Lionel Philias Coderre (April 15, 1915 – August 3, 1995) was a merchant, electrician and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. He represented Gravelbourg from 1956 to 1971 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

, as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. He was born in

Coderre, Saskatchewan Coderre ) ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Rodgers No. 133 and Census Division No. 7. The village is located approximately 85 km southwest of the City of Moose Jaw ...

, the son of Eudore Coderre and Clodia Charbonneau, and was educated in Coderre and at the College Mathieu in Gravelbourg. From 1937 to 1939, Coderre worked at a nurse at the Provincial Hospital in

Weyburn Weyburn is the eleventh-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 10,870. It is on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is north from the North Dakota border in the United States. The n ...

. He served in the South Saskatchewan Regiment during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, attained the rank of Major and fought in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. He was twice mentioned in dispatches. After the war, Coderre owned and operated the local

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an el ...

and a hardware store / electrical contracting business in Coderre. In 1946, he married Pauline Graf, a nurse he met while recuperating from wounds he received during the war. Coderre also served six years on the village council for Coderre. Coderre was elected to the legislature in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...

and was reelected in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, and

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. He was Saskatchewan's first French speaking cabinet minister, as he served in Premier

Ross Thatcher Wilbert Ross Thatcher, (May 24, 1917 – July 22, 1971) was the ninth premier of Saskatchewan, serving from May 22, 1964 to June 30, 1971. He led the Saskatchewan Liberal Party in four general elections, in 1960, 1964, 1967 and 1971. Thatcher ...

's two provincial cabinets as Minister of Labour, Minister of Co-operation and Co-operative Development and Minister of

Public Works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

. He was defeated by Reg Gross when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1971.

References

1915 births 1995 deaths Fransaskois people Canadian Roman Catholics South Saskatchewan Regiment officers Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub