Antoine-Aimé Dorion

Antoine-Aimé Dorion
The Honourable Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion December 1873; Topley Studio, Library and Archives Canada
Born	January 17, 1818 Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Lower Canada
Died	May 31, 1891 (aged 73) Montreal, Canada
Occupation	French Canadian Leader of le Parti Rouge (reformers) Opposed to Confederation.

Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, PC (January 17, 1818 – May 31, 1891) was a French Canadian politician and jurist. ^[1]

Early years

Dorion was born in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade into a family with liberal values that had been sympathetic to the Patriotes in 1837-1838. His father, merchant Pierre-Antoine Dorion, was a representative of the Patriote party in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1830 to 1838.

After studies at the Nicolet seminary from 1830 to 1837, Dorion began a law career in Montreal and was admitted to the bar in 1842.

Government

Dorion in 1865, collection of the Law Society of Upper Canada

In 1858 Dorion served as Co-Premier of the Province of Canada with Clear Grit leader George Brown (Canadian politician) but the government quickly fell. From 1863 to 1864 Dorion again served as Co-Premier, this time with John Sandfield Macdonald as well as taking the position of Attorney-General but refused to participate in the Great Coalition government formed in 1864 by Brown, John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier. Following the Quebec Conference of 1864 he denounced the proposed Canadian Confederation and led the opposition in Lower Canada to the project. He was also the leader of the Parti Rouge and thought the provinces would lose their power if Confederation was put into action. He disapproved that the colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were uniting under a central government.

House of Commons

Nevertheless, when Confederation became a reality, Dorion won a seat in the new Canadian House of Commons as Liberal Member of Parliament for Hochelaga. He was re-elected three times in succession for Napierville and served as Minister of Justice in the Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie from the 7 of November 1873 until 1 June 1874 when he was named chief justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Quebec. ^[2]

Death

He died on 31 May 1891. ^[2]

Honours

The Township Municipality of Dorion in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada, was named in his honour (but renamed to Cayamant in 1988).

Family

In 1848 Dorion married the daughter of Dr. Trestler of Montreal.^[2]

See also

• List of Presidents of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal

References

1. "Canadian Encyclopedia". Historica Foundation, Toronto. 2011< Retrieved 31 Jan 2011>
2. Browning 1901.

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Browning, Thomas Blair (1901). "Dorion, Antoine Aimé". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement​. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Sources

• "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
• "Antoine-Aimé Dorion". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
• Antoine-Aimé Dorion – Parliament of Canada biography