Luc Letellier de Saint-Just, (May 12, 1820 – January 28, 1881) 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. He also served as the
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; French (masculine): ''Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec'', or (feminine): ''Lieutenante-gouverneure du Québec'') is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the , who operates distinctly within the province ...
(1876–1879).
A
notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
by training, Letellier belonged to a prominent family that descended from Michel Letellier who, originally from Saint-Quentin, in the diocese of Noyon, migrated to New France around 1705 with his wife Marie Mélie. Their son, François Letellier de Saint-Just, born in Québec in 1709, became a soldier in Fouville's company and retired from the troops in October 1740, after marrying Marie-Françoise Pelletier in Québec on January 25, 1740. In February 1750, they had a son named
Michel Tellier
Michel Tellier (February 28, 1750 – October 20, 1834) was a farmer and political figure in Lower Canada. He represented Hertford in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of ...
who, as a farmer, was a member of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada between 1800 and 1804. He and his wife Louise Moreau are the parents of François Letellier, notary, who married Marie-Sophie Casgrain, who are the parents of Luc Letellier de Saint-Just, who was a half-brother of
Horace Bélanger.
[P.-B. Casgrain, ''Letellier de Saint-Just et son temps, Quebec City: C. Daveau, éditeur, 1885, 470 pages.]
In 1851, Luc Letellier
was elected in a by-election to the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...
as a supporter of
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard '' dit'' La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG (October 4, 1807 – February 26, 1864) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Premier of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible governmen ...
. He was defeated in a general election a few months later by his rival
Jean-Charles Chapais
Jean-Charles Chapais, (December 2, 1811 – July 17, 1885) was a Canadian Conservative politician, and considered a Father of Canadian Confederation for his participation in the Quebec Conference to determine the form of Canada's governmen ...
. In 1860, Letellier won election to the
legislative council of the united province and, in 1863, he was appointed minister of agriculture in the
Reform
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...
-
rouge
Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to:
Compounds
* Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones
* Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide
* Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
of
Joint Premiers John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Conf ...
and
Antoine-Aimé Dorion. The government fell the next year, however, in favour of a
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
–
Parti bleu
The Blue Party (french: Parti bleu) was a political group that contested elections in the Eastern section of the Province of Canada. The Blue Party was ideologically located on the political right, and was defined by its support for the Catholi ...
administration.
Letellier opposed
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...
prior to 1867, but accepted it once it became a reality. He was appointed by
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
as a charter member of 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 ...
when it was created in 1867. He sat as a "Nationalist
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 ...
", and was
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1867 until the
1872 election when the Liberals took power under
Alexander Mackenzie. Letellier became
Leader of the Government in the Senate and
Minister of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
in Mackenzie's
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
. He had also attempted to concurrently win a seat in the
Quebec legislative assembly, but was defeated in his attempts in
1869 and
1871
Events January–March
* January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory.
* January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...
to win election.
In 1876, Mackenzie advised the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
to appoint Letellier to the position of lieutenant-governor of Quebec. As lieutenant governor, he dismissed the government of
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Quebec Premier
The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the ...
Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville
Sir Charles-Eugène-Napoléon Boucher de Boucherville (May 4, 1822 – September 10, 1915) was a Canadian politician and doctor. He twice served as the premier of Quebec.
Personal life
Boucher was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Descended ...
on March 1, 1878, despite the fact that the government enjoyed a 20-seat majority in the
Quebec legislative assembly and a two-to-one majority in the
legislative council. Letellier justified the dismissal on charges that the government was acting incompetently and corruptly on the matter of
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
legislation. He also argued that if the de Boucherville government hadn't made concessions to "rings" of interest within the legislature on the issue, it would lose the legislature's support. De Boucherville called the move a "
coup d'etat", and complained to the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
. Both houses of the Quebec legislature passed motions of censure against the lieutenant-governor.
When the federal
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
under Sir
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...
defeated the federal
Liberals in the
1878 election, the new
federal Cabinet tried to have Letellier dismissed as lieutenant-governor of Quebec. The
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
,
the Marquess of Lorne, referred the matter to the
Colonial Secretary in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
who advised him to follow the advice of his ministers. Letellier was dismissed.
References
*
*
Luc Letellier de Saint-Just fonds, Library and Archives Canada*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letellier de Saint-Just, Luc
1820 births
1881 deaths
Lieutenant Governors of Quebec
Letellier de St-Just family
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East
Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
Canadian senators from Quebec
Quebec notaries
Beaubien-Casgrain family