Jean-Joseph Girouard (November 13, 1794 – September 18, 1855) was a

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

and political figure 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 born at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

in 1794, of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

descent, and lived with his grandfather, Jean Baillairgé, after his father's death in 1800. When Baillairgé died in 1805, his mother became the housekeeper for a parish priest, who also tutored the children. Girouard trained as a notary, qualified to practice in 1816 and set up practice at Saint-Benoît (later Mirabel). He also served as a volunteer in the militia 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 ...

and was named captain in 1821. In 1818, he married Marie-Louise Félix from the village of Saint-Benoît. He resigned his position in the militia after a number of his friends were dismissed as militia officers because of their association with the Patriotes. Girouard was elected to 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 el ...

for Deux-Montagnes in an 1831 by-election held after the death of Jacques Labrie and 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 ...

in the assembly. He supported 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 ha ...

and was reelected in 1834. In 1837, his name was on a list of rebel leaders to be arrested. He escaped but later turned himself in after he heard that his supporters had already been arrested and was imprisoned 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 ...

. He was released in July 1838 but imprisoned again following the uprisings later that year. After his release, he retired from politics and returned to his profession as a notary. He married Émélie, the daughter of local notary Joseph-Amable Berthelot, in 1851. With his wife, he established the Hospice Youville, which provided education for young girls and care for the elderly, at Saint-Benoît. It was administered by the Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général in Montreal. He died at Saint-Benoît in 1855. His son Jean later served in the Legislative Council of Quebec. His son

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

was a member of the Canadian House of Commons.

External links

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''Esquisses biographiques, 1795-1855 Jean-Joseph Girouard, l'ancien député du comté du Lac des Deux-Montagnes ...'', GF Baillargé (1893)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girouard, Jean-Joseph 1794 births 1855 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada

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