Joseph Masson

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Joseph Masson (January 5, 1791 – May 15, 1847) was a Canadian businessman who is often called the first French‑Canadian millionaire. Born in Saint-Eustache, Lower Canada, he came from a family with modest means and started his career in commerce as a young apprentice. In 1812 he joined the Scottish merchant Hugh Robertson; after a near bankruptcy in 1814, Masson became a partner in 1815 and gradually led the Canadian operations, expanding into import‑export and building a strong trading network.

By the 1830s Masson controlled most of the group’s capital and pressed to grow the business, especially with Britain. He invested in ships (one named Sophie after his wife) and pushed for canals and railways. In 1832 he helped found Canada’s first railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. He also invested in urban utilities, helping to develop gas lighting and water services in Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto. He became a major shareholder and leader of the Montreal gas company, and in 1841 helped form the Quebec water and gas company. He also helped start the City of Toronto Light, Gas and Water Company, where he served as president. He joined the Bank of Montreal and rose to vice‑chairman in 1834.

Masson bought the Terrebonne seigneurie in 1832 and turned it into a growing center of trade with mills and forges. He served in public life as a member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada (1834–1838) and of the Montreal City Council from 1842, and he declined an offer to become mayor. He was a militia captain, a churchwarden, and a justice of the peace. Although generally loyal to the government, he helped hide Louis‑Joseph Papineau in 1837 during the unrest. In 1845 he became president of the Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste Association.

Masson died in 1847 in Terrebonne and is remembered as the first French‑Canadian millionaire. After his death, his wife Sophie Raymond Masson and their children continued his businesses. Sophie helped develop Terrebonne, built the Masson manor, and founded Collège Masson in Terrebonne.