Albert Champagne (June 5, 1866 – October 12, 1937) was a

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

rancher, hotel-owner and political figure. He represented

Battleford Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

from 1905 to 1908 and 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 ...

as 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 ...

from 1908 to 1917. He was born in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1866, the son of Séraphin Champagne. He apprenticed as a tailor there before enrolling in the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

in 1885. In 1895, Champagne left the police and purchased a large ranch near

Battleford, Saskatchewan Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" by S ...

. He later sold the ranch and took over the operation of a hotel in Battleford, buying another hotel there a few years later. He was also involved in the sale of horses. In 1904, Champagne became the first mayor of Battleford. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection to the federal parliament for

in 1921. He died at Ottawa in 1937. Champagne was the first

francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

to serve in the Saskatchewan assembly and the only French-speaking member from western Canada during his term in the House of Commons. His brother

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

served in the Ontario provincial assembly and also as mayor of Ottawa.

External links

*
Biography at le Musée Virtuel Francophone de la Saskatchewan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champagne, Albert 1866 births 1937 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Mayors of places in Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Fransaskois people People from Battleford