Joseph-Henri-Albiny Paquette (October 7, 1888 – September 25, 1978) was a

Quebec 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 thirtee ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. He was a cabinet minister for 17 years in Maurice Duplessis's Union Nationale government.

Biography

Born in

Marieville, Quebec Marieville is a city in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located within the Rouville Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region about east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 10,094. History In 1708, S ...

, Paquette studied in medical sciences at the Montreal campus of Université Laval. After additional studies and training at Bellevue Hospital in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Paquette worked first for the Canadian Red Cross in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and then in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

as a medical officer. He also served at several hospitals in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, including in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Paquette returned to Quebec in 1919 and practiced medicine in

Mont-Laurier Mont-Laurier () is a town and incorporated municipality in northwest Quebec, Canada, located on the banks of the Lièvre River (''Rivière du Lièvre''), a tributary of the Ottawa River. Known as the "Capital of the Haute-Laurentides", the motto ...

until his entry into municipal politics and his nine-year stint as mayor of that city. Paquette was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec The Legislative Assembly of Quebec (French: ''Assemblée législative du Québec'') was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature from 1867 to December 31, 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, t ...

for the district of Labelle in the 1935 general election as a member of

Action libérale nationale The Action libérale nationale (ALN)('National Liberal Action') was a short-lived provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. It was founded during the Great Depression and led by Paul Gouin. The ALN played an important role in the foundatio ...

. He was reelected, as a member of the Union Nationale, in all six subsequent elections from 1936 to 1956. Paquette remained as the Legislative Assembly Member for Labelle until he resigned in 1958. In 1936, he was appointed as the first

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

of Health in the Duplessis Cabinet for the newly created provincial department of health. He served in the position from 1936 to 1939 and again from 1944 to 1958 when the Union Nationale regained power. Establishments made during his tenure as health minister included: *parish clinics for maternal and infant health *mobile

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

screening units *Dr. Armand Frappier's Institut de microbiologie et d'hygiène (today known as the Institut Armand-Frappier) at the Université de Montréal. In 1958, he was appointed to the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (French; ''Conseil législatif du Québec'') was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Legislative Assem ...

for the division of Rougemont and resigned in 1967. In support of Catholicism, he placed crucifixes above the chairs of the speakers in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. He received several honours, distinctions and medals, including honorary doctorates for Université Laval,

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

, and Bishop's College. Other rewards include: * 1919 - decorated by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

* 1920 - Military Medal of the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

* Honour Cross of the

French government The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

* 1937 - a perpetual member of the Holy Land by the Catholic Church * 1938 a member of the Latin Order (1938) * 1946 - Jerusalem Cross * 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal * 1967 - Medal of the Canadian Centennial

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paquette, Albiny 1888 births 1978 deaths Canadian Militia officers Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Physicians from Quebec Members of the Executive Council of Quebec People from Montérégie Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs Union Nationale (Quebec) MLCs Union Nationale (Quebec) MNAs Mayors of places in Quebec Université Laval alumni