Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau | |
---|---|
14th Premier of Quebec | |
In office July 8, 1920 – June 11, 1936 | |
Monarchs | George V Edward VIII |
Lieutenant Governor | Charles Fitzpatrick Louis-Philippe Brodeur Narcisse Pérodeau Lomer Gouin Henry George Carroll Esioff-Léon Patenaude |
Preceded by | Lomer Gouin |
Succeeded by | Adélard Godbout |
MNA for Montmorency | |
In office December 7, 1900 – August 17, 1936 | |
Preceded by | Édouard Bouffard |
Succeeded by | Joseph-Félix Roy |
Personal details | |
Born | Quebec City, Quebec | March 5, 1867
Died | July 6, 1952 Quebec City, Quebec | (aged 85)
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse |
Marie-Emma-Adine Dionne
(m. 1891) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (French pronunciation:
Early life
Taschereau was born in
He received a law degree from
A member of the Legislative Assembly from 1900 onwards, he served as Premier Lomer Gouin's Minister of Public Works from 1907 to 1919.
Premier of Quebec
Elected Premier in 1920, at a time when the
A pioneer in advocating the exploitation of the huge hydraulic potential the waterways of the new Quebec, Taschereau understood the limited capital available in a sparsely populated Canada, and actively tried to bring in American investment to develop Quebec's industrial potential and try to stop mass emigration south of the border.
His policies challenged the traditional
Taschereau introduced a measure in 1930 to create a
Another policy of Taschereau involved the alcohol trade. The Alcohol Beverages Act established the Quebec Liquor Commission (predecessor to the modern Société des alcools du Québec), which provided the government of Quebec with a monopoly on the sale of liquor and wine during the era of Prohibition in the United States.
Taschereau created the Beaux-Arts schools in Quebec City and Montreal and subsidized scientific and literary works. He was awarded France's Legion of Honour, the Order of Leopold (Belgium), and made a Commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium.
In the later years of his premiership, discontent inside the Liberal Party became evident. The more "radical" left wing of the party left the Liberals and formed a new party, the Action libérale nationale. Paul Gouin, the son of Lomer Gouin and grandson of Honoré Mercier, joined this new party. Later, the Action Libérale Nationale merged with the Conservative Party of Quebec to form the Union Nationale party under the leadership of Maurice Duplessis, who had become famous by exposing the Taschereau cabinet's misdeeds before the Accounts Committee of the Legislative Assembly.
After his brother Antoine admitted to the Accounts Committee that he had deposited the interest on funds belonging to the Legislative Assembly into his personal bank account, Premier Taschereau resigned in favour of fellow Liberal Adélard Godbout, who was sworn in as premier in June 1936. Two months later Godbout lost the election to the Union Nationale, and 40 years of Liberal rule came to an end.
The premier served on the boards of a number of major companies, including:
Taschereau won the 1923 election, 1927 election, 1931 election and 1935 election and resigned in 1936.
Death
On his passing in Quebec City in 1952, Taschereau was interred in the
See also
Further reading
- Vigod, Bernard L. (1986). Quebec Before Duplessis: The Political Career of Louis-Alexandre Taschereau. ISBN 978-0-77350588-9.
External links
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.