Félix-Gabriel Marchand

Félix-Gabriel Marchand (January 9, 1832 – September 25, 1900) was a journalist, author, notary and politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the 11th premier of Quebec from May 24, 1897, to September 25, 1900.

Félix-Gabriel Marchand
Marchard, c. 1900
11th Premier of Quebec
In office
May 24, 1897 – September 25, 1900
MonarchVictoria
Lieutenant GovernorJoseph-Adolphe Chapleau
Louis-Amable Jetté
Preceded byEdmund James Flynn
Succeeded bySimon-Napoléon Parent
MNA for Saint-Jean
In office
September 1, 1867 – September 25, 1900
Preceded byfirst member
Succeeded byPhilippe-Honoré Roy
Personal details
Born(1832-01-09)January 9, 1832
Dorchester (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), Lower Canada
DiedSeptember 25, 1900(1900-09-25) (aged 68)
Quebec City, Quebec
Political partyLiberal
Spouse
Hersélie Turgeon
(m. 1854)
Children11
Alma materCollège Antoine-Girouard
Occupationjournalist, author, notary
Professionpolitician

Born in what is Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec today, he was the son of Lt.-Colonel Gabriel Marchand (1780–1852) J.P., and Mary MacNider, a woman of the Anglican faith, daughter of John MacNider, 2nd Seigneur of Metis, Quebec. As a child, Marchand attended English schools and was taught in French at the age of 11. Fluently bilingual, Marchand became a journalist and writer. He became a notary and practised this profession for 45 years, but continued journalism and writing as well.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the 1867 Quebec provincial election for the district of Saint-Jean and retained his seat for 33 years until his death. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1892 to 1897, and then won the 1897 election as leader of the Liberal Party.

As premier, Marchand attempted to create a Ministry of Education in 1898. At the time, education was entirely in the hands of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church in the province. His legislation was passed by the Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of Quebec's legislature), but was defeated in the Legislative Council (the upper house). It was not until 1964 that a Ministry of Education was finally created in Quebec.

Félix-Gabriel Marchand was still in office when he died in 1900 in Quebec City. He is interred in the cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont in Sainte-Foy, Quebec.

Dr. André Simard, husband of Marthe Simard, was his grandson.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Frédéric Smith (January 31, 2018). "La première femme parlementaire de France vivait à Québec – Le Québec et les guerres mondiales" (in French). Lequebecetlesguerres.org. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
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Legislative Assembly of Quebec
Preceded by Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
1887–1892
Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by President of the Royal Society of Canada
1897–1898
Succeeded by