Joseph-Marie Godefroy de Tonnancour (August 15, 1750 – November 22, 1834) was a

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 ...

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 in

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

in 1750, the son of

Louis-Joseph Godefroy de Tonnancour Louis-Joseph may refer to: *Louis Joseph Bahin (1813-1857), American painter in the Antebellum South * Louis-Joseph de Montcalm (1712-1759), French military commander * Prince Louis-Joseph of France (1781-1789), son of Louis XVI of France * Louis- ...

. He was educated at the

Petit Séminaire de Québec Petite or petite may refer to: *Petit (crater), a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater on Mare Spumans * ''Petit'' (EP), a 1995 EP by Japanese singer-songwriter Ua * Petit (typography), another name for brevier-size type *Petit four * Petit Gâteau *P ...

, the

Collège Louis-le-Grand In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

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

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He returned to

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 ...

in 1775. Godefroy de Tonnancour took part in the defence of Fort St. Johns (later

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...

) against the invading

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

but was taken prisoner. He was released in 1777. He remained a member of the local militia until 1831, becoming lieutenant-colonel in 1784. After his father's death in 1784, he inherited part of the seigneury of Yamaska, becoming sole owner in 1787. He became a justice of the peace in 1784. Godefroy de Tonnancour opposed the reform of the constitution in 1788 but, in 1792, was elected to the 1st Parliament of Lower Canada for Buckingham. He served as commissioner for the building of churches in Trois-Rivières district and then was a commissioner of roads and bridges. He died at Yamaska in 1834. His sons, Léonard and Marie-Joseph, both served in the legislative assembly. His daughter Agnès-Élizabeth married

Léon Rousseau Léon Rousseau (July 22, 1798 – November 3, 1869) was a farm owner and political figure in Canada East. He represented Yamaska in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1848. He was born in Saint-Pierre-les-Becque ...

. His half sister, Josette Godefroy de Tonnancour, was the first wife of

Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière (August 31, 1748 – January 1, 1822), 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière, though to keep political favour with the British he never used the title. He was seigneur of Vaudreuil, Lotbinière an ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Godefroy de Tonnancour, Joseph-Marie 1750 births 1834 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada