Alexander Campbell DesBrisay (1828 – April 8, 1873) was a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

businessman and politician in the Province of New Brunswick. The son of Solomon DesBrisay, and his wife, Mary Campbell, he was a descendant of Captain Théophile de la Cour DesBrisay (1671–1761) whose

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

family fled religious persecution in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and settled in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

before emigrating to Canada. Alexander DesBrisay was born in

Bedeque, Prince Edward Island Bedeque () is a former municipality that previously held community status in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It was dissolved through its amalgamation with the Community of Central Bedeque on November 17, 2014 to create the Commun ...

and educated at a public school. As an adult, he was a successful businessman in both the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

industries. He married Janet Finnis with whom he had six sons and three daughters. A supporter of the Province of New Brunswick joining the proposed

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

, in the February 21, 1865 New Brunswick general election, DesBrisay was voted into office as the

Confederation Party ''Confederation Party'' was a term for the parties supporting Canadian confederation in the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland in the 1860s when politics became polarised between supporters and opponents of Confederati ...

representative for

Restigouche County Restigouche County (2016 population 30,955) is located in north-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county is named for the Restigouche River which flows through the county and is famous for its salmon pools, which have attracted wealthy American ...

in an election won by an

Anti-Confederation Party ''Anti-Confederation'' was the name used in what is now the Maritimes by several parties opposed to Canadian Confederation. The Anti-Confederation parties were accordingly opposed by the Confederation Party, that is, the Conservative and Liberal- ...

made up of a coalition of

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

and Reformers led by

Albert James Smith Sir Albert James Smith (March 12, 1822 – June 30, 1883) was a New Brunswick politician and opponent of Canadian confederation. Smith's grandfather was a United Empire Loyalist who left Massachusetts to settle in New Brunswick after the Am ...

. DesBrisay was reelected in the 1866 New Brunswick general election won by his party. On August 16, 1867,

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Andrew Wetmore appointed him to the

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as a

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. He held this appointment until May 25, 1870, when the Administration was re-organized under the leadership of the new

Liberal-Conservative Party The Liberal-Conservative Party (french: le Parti libéral-conservateur) was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, and again from 1922 to 1938, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as la ...

Premier, George E. King. He was returned to office again in the 1870 provincial election. That fall he resigned his seat in order to run in the November 25 Federal

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for a seat in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

for the constituency of Restigouche to replace

William Murray Caldwell William Murray Caldwell (May 18, 1832 – September 29, 1870) was a New Brunswick businessman and political figure. He represented Restigouche in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1868 to 1870. He was born in Douglas ...

who had died in office. Unsuccessful in his bid for federal office, DesBrisay returned to private business but died a few years later from

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

Dalhousie, New Brunswick Dalhousie ( ) is a formerly incorporated town, located in Restigouche County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick's northernmost point of land is situated in Dalhousie, where the Restigouche River meets Chaleur Bay. On 1 January 2023, Dalhousie merg ...

. He is buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Bathurst.

References

Genealogy of Alexander DesBrisay
*"Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index, 1721-1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KCXD-96L : 11 March 2018), Alexander Campbell Desbrisay, 04 Apr 1829; citing p. 65, volume 1, Richmond, Prince Edward Island, Public Archives, Charlottetown; FHL microfilm 1,487,753. 1828 births 1873 deaths Businesspeople from New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick New Brunswick candidates for Member of Parliament

Alexander C Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Infectious disease deaths in New Brunswick Deaths from smallpox People from Bathurst, New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people {{NewBrunswick-MLA-stub