Lomer Gouin

Sir Lomer Gouin, Jean, PC, KCMG ( born March 19, 1861 in Grondines, Quebec Province, † March 28, 1929 in Quebec ) was a Canadian politician. From 1897 he was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec. In 1905 he took over the presidency of the Parti libéral du Québec, this led to the electoral victory and was until 1920 the Prime Minister of Quebec. In 1921 he was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Liberal federal cabinet and was until 1925 a Member of the House of Commons. The last three months of his life he served as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.

Biography

Gouin, the son of a doctor, studied law at the Université de Laval in Montreal. His internship, he completed at John Abbott, the future Prime Minister of Canada, and the former Justice Minister Rodolphe Laflamme. In 1884 he was admitted as a lawyer. His law firm partners belonged to Louis -Olivier Taillon, who later became two-time Prime Minister of Québec. In 1888 he married Élisa Mercier, daughter of the incumbent Prime Minister Quebec Honoré Mercier.

First political experiences collected Gouin as a liberal candidate in the general election in 1891, where he longtime Minister Hector -Louis Langevin defeated in the election district Richelieu. For the Parti libéral du Québec, he was, however, in 1897 the elections to the National Assembly of Québec successfully. Simon- Napoléon Parent Gouin convened in October 1900 in the provincial government, as Minister of Colonization and Public Works. Parent fell over corruption allegations party internally under massive pressure. Together with two other ministers Gouin resigned in February 1905 and brought with it a month later to the parent case.

Deputy Governor Louis- Amable Jetté commissioned Gouin with the formation of a new government. He took over the party presidency and resigned the office of the Prime Minister on 23 March 1905. During his fifteen year tenure managed Gouin to increase the revenue of the province by almost four times - by federal subsidies, higher clearing fees and the sale of water rights to use electricity works. Although the expenditure similar rose sharply, but succeeded the government each year to generate a surplus and reduce debt. Twice Québec could take over large parts of the Northwest Territories: On 13 June 1898, the area was beaten to the coast of James Bay Province, on May 15, 1912, the Ungava district in northern Labrador.

Gouins government was very interested in the development of education. In addition to the establishment of numerous normal schools for girls, the focus was primarily in the development of technical and scientific education. It originated polytechnic schools in the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, 1910, the École des hautes études commerciales in Montreal on their operation. Although limited Gouin the sale of alcohol a, but he refused a comprehensive prohibition. Under pressure from church circles, the government had in 1919 adopted a strict prohibition law, however. This turned out to be a non- enforceable, why less restrictive rules came into force after a short time. The introduction of women's suffrage, he resolutely rejected, as is the introduction of conscription during the First World War.

After Gouin in 1919 celebrated a landslide victory in a row for the fifth time, he appointed Louis -Alexandre Taschereau to be his successor and resigned on 8 July 1920. Taschereau retaliated by 1921 he appointed him a member of the Legislative Council. He held this office only a few months. He entered as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada in the general election in 1921 and won the constituency Laurier - Outremont, lack of opposition candidates by acclamation. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King took him in December 1921 as minister of justice in the federal cabinet.

In the cabinet Gouin was increasingly isolated since he was against the reduction of customs tariffs, which were demanded by the farmers in western Canada. Eventually he gave at the beginning of 1924 his resignation as minister announced. In 1925, he decided not to seek re-election as Member of Parliament House of Commons and devoted himself thereafter entrepreneurial activities. Mackenzie King refused several times to appoint a Senator Gouin. However, after four years, he agreed to make him instead for Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. On January 10, 1929 Gouin was sworn in by Governor-General Lord Willingdon. Almost three months later he died of a severe angina attack and was buried in the cemetery of Notre- Dame-des- Neiges in Montreal.

Lomer Gouin named after include the Gouin Reservoir and the boulevard Gouin, the longest street on the Île de Montréal. Léon Mercier Gouin and his sons Paul Gouin and his nephew Gaspard Fauteux were also well-known politicians.