Ernest Pacaud (August 25, 1850 – April 19, 1904) was a
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
lawyer and journalist.
He was born Philippe-Olivier Pacaud in
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
,
Canada East
Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...
in 1850, the son of
Philippe-Napoléon Pacaud. He attended school in Trois-Rivières and then studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. Pacaud articled in law with his uncle
Édouard-Louis Pacaud, was called to the bar in 1872 and set up practice in
Arthabaska. He joined the local militia during the
Fenian raids.
Pacaud is credited with convincing
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 ...
to enter politics. Pacaud himself ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Quebec assembly in an 1874 by-election. He married Marie-Louise, the daughter of
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte
Joseph-Édouard Turcotte (October 10, 1808 – December 20, 1864) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada East.
He was born in Gentilly, Lower Canada in 1808. He studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. In 1831, he lost his right arm in an a ...
, in 1876. In 1877, he founded ''Le Journal d'Arthabaska''. In 1878, he was named protonotary in the
Quebec Superior Court
The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Qu ...
, clerk for the Circuit Court and crown clerk for the Trois-Rivières district. When the Conservatives came to power the following year, he was relieved of these appointments and he returned to the practice of law in Trois-Rivières. He became editor of a local newspaper, ''La Concorde''.
In 1880, he helped found the Liberal newspaper ''
L'Électeur'' at
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
and became its editor and later its owner. He ran unsuccessfully in Bellechasse for a seat in the House of Commons in 1882. In 1886, he played an important part in the election victory of the
Parti National of
Honoré Mercier. In December 1896, ''L'Électeur'' became ''
Le Soleil'' when the Quebec Catholic bishops forbade the reading of Pacaud's newspaper after he had published several editorials critical of the church. In 1903, Pacaud fell seriously ill and the Compagnie de Publication Le Soleil was formed to take over the operation of the paper.
He died at Quebec City in 1904.
His brother
Gaspard Pacaud
Gaspard Pacaud (June 24, 1859 – August 28, 1928) was a Canadian journalist and political figure in Ontario. He represented Essex North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1886 to 1890 as a Liberal member.
He was born Jean-Baptist ...
was a newspaper editor and also served in the Ontario legislative assembly. His son
Lucien Turcotte Pacaud served in the Canadian House of Commons.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacaud, Ernest
1850 births
1904 deaths
People of the Fenian raids
Canadian newspaper editors
Canadian male journalists
People from Trois-Rivières