Dr. de Sola was married in 1852 to Esther Joseph, the youngest daughter of Henry Joseph, of Berthier, one of the earliest Jewish settlers in this country. Of his several children, the eldest son, the Rev. Meldola de Sola, succeeded him as rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, and another son, Clarence I. de Sola, is general manager of the Belgian syndicate, “Comptoir Belgo-Canadien.”
The history of Canada’s great industrial and commercial growth during the past thirty or forty years is but the history of such men as Robert Meighen one of the foremost business men of his generation, whose intense and intelligently directed activity constituted a potent force in the material development and progress of not only the city and province of his adoption but various other sections of the Dominion as well. His birth occurred at Dungiven, near Londonderry, Ireland, April 18, 1838, his parents being Robert and Mary (McLeghan) Meighen, whose family numbered five children. The family history shows a long line of Irish ancestors.
Robert Meighen was educated at Perth, Ontario, for following the father’s death the mother brought her family to the new world, settling at Perth, where her sons were educated and established themselves in business as retail and wholesale merchants. The firm of A. Meighen & Brothers has for many years been one of the most extensive mercantile firms doing business in the old Bathurst district. Robert Meighen carried on business in partnership with his brother at Perth, Ontario, until 1879, when he removed to Montreal and entered into business relations with his brother-in-law, Sir George Stephen, later Lord Mount Stephen, whom he succeeded as president of the New Brunswick Railway, which now forms part of the Canadian Pacific Railway system. Successful from the outset of his business career, Mr. Meighen continually extended his efforts into other fields. He became one of the founders of the Lake of the Woods Milling Company, establishing and operating mills and elevators at Keewatin and Portage la Prairie, which are among the largest and best equipped in the world. Shortly after the organization of this company Robert Meighen became its president, which position he retained till the time of his death, directing its policy and formulating the plans upon which the mammoth business was constructed. This represented, however, but one phase of his activity. He carried his efforts into many fields, none of them failing to profit by his cooperation.