Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Marie-Joseph-Eugène Fiset, (March 15, 1874 – June 8, 1951) 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, military officer, Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence, Member of Parliament, the

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

Lieutenant Governor of Quebec The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; French (masculine): ''Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec'', or (feminine): ''Lieutenante-gouverneure du Québec'') is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the , who operates distinctly within the province ...

, and the 3rd Canadian Surgeon General.

Early life

Born in

Rimouski Rimouski ( ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski is the site of Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the C ...

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 ...

, the son of Jean-Baptiste Romuald Fiset and Aimee Plamondon, Fiset was educated at Rimouski College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree and M.D. from Laval University.

Military career

He joined the 89th Temiscouata and Rimouski Battalion of Infantry at the age of 16. His military career continued during his studies, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant while a student. In 1899 he succeeded his father as surgeon to the 89th Battalion but, a few months later, joined the Second (Special Service) Battalion of

The Royal Canadian Regiment , colors = , identification_symbol_2 = Maple Leaf (2nd Bn pipes and drums) , identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol_4 = The RCR , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation , mar ...

with the rank of major and saw service in the

South African War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. For his service in the war, he was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) in the October 1902 South African Honours list. With the end of his tour of duty in South Africa in 1900, Fiset interned at the Nose and Throat Hospital in London and L'Hôpital Saint-Antoine in Paris. After a year he returned to Rimouski before becoming an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

in the

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). ...

. In 1902 he was part of the Canadian Coronation Contingent for King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

and traveled to the United Kingdom as the Surgeon-Lieutenant of The Royal Canadian Regiment. In 1903 he was promoted to the rank of colonel and became Director-General of the service. Fiset was promoted to the rank of Surgeon General (Major General) at the beginning of

World War I 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 ...

. Walford, Edward
"The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland"
1919. Volume ed.59, p. 129. (Retrieved on 18 February 2012). He was knighted for his service in the war while the French government named him a

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Political career

He retired in 1923 and began a political career sitting 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 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 ...

MP for

from 1924 until 1939. He served as Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence. On December 30, 1939, Fiset became lieutenant governor of Quebec. On two occasions during the war he opened the legislative assembly wearing his major general's uniform in order to express support for the war effort. He remained in office until October 1, 1950.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiset, Eugene 1874 births 1951 deaths Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian military personnel of the Second Boer War Canadian military personnel of World War I Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Liberal Party of Canada MPs Lieutenant Governors of Quebec Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Surgeons General of Canada Université Laval alumni Canadian Militia officers

Early life

Military career

Political career

See also

References

External links