Francis Cassidy, (17 January 1827 – 14 June 1873) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec for three months in 1873, until his term was cut short by death. Cassidy was born at Saint-Jacques-de-l’Achigan, in what is today Quebec's

Montcalm Regional County Municipality, Quebec Montcalm is a regional county municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada. Its seat is Sainte-Julienne. The population according to the 2021 Canadian Census was 58,680 Subdivisions There are 10 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Citi ...

. Despite spending childhood in a poor family, he attended Collège de l’Assomption with the support of Abbé Étienne Normandin. He began legal studies in Montreal, formally becoming a lawyer on 18 August 1848. After developing a distinguished legal career, he was designated

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

on 5 August 1863. He was a founder of the

Institut canadien de Montréal The Institut canadien de Montréal (English; Canadian Institute of Montreal) was founded on 17 December 1844, by a group of 200 young liberal professionals in Montreal, Canada East, Province of Canada. The Institute provided a public library and d ...

and served as its president between 1849 and 1850 and again between 1857 and 1858. From 1871 to 1873, he served as a

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 in ...

member for Montréal-Ouest riding during the first portion of the

2nd Legislative Assembly of Quebec The Second Legislature of Quebec was the provincial legislature of Quebec, Canada from 1871 to 1875, following the general election of 1871. The Conservative Party of Quebec held office throughout the term of the Legislature, but went through ...

. Just months after becoming Montreal's uncontested mayor in February 1873, Cassidy died in office that June. He was entombed at the

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (french: Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run a ...

in Montreal. He never married.

References

External links

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Francis Cassidy at City of Montreal
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Les archives de Radio-Canada: Francis Cassidy, maire de Montréal
(2 November 1948) 1827 births 1873 deaths Mayors of Montreal Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs Lawyers from Montreal Canadian King's Counsel People from Lanaudière Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery {{Quebec-mayor-stub