Rémi Benoît (January 3, 1842 – June 19, 1919) was a man of a number of
vocation
A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious co ...
s from
D'Escousse
D'Escousse () is situated on the north-eastern side of Isle Madame. It is on Nova Scotia Route 320. It has had a church since 1845, which was destroyed as a result of a fire on July 20, 1954 and rebuilt in 1955, and closed for church services in ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) 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. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
.
Benoît, at various times, was a
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, an
office holder, a
newspaper editor
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
. He was a French-speaking
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
who received a great deal of his education in English, resulting in his being fluently bi-lingual. He is important to
Canadian history
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Canada were inhabited for millennia by ...
because of his support of the
Acadian nationalist cause. This support was most evident in his work involving a mutual benefit society. In 1881 he helped organize the ''
Convention Nationale des Acadiens'' and also on three subsequent occasions. This culminated in 1902 with the formation of the ''
Société l'Assomption'', a mutual benefit society. This became the most important Acadian
financial institution
Financial institutions, sometimes called banking institutions, are business entities that provide services as intermediaries for different types of financial monetary transactions. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial insti ...
of the 20th century and Benoît served as president, chancellor, and a director.
Benoît devoted much energy to
Acadia
Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...
n causes and founding an institution that, in an altered form, still exists today.
External links
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
Acadian people
1842 births
1919 deaths
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