Biography Daniel Gallery

Born 13th April 1859; Died November 9 1920

Daniel Gallery, the fifth son of Thomas Gallery and Mary Ellen O’Neill, was born in Slievedooley, Labasheeda, Co Clare, where Thomas farmed. In the early 1860s Thomas was evicted from the farm and the family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Thomas went first with his sons, Mary-Ellen followed a few years later as she had a terminally ill daughter. The family prospered in Montreal. One of Daniel’s brothers John had a very successful bakery and confectionery business - “Gallery Brothers”. There is a square in Montreal named after the family, Gallery Square.

Daniel was educated at the Christian Brothers’ school. He worked as a grocer, baker and brewer and also had a tailoring business. He served both as alderman (for St Anne’s Ward from 1898 to 1903) and mayor of Montreal. He sat as a Member of Parliament for the riding of St Anne’s in the Canadian House of Commons from 1900 until 1906. He served as liberal party whip under Sir Wilfred Laurier from 1902 to 1905.

Daniel strongly supported Catholic education for the English speaking Catholics of Montreal, denied to Catholics in Ireland under Penal Law He served as a commissioner of the Catholic School board of Montreal for four years and was instrumental in bringing over the Presentation Brothers to Canada. He was a lifelong member of the Young Irishman’s Literary and Benefit Association.

Daniel was a member of several benevolent societies including the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Knights of Columbanus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which he was elected Vice President in 1910. He was also an organiser and promoter of the Home Guard in Montreal after the outbreak of the First World War.
Daniel was a great promoter of his Irish heritage and an advocate of Home Rule in Ireland. His obituary mentions his maternal grandfather John O’Neill of Slievedooley’s support of Daniel O’Connell and Daniel’s descent from the Sheehy, Lysaght and McMahon families.

Daniel was married to Mathilda O’Neill. They had seven daughters and one son.

Sources

1. Family records and Letters of Susan Potter Lee, a Gallery descendant
2. The Canadian Parliament; biographical sketches and photo-engravures of the senators and members of the House of Commons of Canada. Being the tenth Parliament, elected November 3, 1904 (1906)
3. Canadian National Archives Audet, [n.d.], pp. 681-682. (translated from the French)
4. Obituary of Daniel Gallery (translated from the French)
5. June 21 1915 Clare Journal Article, “A Loyal Clareman in Canada”.
6. Montreal Daily Star, 27 June 1898, page 10 “The ’98 Centenary, Montreal, 1898”
7. Montreal Daily Star, 30 November 1898, page 10 Irish famine black rock, Montreal, 1898
8. Parliament of Canada Biography
9. Binghampton Press New York July 21 1910, “AOH Elects”.
10. Montreal 1513-1914 Under British Rule 17601914 by William Henry Atherton, Ph.D.

See also Daniel Gallery's Wikipedia entry.

Family Histories