Jean-Louis Beaudry

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Jean-Louis Beaudry

Jean-Louis Beaudry (born March 27, 1809 in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines , Lower Canada , † June 25, 1886 in Montreal ) was a Canadian politician and businessman . Through wholesale, real estate and as a banker, he rose to become one of Montreal's wealthiest people. He was mayor of the city three times: from 1862 to 1866, from 1877 to 1879 and from 1881 to 1885. He was also a member of the Legislative Council of Québec from 1867 .

biography

Beaudry grew up on his family's farm and moved to Montreal in 1823 , where he worked in a clothing store for the next three years. He then ran a shop in Leeds County , Ontario, on a contract until 1827 . Together with his brother Jean-Baptiste, he opened their own shop in Montreal in 1834, mainly selling bankruptcy goods at low prices. Due to his professional activity, he made a dozen trips to Europe over the next 15 years.

In the 1820s, Beaudry began to support the Parti patriote , which advocated economic and social reform. In 1827 he signed a petition against the planned unification of Upper Canada and Lower Canada . In 1837 he was elected one of the vice-presidents of the paramilitary organization Société des Fils de la Liberté . When the Lower Canada Rebellion broke out in November 1837 , he fled the city; it is not known whether he took part in the subsequent fighting. At the end of the month he was safe in the US state of Vermont, collecting money and ammunition for a planned invasion of Canada. After Lord Durham issued a general amnesty for the insurgents, Beaudry returned to Montreal in June 1838.

Beaudry was successful in the real estate business and became very wealthy. In addition, he participated in numerous companies; In 1861 he was one of the co-founders of the Banque Jacques-Cartier . In addition, he held a leading position at the port authority for decades. In 1849 Beaudry signed the Montreal Annexation Manifesto . In both 1854 and 1857 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Parliament of the Province of Canada . He enjoyed great support from many French Canadians due to his determination and persistence; However, his numerous political opponents accused him of being honest, but stubborn, irascible and impolite. In 1860 he entered the Montreal city council in a by-election . In the mayoral election in 1862, he beat the incumbent Charles-Séraphin Rodier , despite bitter opposition from the English-speaking local press. During his first term of office, the city's professional fire department was founded . In 1866, Beaudry decided not to be re-elected because the competition from Henry Starnes seemed too great. After the Canadian Confederation was established in 1867, he was appointed to the Upper House of Québec , the Legislative Council. He belonged to this until his death.

In 1868 Beaudry ran again for mayor, but was clearly defeated by William Workman . However, he was successful in the mayoral election in 1877. A year later he prevented outbreaks of violence during a march of the Orange Order through the targeted use of the police . Although this earned him a lot of sympathy among the Catholic population, he was defeated in the mayoral election in 1879 Sévère Rivard . One of the reasons for this was that due to financial difficulties of the Banque Jacques-Cartier, he was no longer elected to the board of directors, which damaged his reputation. After Richard's resignation, Beaudry took over the office of mayor for the third time in 1881. As a result, however, the public became increasingly fed up with his ongoing arguments with the city council and his sidestepping. In 1885 he was clearly defeated by Honoré Beaugrand .

His younger brother Prudent Beaudry was Mayor of Los Angeles from 1874 to 1876 .

literature

  • Gaétan Frigon: Jean-Louis Beaudry, entrepreneur, patriote, and politician, in Legacy. How french Canadians shaped North America. McClelland & Stewart, Toronto 2016; again 2019, ISBN 0-7710-7239-2 , pp. 66-68 (then further sections on Victor Beaudry, mining magnate and on Prudent Beaudry)
    • (in French) Bâtisseurs d'Amérique: des canadiens français qui ont faite de l'histoire. Ed. André Pratte, Jonathan Kay. La Presse, Montréal 2016, pp. 215–242 (about several people)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Beaudry, Jean-Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1809
PLACE OF BIRTH Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines , Lower Canada
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 1886
Place of death Montreal