Aristide Blais (October 18, 1875 – November 10, 1964) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
physician and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
Early life
Blais was born on October 18, 1875, in
Berthier, Quebec
Berthierville ()(also called Berthier-en-haut, and legally called Berthier before 1942) is a town located between Montreal and Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Berthierville is the seat of D'Autray ...
, to Narcisse Blais and Philomène Buteau.
He attended
Laval University
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Lux ...
earning a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
and medical degree in 1899.
Blais did two years of post-graduate medical studies in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
He married Antoinette Bolduc on April 9, 1903, and they had one daughter together. He later married Marie Moriarty and they also had one daughter together.
Early in his medical career, Blais partnered with French-Canadian physician and Senator
Philippe Roy
Philippe Roy, (February 13, 1868 – December 10, 1948) was a Canadian physician, politician, and diplomat.
In 1906, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada representing the senatorial government division of Edmonton, Alberta. During this ...
in practice.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Blais served as a captain in the
Canadian Army Medical Corps, later promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed in charge of the No. 6 Casualty Clearing Hospital in
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest tow ...
, France.
During his time he also served with the 38th Battalion and the 11th Field Ambulance Corps.
Political life
Blais was summoned to the Canadian Senate in 1940 by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Mackenzie King. A
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, he represented the senatorial division of St. Albert, Alberta. Blais publicly noted his appointment to the Senate was a tribute to French Canadians in Alberta, and a fulfillment of former Prime Minister
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 ...
's promise upon Alberta entering
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
in 1905, that French Canadians in the province would always have a Senate representative.
Blais served until his death on November 10, 1964, at 89 years of age, at Shaughnessy military Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia.
See also
*
List of Alberta senators
References
External links
*
1875 births
1964 deaths
Canadian senators from Alberta
Franco-Albertan people
Liberal Party of Canada senators
20th-century Canadian legislators
20th-century Canadian physicians
Canadian Expeditionary Force officers
Université Laval alumni
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