Rodolphe Leduc (April 11, 1902 – December 2, 1993) 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. Born in

Sarsfield, Ontario Sarsfield, Ontario is a village in Cumberland Ward in the east portion of the City of Ottawa in the former township of Cumberland. The first residents of Sarsfield were mostly French-Canadians from Lower Canada. In 1854, families began to establi ...

, the son of Alfred Leduc and Célinas Bertrand, he graduated from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

with a Doctorate in Dental Surgery in 1924. Dr. Leduc established his first dental practice in

Maniwaki, Quebec Maniwaki is a town located north of Gatineau and north-west of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The town is situated on the Gatineau River, at the crossroads of Route 105 and Route 107, not far south of Route 117 (Trans-Canada Highwa ...

shortly after graduation. In 1926, he married Irene Nault (1904–2005) of Maniwaki. First elected as a member of the Liberal Party to the House of Commons in 1936 representing the district of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

, he served until 1945 and then subsequently from 1954 to 1966. Dr. Leduc was the only French Canadian member of Parliament to support

Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...

's Conscription bill during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a stance which was highly unpopular but which reflected his deep belief in the Canadian federalist system. An avid fisherman and hunter, Dr. Leduc established a popular tourist camp on 31 Mile Lake near Maniwaki, Quebec. Dr. Leduc won several

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

state shuffleboard championships during his winter retirement there. Dr. and Mrs. Leduc had 6 children: Jeannine, Pauline, Bernard, Fernand, Lise and Renee.

References

1902 births 1993 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs People from Maniwaki {{Liberal-Quebec-MP-stub