Sir Herbert Meredith Marler: The Life and Lineage of a Montreal Patrician

An examination of the patrician ascendancy of the Marler family across three generations, culminating with the ascendancy of the Montreal born lawyer-turned-diplomat Sir Herbert Meredith Marler (1867-1940) into the upper echelons of Quebec and Canadian society. An archetypical patrician, Herbert Meredith Marler imbued an emergent Canadian national identity. Through a contextualization of lineage, the author assesses aspects of Marler's identity – considerations that together illuminate the developments of a life in the public and private spheres of early twentieth century Montreal. Not only was Herbert Meredith Marler a well-educated and wealthy Anglophone lawyer, Member of Parliament, diplomat, and head of Canada's third foreign legation, the author argues that he provides a multi-facet vantage point into Montreal society during a formative period of Canadian history. This article is based on contemporary press reports, Liberal party publications, the memoirs of colleagues, Canadian and Japanese diplomatic cables, and privately penned and published family histories. In addition, th author examined portraits and images from the McCord Museum's Notman collection that reveals Marler's self-perceptions and image-shaping habits. Concluding in late-inter-war period, the author's analysis exhibits a parallel between the closing stages of the life of Sir Herbert Meredith Marler and the end of an era dominated by the ascendant patrician.

Past Tense: Graduate Review of History (University of Toronto Department of History)

Vol. 4

no. 1

38-66

2016

en