament
for Saint-Joseph ward
In office
1914–1928
Personal details
Born(1883-11-03)November 3, 1883
Montreal, Quebec
DiedJanuary 29, 1954(1954-01-29) (aged 70)
Montreal, Quebec
Political partyLiberal
Other political
affiliations
Quebec Liberal Party
ProfessionBusinessman

William James Hushion (November 3, 1883 – January 29, 1954) was a Canadian businessman and politician.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Daniel Hushion and Margaret Phelan, he started working with his father and eventually started his own company, W. J. Hushion.[1] He worked as a grain merchant, and was president of Dominion Distilleries[2] Montreal Transfer Terminal Ltd., Seven Industries Ltd. and Clinton Distilleries Corporation, as well as vice-president of Montreal Distilleries Corporation.[1] He was a director of several other companies: Hushion and Hushion Ltd., Canada Catering Co. Ltd., Rock Product Co. Ltd., Wesh Coal Corporation, Nu-Way Box Co. Ltd. and Quebec Flour Mills.[1] He was listed as a promoter of Montreal and Quebec Products Exchanges Inc.[1] He also volunteered with hospital boards, and was named governor for life of Hôpital Notre-Dame in 1923 and of St. Mary's Hospital in 1924.[1] He was a member of several clubs, including Club de réforme, Mount Stephen Club, Club Saint-Denis, Club canadien, Club Senneville and Shamrock Athletic Association.[1]

In 1916, he was defeated as a Liberal Party of Quebec candidate in the riding of Montréal–Sainte-Anne in the 1916 Quebec provincial election. He was also defeated as a Liberal Party of Canada candidate in the riding of St. Antoine in the 1917 federal election. He served on Montreal City Council from 1914 to 1928.[3] He was elected in 1923 to the Quebec Legislative Assembly in the riding of Montréal–Sainte-Anne. He resigned in 1924 and was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the riding of St. Antoine in a 1924 by-election. He was defeated in 1925 and 1930. He was re-elected in the 1935 federal election in the riding of St. Ann. He was summoned to the Senate of Canada in 1940 in the senatorial division of Victoria, Quebec. He served until his death in 1954. He is buried in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.

The Bain Hushion, a public bath at 757, rue des Seigneurs in Montreal, was named after him.[3] The building was damaged by fire and permanently closed in 1988,[3][4] but will be renovated into housing for aboriginal women.[5]

He had a son, also named William James Hushion, who married Marielle Herdt. That couple had a son, William J. Hushion (April 16, 1940 – April 8, 2020), who owned a book distribution company, Hushion House.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
  2. ^ Allen, Ralph (31 August 2021). Ordeal by Fire: Canada, 1910-1945 [Canadian History Series #5]. Good Press.
  3. ^ a b c "Bain Hushion Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal". Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Bain Hushion | Chronologie de Montréal". chronomontreal.uqam.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ Brasseur, Nicolas (14 January 2021). "Des logements sociaux pour les femmes autochtones dans le Sud-Ouest". Journal Métro (in Canadian French). Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Obituary: William J. Hushion". Quill and Quire. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.