Jean-Baptiste Bédard (May 18, 1761 – January 7, 1818) was a master carpenter and surveyor in
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 ...
. He was a brother of
Thomas-Laurent Bédard
Thomas-Laurent Bédard (February 3, 1747 May 27, 1795) was a priest, educator and the superior of the Séminaire of Quebec. He was a brother of Jean-Baptiste Bédard.
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1747 births
1795 deaths
18th-century Canadian Roman Cat ...
.
Bédard was a prolific surveyor during the years that he pursued this career, evidently without the normal formal training. His largest customer was
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry for whom he completed 116 survey reports in 1791.
It was as a master carpenter that Jean-Baptiste was most recognized in his lifetime. He devised two models of wooden bridges which were approved by the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...
for exclusive use in
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 ...
by an act in April 1807. Over a period of 14 years their bridges were built according to Bédard's plans.
Beyond bridges, Bédard was a highly recognized master carpenter with involvement in many important public, private and religious architectural projects.
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Canadian surveyors
1761 births
1818 deaths
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