- Joseph Papineau
Joseph Papineau (
October 16 1752 –July 8 1841 ) was a notary, seigneur and political figure inLower Canada .He was born in
Montreal in 1752, the grandson ofSamuel Papineau , and studied withJean-Baptiste Curatteau , who advised his parents to send the boy to thePetit Séminaire de Québec to complete his studies. After completing his schooling, he studied to be a surveyor withJean de Lisle . He conducted surveys of a number of seigneuries in the Montreal area. He later studied with de Lisle again, this time as a notary, and he qualified to practice in 1780. During theAmerican Revolution , he carried military dispatches for Governor Guy Carleton. In 1779, he married Rosalie, the daughter ofFrançois-Pierre Cherrier , a prominent notary. His business as a notary prospered. He also managed a number of seigneuries on behalf of the religious communities that owned them. He was also able to expand his own real estate holdings. In 1801, he acquired part of the seigneury of Petite-Nation in lieu of fees and, in 1803, purchased the remainder.In 1784, he became involved with the Canadian reform movement, which lobbied the British government for a legislative assembly. In 1792, he was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Montreal; he was elected in Montreal East in 1796 and again in Montreal in 1800. He helped defeat a measure to have the proceedings of the assembly recorded in English only. In 1809 and 1810, he was elected in Montreal East; his sonLouis-Joseph Papineau was elected to the same assembly.In 1814, he retired from politics and concentrated on developing his properties along the
Petite-Nation River . In 1817, he sold the property to his son Louis-Joseph and resumed work as a notary and surveyor. Although reform-minded, unlike his son Louis-Joseph, he supported constitutional reform.He died in Montreal in 1841 after suffering a long illness.
His son Denis-Benjamin also played a role in the politics of Canada East, serving as joint premier in the Legislative Assembly.
External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3592 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.assnat.qc.ca/FRA/Membres/notices/o-p/papijo.htm National Assembly biography] (in French)
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