Aldis Bernard

Aldis Bernard ( * 1810, † July 3, 1876 in San Jose, California ) was a Canadian politician and dentist. From 1873 to 1875 he was mayor of the city of Montreal. He was also the first President of the Dental Association of the Province of Quebec.

Biography

About Bernards origin little is known. He may have been born around 1810, the son of Loyalists in the region of Estrie, in the southeast of the present-day Canadian province of Quebec. He studied dentistry in Philadelphia and then practiced in the southern United States. In 1840 he lived on the Niagara Peninsula; a year later he settled in Montreal, where he opened a dental practice. As the Government of the Province of Canada in 1847 wanted to standardize medical education, Bernard sought to obtain recognition also his profession. Dentistry enjoyed then, however, a bad reputation and was not considered. 1869 founded the dentists Québec the association Ordre des dentistes du Québec; Bernard was, until his death its first president.

Bernard was from 1858 to 1861 and from 1866 a member of the City Council of Montreal. He chaired the committees on public order, health and finances. He also proposed a regulation on the operation of the first horse-drawn railway, which was opened in 1861. In 1872, he managed to negotiate the first municipal bond in the London financial market after the Treasurer had failed at this task. As Mayor Francis Cassidy died on 14 June 1873, the City Council chose Bernard as interim successor. 1874 was followed by the confirmation in a popular election. During his tenure, the application of the Parc du Mont -Royal and the construction of the new city hall began. 1875 Bernard did not stand for re-election. He moved to San Jose in California, where he died in July 1876. His remains were interred in Montreal.