Louis Bétournay (November 13, 1825 – October 30, 1879), educated at the
Collège de Montréal
The Collège de Montréal () is a subsidized private high school for students attending grades 7–11 located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A former Roman Catholic minor seminary, it was founded on June 1, 1767 as the ''Petit Séminai ...
, was a lawyer and judge who was born in
Saint-Lambert, Quebec, and died at
Saint-Boniface, Manitoba
St. Boniface (or Saint Boniface) is a Ward (electoral subdivision), city ward and neighbourhood in Winnipeg. Along with being the centre of the Franco-Manitoban community, it ranks as the largest Francophone Canadian, francophone community in Wes ...
.
In 1872, Bétournay became a judge in what was the newly-proclaimed province of Manitoba. The appointment was to the
Court of Queen's Bench, making him the first
French Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
to be appointed to a
superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
in the west. The posting was to
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in what is now central Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Fort Garr ...
, where he was soon involved in the legal aftermath of the
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion (), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his f ...
. His court ordered the trial of
Louis Riel
Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...
’s lieutenant,
Ambroise-Dydime Lépine
Ambroise-Dydime Lépine (18 March 1840 – 8 June 1923) was a Métis politician, farmer, and military leader under the command of Louis Riel during the Red River Rebellion of 1869–1870. He was tried and sentenced to death for his role in the e ...
, for the death of
Thomas Scott.
References
External links
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''''Manitoba Historical Society - Louis Bétournay''
1825 births
1879 deaths
Judges in Manitoba
Lawyers in Manitoba
People of the Red River Rebellion
People from St. Boniface, Winnipeg
Franco-Manitoban people
People from Saint-Lambert, Quebec
Collège de Montréal alumni
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