Alfred Duclos DeCelles, CMG (August 8, 1843 – October 5, 1925) was a Canadian journalist, writer, lawyer and librarian. For thirty-five years, from 1885 to 1920, he was the head of the Parliamentary Library in Ottawa. He often signed his name as A.D. DeCelles.

Biography

DeCelles was born in

Saint-Laurent, Quebec Saint-Laurent () is a borough of the city of Montreal, Canada, located in the northern part of the island. Although it is no longer an independent city, it is still commonly known as Ville Saint-Laurent (''City of Saint-Laurent'') or by its initi ...

. His parents were Augustin-Candide Duclos DeCelles, a notary, and Marie-Sarah-Anne Holmes. After attending the primary school in his native village, he studied at the Quebec City seminary, where he completed his classical studies. Director of his institution's library, he became editor of the Le Journal de Québec newspaper at the invitation of

Joseph-Édouard Cauchon Joseph-Édouard Cauchon, (December 31, 1816 – February 23, 1885) was a prominent Quebec politician in the middle years of the nineteenth-century. Although he held a variety of portfolios at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, h ...

, who was leaving for Europe. An associate from 1867 to 1872, he completed his law studies and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1873. He married Eugénie Dorion in 1876. His son Alfred De Celles is a linguist. When

Antoine Gérin-Lajoie Antoine Gérin-Lajoie (; August 4, 1824 – August 7, 1882) was a Québécois Canadian attorney, poet and novelist. He was the author of the famous poem "Un Canadien errant" ('A Wandering Canadian'), as well as the novels roman du terroir ''Jea ...

died in 1882, he was replaced as head of the Parliamentary Library by

Alpheus Todd Alpheus Todd (July 30, 1821 – January 22, 1884) was an English-born Canadian librarian and constitutional historian, most notable for his publications on parliamentary government.H. R. Tedder, 'Todd, Alpheus (1821–1884)', rev. Elizabeth Baig ...

, and DeCelles became his assistant. Todd died in 1884. The following year, Decelles was appointed as his successor. He retired in 1920. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1907. As Chief Librarian of Parliament, he was not only a public servant, but a scholar. One of the founders of the Club des Dix, he was a contributor to several journals, including L'Opinion publique, La Revue canadienne, La Presse, La Minerve, La Nouvelle-France and Le Canada français. As a biographer and historian, he wrote the history of the United States and also wrote about

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Low ...

, Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

. The quality of his writing was praised by Bishop

Amédée Gosselin Amédée Gosselin (September 30, 1863 – December 20, 1941) was a Canadian historian, academic administrator and Roman Catholic priest. Early life On September 30, 1863, Gosselin was born in Saint-Charles-de-Bellechasse, Canada East. E ...

. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he participated in major projects and wrote articles in the Makers of Canada (21 volumes, 1906-1911) and Canada and Its Provinces (23 volumes, 1913-1917) collections. After his death on October 5, 1925 in Ottawa at the age of 82, a tribute was paid to him by Georges Pelletier, a journalist with Le Devoir.

Works

* ''La Crise Du Régime Parlementaire'', (1887) * ''Papineau - Extraits De Sa Correspondance Intime'', (1891) * ''Les Hommes Du Jour - A B Routhier'', (c1891) ith Louis-H Taché* ''Les Hommes Du Jour - Sir Alexandre Lacoste'', (c1892) ith Louis-H Taché* ''Les Hommes Du Jour - L R Masson'', (c1892) ith Louis-H Taché* ''Les Etats Unis'', (1896) * ''Papineau And Cartier'', (1900) * ''Papineau'', (1905) * ''La Fontaine, Cartier'', (1907) * ''The 'Patriotes' Of '37:... The Lower Canada Rebellion'', (1916) * ''The Constitutions Of Canada'', (1918) * ''Laurier Et Son Temps'', (1920) * ''A La Conquête De La Liberté En France Et Au Canada'' * ''The Province Of Quebec From 1867 To Date'' * ''The Habitant In Canada'' Source:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Celles, Alfred 1843 births 1925 deaths 19th-century Canadian historians 19th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian historians Historians from Quebec Journalists from Montreal Lawyers in Quebec Parliamentary Librarians of Canada People from Saint-Laurent, Quebec Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George