F. Gérard Dufresne, (1918 – 27 January 2013 ) was a well-known local politician and a military officer in Shawinigan, Quebec. Born in

East Angus, Quebec East Angus () is a city in Le Haut-Saint-François Regional County Municipality, in Quebec, Canada. The city had a population of 3,741 as of the Canada 2011 Census. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census w ...

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (french: Cantons de l'Est) is an historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest, to Drummondv ...

in 1918, he got a degree from the Shawinigan Technical Institute and would later make career as an insurance agent.

Military

Dufresne became a member of the 694 Army Cadet Corps (Collège Immaculée-Conception) in 1933 and then became a reservist with the Régiment de Joliette. During World War II he commanded an infantry company in England and served in the Netherlands, with the Régiment des Fusiliers Mont-Royal and in Germany. After the war, he became the commanding officer of the Shawinigan-based C Company of the Régiment de Joliette. In 1953, Dufresne was promoted lieutenant colonel and served as commander of the

62nd (Shawinigan) Field Artillery Regiment The 62nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA (french: 62e Régiment d'artillerie de campagne, ARC) is a Reserve (military), militia unit of the Canadian Army that has its own military band and is located in Shawinigan, Quebec. It recruits primarily in ...

, which he had joined in 1948, until 1960. From 1966 to 2005, he was the Honorary Colonel of the same unit. In 2006, local military author Captain (ret) Guy Arcand, CD published a book on Gérard Dufresne 'Biographie du Col Gerard F. Dufresne, CM, ED, OSTJ, CD' La Societe d'histoire militaire mauricienne.

Politics

In 1963, Dufresne was elected Mayor of Shawinigan against

François Roy François Roy (1896–1970) was a local politician in Shawinigan, Quebec. He was the 12th Mayor of Shawinigan, Quebec from 1946 to 1954. Roy was born in 1896 in Rivière-des-Prairies, near Montreal. He successfully ran for mayor in 1946 and was re ...

. Under his tenure, the old City Market (located downtown) was demolished to make room for a

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

retail store and Boulevard Royal was extended to the current location of the Biermans movie theater. Also, the construction of the Centre des Arts de Shawinigan (located at 2100 Boulevard des Hêtres and completed in 1967) began.Fabien LaRochelle, Shawinigan depuis 75 ans, 1976 In 1966 he lost his bid for re-election to

Maurice Bruneau J.-Maurice Bruneau was a local politician in Shawinigan, Quebec. He was the 16th Mayor of Shawinigan from 1966 to 1970. He was born in 1908 in Saint-Maurice, Mauricie and once owned a butcher shop on 5e rue (Fifth Street). He was a member of th ...

. In

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, Dufresne was the Liberal candidate in the district of Saint-Maurice. He finished third with 24.3% of the vote, behind Union Nationale incumbent

Philippe Demers Philippe Demers (April 28, 1919 – March 4, 1999) was a veterinarian and a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. Early life and career He was born in 1919 in Saint-Sébastien, Montéré ...

(36.9%) and Parti Québécois candidate

Yves Duhaime Yves Duhaime (born May 27, 1939) is a former politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as Cabinet Member and Member of the National Assembly of Quebec. Early life Duhaime was born in Chicoutimi, and grew up in Shawinigan. In the 1960s, Duhaime ...

(24.4%). Duhaime had been an officer of the 62nd (Shawinigan) Field Artillery Regiment at the time Dufresne was its commanding officer. Dufresne is a

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

, a loyal supporter of Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

and has remained a card-carrying member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

for decades.

Footnotes

References

* J.J. Bellemare, 60 ans d'artillerie en Mauricie, 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dufresne, Gerard 1918 births Canadian military personnel of World War II Mayors of Shawinigan 2013 deaths

Military

Politics

Footnotes

See also

References