(1862-11 Oct. 1943), businessman. Born in Scotland. Parents: Thomas Hall and his wife Margaret. He was educated at Liverpool College, England, and was employed in Britain as a marine engineer. In 1902, he went to Montreal, where he formed the Montreal firm of Hall Engineering Ltd. Hall remained proprietor of this firm of marine engineers and shipbuilders till his retirement in 1920. Among his many business activities and commitments, he was also managing director of the Montreal Dry Dock & Repairing Company At a time which seems to have been 1920 or later, following his retirement from other businesses, he formed the Laurentide Air Service, Ltd. This firm, which is said in his obituaries to have been Canada’s “first commercial aviation firm,” was involved in carrying mail, timber cruising, forestry patrol and other commercial tasks. The Standard-Freeholder obituary stated that he had been called “the father of commercial aviation in Canada.” For many years he and his wife maintained the old Cariboo Cameron (John A. Cameron) house of Fairfield, at Summerstown in Glengarry, as their summer residence. A newspaper in 1940 described their Glengarry property as “the Hall estate at Summerstown… previously… known as the Cariboo Cameron Farm.” (Standard Freeholder 17 Jan. 1940) Thomas Hall died at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal. He is buried at Mount Royal Cemetery. (at least four children, three surviving him) He was survived by his wife, Alice Henderson. By an earlier marriage, 1895, he was married to Beatrice Ballantyne. He was a Mason. Recreationally, he belonged to several yacht clubs. He was known in shipbuilding, marine engineering and aviation.

The Montreal Daily Star 12 Oct. 1943, Standard Freeholder 13 Oct. 1943 * Stiles 126 (portrait) * Who’s Who and Why 1921, 177-178 (portrait) * Fairfield, “summer home” of Thomas Hall, damaged in fire, Cornwall Standard 9 April 1925 * Montreal directory, 1920-1921 (engineering firm), 1922-1923 (Laurentide firm)