Télesphore Simard (1878–1955)
[Louis-Marie Côté, Carmelle Gauvin, Gérald Sirois, ''Les maires de la Vieille Capitale'', Société historique de Québec, Québec, 1980, p. 72-73.] was a Canadian businessman and politician, serving as mayor of
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 ...
from December 1927 to March 1928.
Biography
He was the son of Louis Simard and Isabelle Brown. He studied at académie commerciale. After working in different stores, he opened in 1911 his own business, Simard et Carmichaël. He prospered and later bought the Syndicat de Lévis and several other stores in the clothing business.
He was elected without opposition to the charge of
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
(''échevin'') in the Saint-Roch ward of Québec in the 1924 election and again in the 1926 election. After the resignation of mayor
Valmont Martin, Simard became mayor when the city council chose him on 6 December 1927, to complete the mayoral term of office ending 1 March 1928.
During his short administration, the city adopted bylaws for borrowing substantial sums of money to finance public works, including modifications to the aqueduct and drainage system, building an annex to the Hôpital civique and building a bridge on the river Lairet.
Simard was defeated by
Oscar Auger in the 20 February 1928 city election by a 7046 to 4752 vote.
[University of Sherbrooke, Bilan du Siècle: 20 février 1928 - Élection de Joseph-Oscar Auger au poste de maire de Québec]
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After his term as mayor, Simard's family grew to at least 24 children by 1931. He was married at least twice.
References
1878 births
1955 deaths
Mayors of Quebec City
French Quebecers
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