Sir Pierre-Amand Landry, (May 1, 1846 – July 28, 1916) was an Acadian lawyer, judge and political figure in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He represented Westmorland County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

from 1870 to 1874 and from 1878 to 1883. He represented

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in the House of Commons of Canada from 1883 to 1890 as a

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 in ...

member.

Early life and education

He was born 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 ...

, the son of

Amand Landry Amand Landry (December 8, 1805 – July 12, 1877) was an Acadian farmer and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1846 to 1850, from 1853 to 1857 and from 186 ...

and Pélagie Caissie, and was educated in Memramcook and Fredericton. He taught school for a time, articled in the law office of

Albert James Smith Sir Albert James Smith (March 12, 1822 – June 30, 1883) was a New Brunswick politician and opponent of Canadian confederation. Smith's grandfather was a United Empire Loyalist who left Massachusetts to settle in New Brunswick after the Am ...

and was called to the bar in 1871, becoming the first Acadian lawyer in the province.

Legal career

Landry set up practice in Dorchester. In 1872, he married Bridget Annie McCarthy. In 1875, he helped defend nine Acadians charged with killing an English protester at a demonstration by Acadians against a public school tax. Landry served in the province's Executive Council as Commissioner of Public Works from 1878 to 1882 and provincial secretary from 1882 to 1883. As Commissioner of Public Works, he was responsible for the construction of a new provincial building for the assembly; the old building had burned in 1880. In 1881, he was named

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

Political career

Landry was elected to the House of Commons in an 1883 by-election after Gilbert-Anselme Girouard accepted the position of customs collector. In 1890, he was named judge in the county court of Westmorland and Kent and, in 1893, was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. Landry was knighted in June 1916, the first and only Acadian to be so honoured. He died in Dorchester later that year at the age of 70.

Electoral record

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Landry, Pierre-Amand 1846 births 1916 deaths Acadian people Canadian Knights Bachelor Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Judges in New Brunswick Members of the House of Commons of Canada from New Brunswick Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick MLAs Canadian King's Counsel Provincial Secretaries of New Brunswick