Théodore Robitaille

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Théodore Robitaille

Théodore Robitaille , PC (born January 29, 1834 in Varennes , Lower Canada , † August 17, 1897 in New Carlisle , Québec ) was a Canadian politician and doctor . From 1867 to 1879 he was a Conservative Member of the House of Commons , after which he served as Vice-Governor of the Province of Québec until 1884 . After all, he was a member of the Senate from 1885 until his death .

biography

Robitaille received his education at the seminary in Sainte-Thérèse . He then completed a medical degree at McGill University in Montreal . He received his license to practice medicine in 1858, whereupon he settled in the small town of New Carlisle and opened a practice with his brother Louis. In 1861 he was elected a member of the Bonaventure constituency of the Lower House of Canada . In the general election in 1867 he was successful in the same constituency, as in the first election to the National Assembly of Québec in the same year.

From January to November 1873 Robitaille was a member of the federal cabinet of John Macdonald as treasurer. At the beginning of 1874 he had to give up his seat in the National Assembly, as double mandates at the provincial and federal level were no longer permitted. Governor General Lord Argyll swore him in on July 26, 1879 as Lieutenant Governor of Québec, succeeding the dismissed Luc Letellier de Saint-Just . He held this representative office until November 6, 1884. Robitaille often hosted artists and writers in his residence. He asked Calixa Lavallée to compose a melody for Adolphe-Basile Routhier's poem O Canada , the later national anthem of Canada.

In January 1885, Robitaille was named senator by Prime Minister John Macdonald . He prospered as president of a railroad company but was embroiled in the Chaleur Bay scandal . The company had received generous subsidies to build a railway line on the Gaspé Peninsula, but never began construction and went bankrupt in 1890. The aftermath of the scandal led to the resignation of the liberal Prime Minister Honoré Mercier in 1891 . Robitaille himself remained a senator until his death.

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personal data
SURNAME Robitaille, Théodore
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician and doctor, lieutenant governor of Québec
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1834
PLACE OF BIRTH Varennes (Quebec)
DATE OF DEATH 17th August 1897
Place of death New Carlisle (Quebec)