Aldis Bernard ( 1810 – 3 July 1876) was a Canadian
dentist and politician, the
Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1873 and 1875.
Dental career
Bernard was educated in dentistry at
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, after which he practiced as a dentist in the southern United States. He married there and in 1840 moved back to Canada first residing in the
Niagara Peninsula. In 1841, he settled in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
and established a dental practice there.
When the government was planning a governing organisation for doctors in 1847, Bernard lobbied to have dentistry included in the law that would establish the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Lower Canada. This effort was unsuccessful largely due to the medical establishment's negative view of dentistry at that time. The Dental Association of the Province of Quebec was eventually formed in 1869 with Bernard as its founding President.
Political career
His first terms as a Montreal municipal councillor for Montreal Centre ward began in 1858 and ended in 1861. He returned to city politics in 1866 and again served as a councillor until the death of Mayor
Francis Cassidy in June 1873. City Council then appointed Bernard as interim Mayor to serve out the remainder of Cassidy's term. Voters returned Bernard to the Mayor's post in the 1874 city elections. Under his leadership,
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...
s such as
Mount Royal Park and Dufferin Park were established. Work on a new city hall also commenced under Bernard's watch.
Personal life
The circumstances of Bernard's birth have not been confirmed, but his obituaries suggest he was born in Quebec's
Eastern Townships to
United Empire Loyalist
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America du ...
parents.
Mary Webb Meredith was Bernard's first wife until her death in 1845. He remarried in 1852 to Sarah Couch, a member of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in contrast to Bernard's Protestant church membership. He had eight children, one of whom with his first wife.
Bernard did not seek another term as Mayor in 1875. He moved to
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
shortly before his death in July 1876. His body was returned to Montreal for burial on 15 July 1876.
References
External links
A Brief History of Mont Royal: A day-in-the-life of Victorian-Era Montreal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Aldis
1876 deaths
Canadian dentists
Mayors of Montreal
1810 births
19th-century dentists