Joseph Raymond Fournier Préfontaine, (16 September 1850 – 25 December 1905) 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.

Biography

Born in

Longueuil, Quebec Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly acr ...

, he studied at the law faculty of

McGill College McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University ...

, articled with Antoine-Aimé Dorion and

Christophe-Alphonse Geoffrion Christophe-Alphonse Geoffrion, (November 23, 1843 – July 18, 1899) was a Canadian lawyer, professor, and politician. Born in Varennes, Canada East, the son of Félix Geoffrion and Catherine Brodeur, he was the brother of Félix Geoffri ...

, and was called to the bar in 1873. He was named a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1899. In 1875, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec The Legislative Assembly of Quebec (French: ''Assemblée législative du Québec'') was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature from 1867 to December 31, 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, t ...

for the riding of Chambly. 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 defeated in 1878. He was re-elected in an 1879 by-election, but was defeated again in 1881. He was acclaimed to 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 ...

for the riding of Chambly in an 1886 by-election. A

, he was re-elected in every election in one or another riding until dying in office in 1905. From 1902 to 1905, he was the

Minister of Marine and Fisheries The minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for supervising the fishing industry, administrating all navigable waterways in the country, and overseeing the o ...

. When Joseph-Israel Tarte resigned from the Cabinet as Minister of Public Works in October 1902, Wilfrid Laurier, under pressure from Montréalers, gave Préfontaine the portfolio of Marine and Fisheries and, for the same reason, transferred to it from public works as "the major services relating to navigation." The new minister, while maintaining his predecessor's policy, tackled his duties with dynamic energy. He approved experiments in winter navigation and a program for installing illuminated buoys in the channel of the St Lawrence. He appointed a commissioner to preside over all inquiries into marine disasters, in place of the harbour commissioners. He also investigated the possibility of creating an independent

Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

. He sent Captain

Joseph-Elzéar Bernier Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (January 1, 1852 – December 26, 1934) was a Canadian mariner from Quebec who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic in the early 20th century. He was born in L'Islet, Quebec, the son of Captain Thomas Bernier and ...

to explore the Arctic in order to strengthen Canada's rights in this region. In 1905, he went to Great Britain and France, one of his goals being to promote a sea link between Marseilles and Montréal. He was in Paris when he was struck down by

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of obstru ...

on 25 December. The French government held his funeral in the

Église de La Madeleine , other name = , native_name = , native_name_lang = French , image = Madeleine Paris.jpg , landscape = , imagesize = , caption = , imagelink ...

in central Paris. A British battleship brought his remains back to Halifax for subsequent burial in Montréal. From 1879 to 1883, he was the mayor of Hochelaga, after which the city was amalgamated with Montreal. From 1898 to 1902, he was the

Mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all c ...

. Montréal's Préfontaine metro station, aréna Raymond-Préfontaine, parc Raymond-Préfontaine and rue Préfontaine are all named in his honour.

Gallery

Image:Raymond Préfontaine.png Image:Raymond Prefontaine.JPG Image:Raymond Préfontaine pierre tombale.JPG

Electoral record

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prefontaine, Raymond 1850 births 1905 deaths Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Liberal Party of Canada MPs Mayors of Montreal Lawyers in Quebec Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada McGill University Faculty of Science alumni People from Longueuil Canadian King's Counsel Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery