Honoré Mercier
Honoré Mercier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 9th Premier of Quebec | |
| In office January 27, 1887 – December 21, 1891 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Lieutenant Governor | Louis-Rodrigue Masson Auguste-Réal Angers |
| Preceded by | Louis-Olivier Taillon |
| Succeeded by | Charles Boucher de Boucherville |
| Member of Parliament for Rouville | |
| In office October 12, 1872 – January 22, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | Guillaume Cheval dit St-Jacques |
| Succeeded by | Guillaume Cheval dit St-Jacques |
| MNA for Saint-Hyacinthe | |
| In office June 3, 1879 – June 17, 1890 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre Bachand |
| Succeeded by | Odilon Desmarais |
| MNA for Bonaventure | |
| In office June 17, 1890 – October 30, 1894 | |
| Preceded by | Henri-Josué Martin |
| Succeeded by | François-Xavier Lemieux |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1840 Parti National |
| Spouse(s) | Léopoldine Boivin (death) Virginie Saint-Denis |
| Alma mater | Jesuit College Sainte-Marie |
| Occupation | Lawyer, newspaper editor |
| Profession | politician |
Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ). He rose to power by mobilizing the Francophone opposition to the execution of Louis Riel, denouncing it as a betrayal by John A. Macdonald's Conservative government.
Early background
Mercier was born in
Member of Parliament
In 1871, he was instrumental in creating the short-lived Parti National. Mercier successfully ran as a
Provincial politics
In 1879, Mercier was appointed Solicitor General of Quebec in the
He left an impact on a later leader, Henri Bourassa.
Party leader
He became the leader of the PLQ in 1883. A practising lawyer, from 1885 to 1887 he was President of the Bar of Montreal. He strongly opposed the execution of Louis Riel in 1885; this event helped him win popular support, and the Quebec Conservative Party lost support because its federal counterparts had ordered Riel's execution.[1]
Seizing the opportunity to build a coalition with dissident Conservatives, Mercier revived the "Parti National" name for the
Premier of Quebec
Seeing provincial autonomy as the political expression of Quebec nationalism, he collaborated with Ontario Premier Oliver Mowat to roll back federal centralism. Mercier initiated the idea of interprovincial conferences in 1887. He was the first Quebec premier to defend the principle of provincial autonomy within the confederation, campaigning to abolish the federal government's claimed right to veto provincial legislation.[2]
With his strong nationalist stance, Mercier was very much a precursor of later nationalist premiers in future decades who confronted the federal government and tried to win more power for Quebec. He promoted contacts with
Political downfall
On December 16, 1891, he was dismissed by Lieutenant Governor Auguste-Réal Angers after a report concluded that his government had diverted public funds. He lost the 1892 election,[3] and gave up the party leadership to Félix-Gabriel Marchand. He was brought to trial later that year and found not guilty when a second report concluded differently on the matter. However, his health had greatly deteriorated and his political career was over. He died in 1894 at the age of 54, and was interred in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec.
Legacy
The following landmarks were named to honour Honoré Mercier:
- The Mercier Bridge that links the western part of the Island of Montrealwith the South Shore;
- The town of Mercier, Quebec;
- Avenue Mercier, located in downtown Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada;
- The provincial electoral district of Mercier;
- An elementary school named Honoré-Mercier in Montreal;
- A high school named Honoré-Mercier in Montreal;
- A hospital in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec named Hôpital Honoré-Mercier;
- Avenue Honoré-Mercier, located in the Quebec City centre;
- The borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and its contained district of Mercier in Montreal.
Family
His son
Mercier was
Electoral record
| 1872 Canadian federal election: Rouville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Liberal | Honoré Mercier | 1,033 | ||||||
| Liberal | Guillaume Cheval, Alias Saint-Jacques | 977 | ||||||
| Source: Canadian Elections Database[4] | ||||||||
| 1878 Canadian federal election: St. Hyacinthe | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Conservative | Louis Tellier | 1,181 | ||||||
| Liberal | Honoré Mercier | 1,175 | ||||||
See also
- Politics of Quebec
- History of Quebec
- Quebec general elections
Archives
There is a Honoré Mercier fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[5] There are also two fonds at Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.[6]
References
- ^ a b c Browning, Thomas Blair (1901). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 161–162.
- ISBN 9780888626042.
- ^ Honore Mercier Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Honore Mercier[dead link]
- ^ Sayers, Anthony M. "1872 Federal Election". Canadian Elections Database. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Honoré Mercier fonds, Library and Archives Canada".
- ^ Fonds Famille Mercier (P74) and Fonds Famille Mercier-Gouin (P764), Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).
Further reading
- Doughty, Arthur George (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). p. 153.
- Dufour, Pierre; Hamelin, Jean (1990). "Mercier, Honoré". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XII (1891–1900) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Wade, Mason. The French Canadians 1760-1967 (2 vol. 2nd ed. 1975), Vol. 2. pp 417–33 online
Primary sources
- Mercier, Honoré. "Answer of the Hon. Honoré Mercier to the Pamphlet of the Equal Rights Association Against the Majority of the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec (1890) online
External links
- Works by or about Honoré Mercier at Internet Archive
- "Honoré Mercier". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
- Honoré Mercier – Parliament of Canada biography
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
- Extensive dossier on Mercier at L'Encyclopédie de l'Agora (in French)
- 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
