Joseph-Édouard Turcotte
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte (October 10, 1808 – December 20, 1864) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada East.
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He was born in Gentilly, Lower Canada in 1808. He studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. In 1831, he lost his right arm in an accident. Deciding not to pursue a future in the priesthood, he studied law with Elzéar Bédard and was called to the bar in 1836. He practice law at Quebec City and then Trois-Rivières. He became a supporter of Louis-Joseph Papineau and supported the parti patriote. In 1841, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Saint-Maurice; he opposed the union of the Canadas. He was forced to resign because he had accepted two government posts, but was reelected in an 1842 by-election; he was defeated in 1844. He was named solicitor general for Canada East in 1847 but was forced to resign in 1848 after two unsuccessful attempts to gain a seat in the assembly. In 1851, Turcotte was elected again in Saint-Maurice; in 1854, he was elected in Maskinongé as a Reformer. He served as mayor of Trois-Rivières from 1857 to 1863. In 1858, he was elected to the assembly for Champlain, now as a member of the parti bleu; in 1861, he was elected in Trois-Rivières. He served as speaker from 1862 to 1863. He was reelected in Trois-Rivières in 1863 and served until his death in Trois-Rivières in 1864.
Turcotte also played an important role in the economic development of the region, including railway links and the founding of a college there. He owned and was of the Journal des Trois-Rivières from 1847 to 1853.
His son Arthur served as a member in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and his son Gustave-Adolphe-Narcisse was a member of the Canadian House of Commons. His daughter Marie-Louise married Ernest Pacaud, a Quebec lawyer and journalist.
External links
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
- "Joseph-Édouard Turcotte". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Act of Union adopted in 1840 |
MLA, District of Saint-Maurice 1841–1844 |
Succeeded by François Lesieur Desaulniers, Moderate Reformer |
Preceded by Edward Greive, Tory |
MLA, District of Trois-Rivières 1845–1848 |
Succeeded by Antoine Polette, Moderate Reformer |
Preceded by Louis-Joseph Papineau, Radical Reformer |
MLA, District of Saint-Maurice 1851–1854 |
Succeeded by Louis-Léon Lesieur Desaulniers, Parti bleu |
Preceded by District created in 1853 |
MLA, District of Maskinongé 1854–1858 |
Succeeded by Louis-Honoré Gauvreau, Parti bleu |
Preceded by J.-B. Lajoie |
Mayor of Trois-Rivières 1857–1863 |
Succeeded by Louis-Charles Boucher de Niverville |
Preceded by Thomas Marchildon, Parti rouge |
MLA, District of Champlain 1858–1861 |
Succeeded by John Jones Ross, Parti bleu |
Preceded by William McDonell Dawson, Tory |
MLA, District of Trois-Rivières 1861–1865 |
Succeeded by Louis-Charles Boucher de Niverville, Parti bleu |
Preceded by Henry Smith |
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Canada 1862–1863 |
Succeeded by Lewis Wallbridge |