Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
Pierre -Joseph -Olivier Chauveau, QC (* May 30, 1820 in Charlesbourg (now part of Quebec City ), † April 4, 1890 in Quebec ) was a Canadian politician and legal scholar. From 15 July 1867 to 25 February 1873 he reigned as Prime Minister, the Province of Québec and during this time was Chairman of the Parti conservateur du Québec. In parallel, he was from 1867 to 1873 Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. He then belonged until 1874 to the Senate.
Biography
Chauveau was born into a wealthy family. His father, a merchant, died when he was four years old. His maternal grandfather then took him and his mother. Chauveau attended the Jesuit -run of the Séminaire de Québec. He was then to study before deciding theology or law, and chose the latter. Among his classmates were Elzéar -Alexandre Taschereau and Luc Letellier de Saint -Just. Seized by the rebellions of 1837 /38 in Lower Canada Chauveau wrote patriotic poems and sent them to the newspaper Le Canadien, where they were published. In 1841, he finally received approval as a lawyer.
Chauveau, 1840 Marie -Louise -Flore mass me which he later had seven children. He accepted the offer of his uncle, enter as a new partner in the law firm. Although actually set against a formation of a Canadian Union, he supported yet other nationalists who considered under certain conditions, such a union serve as the interests of Quebec. In the years 1842/43 he was co-founder of various companies in which he made speeches. In addition, he wrote letters to newspapers in which he brought criticism of colonialism to the language in a moderate tone.
1844 was the decision to devote himself exclusively to politics. In the same year he succeeded the catchment to the House of the fledgling province in Canada, which was created in 1841 through the merger of Upper and Lower Canada. He sat down on the right to the use of French ( sole official language was English ) one in Parliament. Concern caused him especially the emigration of French Canadians to the United States. In the reformist government of Francis Hincks and Augustin- Norbert Morin Chauveau between November 1851 and August 1853 was Deputy Minister of Justice ( solicitor general) for Lower Canada, then provincial secretary until January 1855.
Chauveau announced in July 1855 his parliamentary seat, since he had been passed over for a reorganization of the Cabinet. He moved to Montreal and took on a new role as superintendent of the school board of the province of Quebec. In the following years he was mainly concerned with the development of education. From October 1866 to June 1867 he was commissioned by the state road in Europe to collect suggestions for improving the public education system. After his return Chauveau was considering to sell his house in Quebec City to pay its debts and to found a newspaper. However, a surprising turn in the political process came to his plans before. Since the original candidate for the office of the first prime minister of Quebec, Joseph- Édouard Cauchon ( Mayor of Québec), as appeared not enforceable, moved Lieutenant Governor Narcisse - Fortunat Belleau Chauveau the compromise solution.
Chauveau went on one, took office as the first Prime Minister of Québec on 15 July 1867 and took over the chairmanship of the Parti conservateur du Québec. In addition, he settled in the National Assembly of Quebec choose and performed with success on at the general election in 1867. At the provincial level, he was also Minister of Education in February 1868. In subsequent years, Chauveau had to do with the complicated situation of an administrative structure and conflicting interests. The problem of mass emigration to the U.S. persisted, improvements in the infrastructure of the country were lack of economic powers (these were mainly at the federal level ) difficult to tackle. The Protestants wanted to see safeguarded in terms of maintaining their own schools and minority rights were finally able to enforce a dual system of education, which until 1998 had stock.
Over time, wear and tear were felt at Chauveau. Financial and personal burdens ( two of his daughters died during his term of office ) made it easier for him in February 1873 to respond to the proposal to abandon his offices at the provincial level and its lower house seat. Instead, the Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald appointed him Speaker of the Senate. His successor as premier of Quebec went to Gedeon Ouimet. However, the emergence of the Liberal Party at the federal level began in January 1874 as the end. Chauveau stepped up to the general election in 1874, was defeated this time, however.
Chauveau now hung professionally in the air and had to cope with the death of another daughter. At least he now had time for studies and hired himself for some time as an article writer. He wrote, inter alia, The end of 1874 an article about the Canadian education system, which was published in German in the Encyclopedia of the entire education and public education beginning in 1876. However, his financial situation remained precarious. He saw, for example, forced to sell part of his private library at the McGill University. In 1877 he participated in a senior administrative role in Montreal and eventually moved in 1878 to the new Montreal campus of the Université Laval (now Université de Montréal), where he taught Roman law. From 1884 to 1890 Chauveau was also Dean of the Law Faculty. In his last year, he sat down at his estate in the city of Québec to rest, where he died on 4 April 1890.