Alphonse Desjardins (politician)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alphonse Desjardins

Alphonse Desjardins , PC (born May 6, 1841 in Terrebonne , † June 4, 1912 ibid) was a Canadian politician , journalist and entrepreneur . From 1874 to 1892 he was a member of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons , then a senator until 1896 . For seven months in 1896 he was a member of the federal cabinets of Mackenzie Bowell and Charles Tupper . In addition, he held the office of Mayor of Montreal from 1893 to 1894 .

biography

The son of a bailiff received his education at the Collège Masson in Terrebonne. One of his teachers was Louis-François Richer Laflèche, who later became Bishop of Trois-Rivières , from whom he probably adopted the ultramontane worldview. In 1858 he began to study law at the Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal , and in 1862 he was admitted to the bar. He practiced this profession for six years before he decided to become a journalist. First he worked for the newspaper L'Ordre as editor and parliamentary correspondent, from 1872 he worked for Le Nouveau Monde , of which he became a partner and editor-in-chief. This newspaper, supported by Bishop Ignace Bourget , vehemently disseminated ultramontane ideas, rejected any political compromises and condemned liberalism . In recognition of his services to the Catholic Church, Desjardins was awarded the Order of Pius in 1872 .

Desjardins' business activities were varied. He was a member of the board of directors of Banque Jacques-Cartier from 1876 and president from 1879. Shortly before he joined, the financial institution, one of whose founders his father-in-law had belonged, got into financial difficulties. Desjardins managed to reorganize the bank and make it profitable again. In addition, he was involved in several other companies in the insurance, railways and mining sectors, as well as being the president of a brick factory.

In the general election in 1874 Desjardins ran in the constituency of Hochelaga and was elected without opposition by acclamation . He campaigned unsuccessfully in parliament against the banishment of the Métis rebel leader Louis Riel . After his execution in 1885, he organized several protest rallies. Prime Minister John Abbott named Desjardins a senator on October 1, 1892 . In addition, he was elected Mayor of Montreal in 1893, beating incumbent James McShane . At the local level, however, he could hardly make a difference, so that he resigned after only a year. Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell appointed Desjardins to the Federal Cabinet on January 15, 1896, in which he held the office of Secretary of Defense until the end of April. In the short-lived cabinet of Bowell's successor, Charles Tupper , he was Minister for State Construction until June 8, 1896. Eight days later, he finally withdrew from politics.

A banking crisis in 1899 also caused financial difficulties for the Desjardins-run Banque Jacques-Cartier . After more than two decades in office, he had to resign as bank president.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Desjardins, Alphonse
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician, journalist and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH May 6, 1841
PLACE OF BIRTH Terrebonne
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 1912
Place of death Terrebonne , Quebec