Robert Taschereau (September 10, 1896 – July 26, 1970) was a lawyer who became the 11th

Chief Justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada (french: juge en chef du Canada) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court s ...

and who briefly served as the

Administrator of the Government of Canada The administrator of the Government of Canada () is the title used by the individual performing the duties of Governor General of Canada – the federal viceregal representative – while the office is vacant or its incumbent is otherwise unable ...

following the death of

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, ...

Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position. Vanier was born and ...

in 1967.

Biography

He was born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

in 1896 to

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (; March 5, 1867 – July 6, 1952) was the 14th premier of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. He was a member of the Parti libéral du Québec. Early life Taschereau was born in Quebec City, Quebec, the son of Jean-Thoma ...

and Adine Dionne. He came from a family of politicians and lawyers; his father later became

Premier of Quebec 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 th ...

and his grandfather, Jean-Thomas Taschereau, was on the Supreme Court of Canada. He studied at

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Lux ...

and obtained a B.A. degree in 1916 and LL.L. in 1920. Following a career as a lawyer, Taschereau entered politics as 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 ...

and won a seat in the Quebec National Assembly in 1930. He held his seat of the riding of Bellechasse until retiring in 1936.

Supreme Court Judge

On February 9, 1940, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, filling the vacancy created by the death of his former law partner,

Lawrence Cannon Lawrence Cannon, (born December 6, 1947) is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. In early 2006, he was made the Minister of Transport. On October 30, 2008, he relinquished oversight of ...

. In 1946, he and fellow Justice Roy Kellock conducted the Royal Commission on Spying Activities in Canada that had been prompted by the

Gouzenko Affair The Gouzenko Affair was the name given to events in Canada surrounding the defection of Igor Gouzenko from the Soviet Union in 1945 and his subsequent allegations regarding the existence of a Soviet spy ring of Canadian Communists. Gouzenko's d ...

. Taschereau was promoted to Chief Justice in 1963. Under the

Letters Patent, 1947 The ''Letters Patent, 1947'' (more formally, the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada) are letters patent signed by George VI as King of Canada which reconstituted the office of Governor Ge ...

, the Chief Justice of Canada serves as the

in the death, absence or incapacity of the

. Taschereau served as Administrator from the death of Governor General

on March 5, 1967 until April 17, 1967 when

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

appointed

Roland Michener Daniel Roland Michener (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation. Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he se ...

as the new governor general, on the advice of Prime Minister Lester Pearson.Governor General of Canada: Former Governors General.
/ref>

Personal

Taschereau was married to Ellen Donohue, daughter of Joseph Timothy Donohue (co-founder of

Donohue Inc. Donohue Inc. was a Canadian company founded in 1920 as Murray River Power and Pulp Co. Limited and incorporated in Quebec. The company changed its name to Donohue Brothers Limited, in 1921, then to Donohue Company Limited, in 1970, and to Donohue I ...

) and Émilie Normandin.

Retirement and honours

Taschereau remained on the Supreme Court until retiring in 1967. In 1967 he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. Robert Taschereau died in 1970 at the age of 73, and was interred in the family plot at the

Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont The Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont (English: Belmont Cemetery) is a historic garden cemetery located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Roman Catholic cemetery was built between 1857 and 1859. Its architect, Charles Baillargé, took inspirati ...

Sainte-Foy, Quebec ) , image_skyline = Complexe Jules Dallaire.jpg , image_caption = Boulevard Laurier in Sainte-Foy , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield ...

References

External links

Order of Canada CitationSupreme Court of Canada biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taschereau, Robert 1896 births 1970 deaths Chief justices of Canada Companions of the Order of Canada French Quebecers Lawyers in Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Quebec City Quebec Liberal Party MNAs

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Université Laval Faculté de droit alumni Canadian King's Counsel