Edmund James Flynn (November 16, 1847 – June 7, 1927) was a Canadian politician and the tenth

premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of th ...

, from 1896 to 1897.

Background

Flynn, the son of Jacques Flynn and Elizabeth Tostevin, was born at Percé on November 16, 1847. He studied law at the Université Laval in Quebec City from 1871 to 1873, obtaining his degree with distinction. On 16 Sept. 1873 he was called to the bar of the province of Quebec and he took up his profession in the region where he was born.

Member of the legislature

Flynn became the

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 ...

Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Gaspé in 1878. He

crossed the floor Crossed may refer to: * ''Crossed'' (comics), a 2008 comic book series by Garth Ennis * ''Crossed'' (novel), a 2010 young adult novel by Ally Condie * "Crossed" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' S ...

in 1879 and joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, a very controversial move at that time, an action which was shocking in the Gaspé riding where he was a favourite son, and a gallant chivalric-like orator on campaign. Flynn won re-election each time until

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

. In that year, Honore Mercier's

Parti National The Parti National was the name taken by the Liberal Party of Quebec, Canada, under the premiership of Honoré Mercier. Origin and beliefs It was founded on November 17, 1885, the day following the execution of Métis Leader Louis Riel. Many ...

won a

landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...

and Flynn lost his seat. Flynn ran for the federal Conservatives in the 1891 federal election for the riding of Quebec County, but lost. Flynn was sent back to the provincial legislature in 1892 and was re-elected in 1897.

Conservative Leader

He succeeded

Louis-Olivier Taillon Sir Louis-Olivier Taillon (September 26, 1840 – April 25, 1923) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was the eighth premier of Quebec, serving two separate terms. Political career Taillon's first term of office was just four days, from J ...

Conservative 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 i ...

Leader, became the tenth

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of th ...

in 1896. In office he was concerned with public works, Crown Land adjudication and improving the quality of primary education and the compensation for schoolmasters. This short tenure marked the final time that the Conservative Party held power in Quebec. In the 1897, his government suffered electoral defeat to the more popular

Félix-Gabriel Marchand Félix-Gabriel Marchand (January 9, 1832 – September 25, 1900) was a journalist, author, notary and politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the 11th premier of Quebec from May 24, 1897, to September 25, 1900. Born in what is Saint-Jean-sur- ...

. During the remainder of his term as a legislator, Flynn served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

Judge

Flynn had taught a course in Roman law at Université Laval in Quebec City from the late 1870s. Flynn had been appointed a judge of the Superior Court for the district of Beauce in June 1914. In June 1920 he was appointed Judge of the Court of King's Bench, an office he held for the rest of his life. Flynn died at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, June 7, 1927 and his remains were interred in the

cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont The Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont (English: Belmont Cemetery) is a historic garden cemetery located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Roman Catholic cemetery was built between 1857 and 1859. Its architect, Charles Baillargé, took inspirati ...

Sainte-Foy, Quebec ) , image_skyline = Complexe Jules Dallaire.jpg , image_caption = Boulevard Laurier in Sainte-Foy , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield ...

Electoral record

References