Joseph-Octave Arsenault (August 5, 1828 – December 14, 1897) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician who was the first

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 ...

from

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

to be named to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

. Born in

Cascumpec, Prince Edward Island Cascumpec is a settlement in Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The ...

, the son of Mélème Arsenault and Bibienne Poirier, he was a teacher, and later the owner of several businesses, including two general stores and a

fish company A fish company is a company which specializes in the processing of fish products. Fish that are processed by a fish company include cod, hake, haddock The haddock (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus'') is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the family ...

. In 1867, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locate ...

for the riding of

3rd Prince 3rd Prince was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative ...

and served for 28 years. In 1895, he was appointed to the Senate representing the

senatorial division Canadian Senate divisions refers to two aspects of the Senate of Canada. First, it refers to the division of Canada into four regional Senate divisions of 24 senators each, as set out in section 22 of the Constitution Act, 1867.The Constitution Act ...

of Prince Edward Island. He served until his death in Abram-Village in 1897. In 1861, he married Gertrude Gaudet. They had nine children. His son

Aubin-Edmond Arsenault Aubin-Edmond Arsenault (28 July 1870 – 29 April 1968) was a Prince Edward Island politician. He was the 13th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1917 to 1919. Born in Egmont Bay, Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Arsenault's family s ...

was Premier of Prince Edward Island and his son

Joseph-Félix Arsenault Joseph-Félix "Joe-Félix" Arsenault (October 16, 1865 – February 27, 1947) was a merchant and political figure in Prince Edward Island, Canada. He represented 3rd Prince in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1897 to 190 ...

served in the provincial assembly. Arsenault played an important role in organizing the first two Acadian national conventions which were held in

Memramcook, New Brunswick Memramcook, sometimes also spelled Memramcouke or Memramkouke, is a village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac deri ...

in 1881 and

Miscouche, Prince Edward Island Miscouche (2021 population: 992) is a municipality that holds List of municipalities in Prince Edward Island#Communities, community status in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Prince County. Incor ...

in 1884.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arsenault, Joseph-Octave 1828 births 1897 deaths People from Prince County, Prince Edward Island Acadian people Canadian senators from Prince Edward Island Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island MLAs