Francis Cassidy

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Francis Cassidy

Francis Cassidy , QC (born January 17, 1827 in Saint-Jacques-de-l'Achigan , Lower Canada , † June 14, 1873 in Montreal ) was a Canadian politician . In 1873 he was mayor of Montreal.

biography

The son of Irish immigrants grew up in poor conditions on a small farm. Already at a young age Cassidy stood out for his high intelligence, so that he could attend the high school in the city of L'Assomption , with a focus on classical philology . He received financial support from the school's principal. In 1844 he moved to Montreal to study law in a renowned law firm (there was no law faculty at the time). In order to be able to finance his studies, he also taught French . In 1848 Cassidy was admitted to the bar , a little later he was a partner of his employers Pierre Moreau and Charles-André Leblanc. He earned a reputation for being one of the finest criminal and civil law defenders in Montreal. In 1863 he was appointed crown attorney , from 1871 he presided over the Montreal Bar Association.

Cassidy was one of the co-founders of the Institut canadien de Montréal , a liberal educational institution that often came into conflict with the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church . He presided over the institute in 1849/50 and 1857/58. During his second term, numerous members resigned as they sought to remove from the library a number of "immoral" and "disbelieving" books that were on the index . Cassidy refused to give in to the demand, whereupon he was sharply criticized by Bishop Ignace Bourget in several pastoral letters .

In 1863, Cassidy turned down an offer to become Minister of Justice of the Province of Canada in the government of John Sandfield Macdonald and Louis-Victor Sicotte , as he wanted to preserve his independence. In 1871 he was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly of Québec in the Montreal-West constituency. In February 1873, he was elected mayor of Montreal. After only five months in office, he died of a serious illness at the age of 46.

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personal data
SURNAME Cassidy, Francis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 17, 1827
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint-Jacques-de-l'Achigan , Lower Canada
DATE OF DEATH June 14, 1873
Place of death Montreal