Frédéric-Auguste Quesnel, (February 4, 1785 – July 28, 1866), 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 ...

lawyer, businessman and politician. He held a number of public offices and in politics he was a moderate who represented Chambly in the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of ele ...

(1820-1834); and Montmorency in the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...

(1841-1844 & 1848–1866). From 1837 to 1841 he sat on the

Executive Council of Lower Canada The Executive Council of Lower Canada was an appointive body created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. Its function was to advise the Governor or his representative on the administration of the colony's public affairs. It was replaced by the Execu ...

. Condemned by the

Patriotes The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment o ...

as a ''vendu'' in the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southe ...

, in 1860 he was elected President of the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (french: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic assoc ...

. In 1859, he was elected President of the Banque du Peuple and his achievements in commerce and finance served to show that a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

could make his fortune in business. His home, Manoir Souvenir (now a ruin) was one of the early estates of the

Golden Square Mile / ''Mille carré doré'' , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, Neighbourhood , image_skyline = Ravenscrag.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = ''Rave ...

Early life

In 1785, Quesnel was born at

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

into a family well known in

Canadien French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest ...

society. He was the eldest son of

Joseph Quesnel Joseph Quesnel (15 November 1746 – 2 or 3 July 1809) was a French Canadian composer, poet, playwright and slave-trader. Among his works were two operas, ''Colas et Colinette'' and ''Lucas et Cécile''; the former is considered to be the first ...

and Marie-Josephte Deslandes, step-daughter of

Maurice-Régis Blondeau Maurice-Régis Blondeau (23 June 1734 13 July 1809) was a fur trader, militia officer, and office holder in Canada. Blondeau was born into a merchant family from Montreal in New France. He became associated with the fur trade and spent his early ...

. His brothers included The Hon.

Jules-Maurice Quesnel Jules-Maurice Quesnel (October 25, 1786 – May 20, 1842) was a fur trader, member of the Beaver Club, businessman and political figure in Canada East. He was born Julien-Maurice Quesnel in Montreal in 1786, the son of Joseph Quesnel, and stud ...

, a member of the

Beaver Club The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...

, and his sister was married to The Hon. Côme-Séraphin Cherrier. Like all his brothers, he was educated at the Collège Saint-Raphaël from 1796 to 1803. Afterwards, he articled in the law offices of Stephen Sewell, and could speak both French and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

fluently.

Early career

He was admitted to the

Bar of Montreal The Bar of Montreal (french: Barreau de Montréal) is the section of the Bar of Quebec for lawyers in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has it beginnings in 1693 when, as a Royal Province of the French colonial empire, ''Canadien'' lawyers ...

in 1807, set up practice there, and by 1819 had offices on Rue Notre-Dame. During that period, Quesnel laid the basis of his fortune by investing in his brother's, Jules-Maurice's, activities in the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

. He was also involved in various speculations that included considerable land sales. Already a Captain in the 5th Battalion of Montreal militia, this unit became the ''Chasseurs Canadiens'' with whom he fought during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Sometime after the war, he reached the rank of Major.

Politics

From 1820 to 1834, Quesnel represented Kent County, which in 1829 was renamed Chambly, in the

, gaining a reputation as an elegant speaker. In the early years, he supported

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower ...

and

Denis-Benjamin Viger Denis-Benjamin Viger (; August 19, 1774 – February 13, 1861) was a 19th-century politician, lawyer, businessman in Lower Canada. He was a leader in the ''Patriote'' movement. Viger was part of the militia in the early 19th century and th ...

. In 1822, he voted against the proposed union of Upper and

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. Quesnel was a moderate, which made his position increasingly difficult as Papineau became more radical. After several stands against him and his supporters, the final break for Quesnel came over the

Ninety-Two Resolutions The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the ''Parti patriote'' of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony. Papineau had b ...

. He stated: "to say in a few words what I think of them, I approve a great many, I reject several, but taken as a whole and as a single unit, I cannot approve them". Quesnel backed John Neilson's attempt to introduce more moderate resolutions, but both men were condemned at a public meeting at Saint-Athanase-d’Iberville and lost their seats to supporters of Papineau. As the political situation in

worsened by 1837, with

Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury Lt.-Colonel The Hon. Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury (October 28, 1798 – September 15, 1862) of Montreal was a soldier, seigneur, lawyer, politician, newspaper founder and noted duellist. Bleury Street in Montreal is named for him. His n ...

and

George Moffatt George Moffat or Moffatt may refer to: * George Moffat Sr. (1810–1878), New Brunswick businessman and Conservative politician * George Moffat Jr. (1848–1918), son of the above, also a New Brunswick businessman and Conservative politician * G ...

, Quesnel arranged a public meeting at

in support of the government. Two months later,

Lord Gosford Earl of Gosford is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1806 for Arthur Acheson, 2nd Viscount Gosford. The Acheson family descends from the Scottish statesman Sir Archibald Acheson, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh, who later settled ...

appointed him to the

. When the

broke out, Quesnel was condemned as a ''vendu'' by the

and his brother, Joseph-Timoléon, was forced to flee L’Acadie and give up his

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

’s commission. In 1840, Quesnel headed a delegation still opposing the union of Upper and Lower Canada. When the Canadas did unite the following year, he was elected to the

for Montmorency. Lord Sydenham listed as Quesnel as one of the members who consistently voted against him. Fearing he might support the

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

government under pressure from

, he was defeated in the 1844 elections. Four years later, he was re-elected and held the seat until his death in 1866.

Public life

In 1831, he was named

King'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 or ...

. He supported the 1849

Rebellion Losses Bill The Rebellion Losses Bill (full name: ''An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838'') was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of ...

and opposed annexation to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

; he ensured that proper compensation for

seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

s was built into legislation to abolish seigneurial tenure. Quesnel was elected president of the

of Montreal in 1860.

Business

Quesnel was one of only a few

s of his generation to enter into business life, and he made a fortune doing so. Having been involved in land speculation from the earliest days of his career, by 1864 he was reaping the awards of these early investments: He sold the land which would become

Sainte-Cunégonde Little Burgundy (french: La Petite-Bourgogne) is a neighbourhood in the Le Sud-Ouest, South West Boroughs of Montreal, borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint ...

to William Workman and

Alexandre-Maurice Delisle Alexandre-Maurice Delisle (April 20, 1810 – February 13, 1880) was a Montreal businessman and political figure. Trained as a lawyer, he held several public service positions in the governments of Lower Canada and the Province of Canada ...

for $100,000. In 1843, the Banque du Peuple was born through the

Quebec Nationalist 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 thirteen p ...

movement, to cater for French Canadians, and in 1848 Quesnel was made a director. He served as its president from 1859 to 1865, during which time the bank enjoyed steady growth and tranquillity. Long after Quesnel's death, in 1894 mismanagement at a time of

's economic peak wrecked it, and the bank was eventually forced to close its doors the following year.The Quebec History Encyclopedia
/ref>

Family

In 1830, within a park of 240 acres, Quesnel built ''Manoir Souvenir'', one of the early estates of the

and so named in memory of his wife. In 1813, at

Boucherville Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South Shore (Montreal), South shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and Greate ...

, Quesnel married Marguerite Denaut (1791-1820), the only daughter and heiress of Captain Joachim Denaut, a wealthy fur trader who lived at Granville, by his wife Marguerite Chabert. She died in 1820, and their two sons and three daughters all predeceased him too. He adopted a nephew, and one son married and left a daughter. *Pierre-Adolphe-Augustin Quesnel. In 1843, at

, he married Charlotte Vercheres-Boucher de Boucherville, granddaughter of The Hon.

René-Amable Boucher de Boucherville René-Amable Boucher de Boucherville (February 12, 1735 – August 31, 1812) was a seigneur, soldier and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born at Fort Frontenac (later Kingston), the son of Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, in 1735. He ...

and niece of The Hon.

Louis-René Chaussegros de Léry Louis-René Chaussegros de Léry (October 13, 1762 – November 28, 1832) was a seigneur, soldier and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born in Paris in 1762, the son of seigneur Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry and Louise Martel de ...

. Their daughter, Emma, married The Hon.

Théodore Robitaille Théodore Robitaille, (29 January 1834 – 17 August 1897) was a Canadian physician, politician, and the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Born in Varennes, Lower Canada, the son of Louis-Adolphe Robitaille (pronounced "ro-bee-tie") a ...

, 4th

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 ...

. *The Hon.

Charles-Joseph Coursol Charles-Joseph Coursol, (3 October 1819 – 4 August 1888) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1871 and 1873, and a member of Canadian Parliament from 1878 until his death. Baptised Michel-Joseph-Charl ...

was the son of Quesnel's sister, Marie-Melanie, and after his father (Michel Coursol) died when Charles-Joseph was only one year old, Quesnel adopted him. He married a daughter of The Hon. Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché and inherited the bulk of Quesnel's estate, including ''Manoir Souvenir''. They were the parents of four children.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quesnel, Frederic-Auguste 1785 births 1866 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada Presidents of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal Canadian King's Counsel Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery