Louis-Mathias Auger (April 3, 1902 – March 6, 1966) was an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

teacher and political figure. He represented Prescott in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

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 ...

member from 1926 to 1929. He was born in Contrecoeur, Quebec in 1902, the son of Louis Auger, and moved to

Hawkesbury, Ontario Hawkesbury is a Franco-Ontarian city in United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Prescott-Russell county in Eastern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Canada. The vast majority of its 10,550 inhabitants are Francophone Canadians, francophone. The Long-Sa ...

with his family in 1912. Auger had studied at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

and went on to teach there. He defeated

Gustave Évanturel Gustave Évanturel (March 19, 1879 – February 9, 1934) was an Ontario notary and political figure. He represented Prescott in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1911 to 1923 as a Liberal and Independent Liberal and in the House of ...

to win a seat in the House of Commons in 1926. During his term in office, he was articling with a lawyer in L'Original and studying law part-time at

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is named for William Osgoode, ...

. He resigned his seat in 1929 after being accused of raping a young woman from his constituency who had come to see him in the House of Commons about possible employment in the public service. Auger was finally acquitted of the charge of rape but found guilty of seduction and was sentenced to two years in

Kingston Penitentiary Kingston Penitentiary (known locally as KP and Kingston Pen) is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, between King Street West and Lake Ontario. History Constructed from 1833 to 1834, and opened on June 1, 1 ...

, the maximum penalty for that crime, after five trials and two appeals over sixteen months. He ran unsuccessfully as an independent Liberal in 1935. Auger served as mayor of Hawkesbury in 1936. In 2006,

Marguerite Andersen Marguerite Andersen (October 15, 1924 – October 1, 2022) was a German-born Canadian francophone writer and educator writer, who was based in Toronto, Ontario, where she was a teacher at the Toronto Linden School. Life and career Andersen was ...

published a novel ''Doucement le bonheur (Gently happiness)'' () based on the events surrounding the trial.

References

*''Histoire des Comtes Unis de Prescott et de Russell'', L. Brault (1963)

External links

*
''Calculated to Reflect on the Dignity of Parliament'', C Backhouse''Lieux et monuments historiques du Nord de Montréal'', R. Fournier (1978)
1902 births 1966 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Mayors of places in Ontario Franco-Ontarian people People from Hawkesbury, Ontario Canadian politicians convicted of crimes Canadian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Canada People acquitted of rape {{Ontario-mayor-stub