Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché (5 September 1795 – 30 July 1865) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

medical doctor, politician, and

Father of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian ...

. His family had a long history in New France, but suffered serious financial reverses due to the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

and the siege of Quebec. He was considered a self-made man, who became a physician, a militia soldier, and a politician. He served twice as

joint premier of the Province of Canada A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

. Taché was a strong supporter of the

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

of the

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

n provinces, and the maintenance of the British connection. From June 1864, he was the formal head of the

Great Coalition The Great Coalition was a grand coalition of political parties that brought an end to political deadlock in the Province of Canada. It existed from May 1864 until Confederation in 1867. Prelude Four different ministries had failed in the pre ...

which pushed for Confederation, containing

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (10 or 11January 18156June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political ...

George-Étienne Cartier Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, (pronounced ; September 6, 1814May 20, 1873) was a Canadians, Canadian statesman and Fathers of Confederation, Father of Confederation. The English spelling of the name—George, instead of Georges, th ...

and

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * Ge ...

, but he died in office in 1865, two years before Confederation and the creation of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Early life and family

Taché was born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada (now

Montmagny, Quebec Montmagny () is a city in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. It is the county seat and had a population, as of the 2021 Canadian census, of 10,999. The city is on the south shore ...

) in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon. The Taché family had been wealthy prior to the

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

. Taché's grandfather,

Jean Taché Jean Taché (; b. 1698 – April 18, 1768) was a Canadian merchant and trader. He made his first trip to Canada in 1727 to deal in furs and engage in other business activities. By 1730, he had become a permanent resident of the colony and ...

, was a Paris merchant who emigrated to New France in 1730 and became one of the leading merchants and ship-owners in Quebec City. Jean Taché also married well; his wife was Marie-Anne Jolliet de Mingan, the granddaughter of the explorer

Louis Jolliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

. However, the family fortunes were badly damaged by the

and the siege of Quebec. The Taché family was of the seigneurial class, but the traditional seigneury did not provide much income for the family. As a result, in light of his successes in life, Étienne-Paschal Taché was considered to be a self-made man. Alexandre Antonin Taché, who entered the priesthood and became Archbishop of St. Boniface in Manitoba, was his nephew.

Military service

Taché studied at the

Petit Séminaire de Québec Petit is a French-language surname literally meaning "small" or "little". Notable people with the surname include: *Adriana Petit (born 1984), Spanish multidisciplinary artist *Alexis Thérèse Petit (1791–1820), French physicist * Amandine Pet ...

until the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Although still a teenager, he left school and joined the 5th Battalion of the Select Embodied Militia of the Lower Canada militia as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

. He was later promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and fought in the Chasseurs Canadiens. He was present at two key battles, the

Battle of the Châteauguay The Battle of the Chateauguay was an engagement of the War of 1812. On 26 October 1813, a combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and British North America, Canadian force consisting of 1,530 regulars, volunteers, militia ...

, which saved Montreal from being occupied by the invading American forces, and the

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. Two British forces, an army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévos ...

, which ended the British attempt to invade the United States via

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. After the battle, there were conflicting claims for the credit of the victory, by the Governor General, the general commanding British North American troops, and Lieutenant Colonel de Salaberry. A pseudonymous letter appeared shortly afterwards in the ''Montreal Gazette'' by a "témoin oculaire" ("eye-witness") stating that the victory had been won by de Salaberry's leadership. Several years after the battle, Taché stated that he knew that the letter had been written by Michael O'Sullivan, aide-de-camp to de Salaberry, who had been in the heat of the battle. The letter is important contemporary evidence concerning the battle, and Taché's statement was significant for confirming its authenticity. Taché retained a life-long interest in military affairs, which he relied upon during his political career. He rose to the rank of colonel in the Canadian militia, and was appointed an honorary colonel in the British Army.

Medical career

In his spare time in military camps during the war, Taché started medical studies. After the war, he took further instruction under a well-known physician in Lower Canada, Pierre de Sales Laterrière, and then continued his studies at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in Philadelphia. He obtained his medical licence in Lower Canada in 1819 and started to practise medicine in Montmagny. The next year, on 18 July 1820, Taché married Sophie Baucher, ''dit'' Morency, in Quebec City; they had 15 children. For the next twenty years, he developed a thriving practice on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, acquiring a significant social standing which later helped his political career. When Taché was first admitted to the practice of medicine, British doctors in Lower Canada had a monopoly over admission to the medical profession. By 1831, he was a member of the Quebec Medical Society when it acquired the right to elect the members of the boards of examiners in Quebec City and Montreal, ending the monopoly of the British doctors. Taché was elected to the Quebec City board of examiners, which for the first time had a large number of ''Canadien'' doctors.

Political career

''Patriote'' movement

Taché was at the heart of the '' Patriote movement'' in Montmagny. In 1836, he attended a major meeting of the ''Patriotes'' in Trois-Rivières, where they set out their grievances with British rule in Lower Canada. In 1837, he organised a ''Patriote'' meeting at Montmagny, attended by ''Patriote'' leaders such as

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...

Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard '' dit'' La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG (October 4, 1807 – February 26, 1864) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Premier of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible governme ...

Jean-Joseph Girouard Jean-Joseph Girouard (November 13, 1794 – September 18, 1855) was a notary and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born at Quebec City in 1794, of Acadian descent, and lived with his grandfather, Jean Baillairgé, after his father' ...

, and

Augustin-Norbert Morin Augustin-Norbert Morin (; October 13, 1803 – July 27, 1865) was a Canadien journalist, lawyer, politician, and rebel in Lower Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in the 1830s, as a leading member of the '' ...

, who came "to fire the zeal" of the ''Patriotes'' in the area. Taché did not support armed rebellion, but he nonetheless gave shelter to Morin at one point during the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

in 1837. There was also a deposition by one informant in 1838, in the aftermath of the Rebellion, that Taché was active in the

Frères chasseurs The Frères chasseurs (French for "Hunter Brothers") were a paramilitary organization that fought in the Patriote Rebellion on the Patriote side, seeking to make Lower Canada, now Quebec, an independent and democratic republic. After the failur ...

in the Kamouraska area, and might be planning to try to seize the lower River Saint-Lawrence. Hearing rumours of Taché's activities, the British authorities issued a search warrant for his house in January 1839. Taché was absent when the search occurred. No firearms were found and he was not arrested. Although Taché did not support armed rebellion, neither did he condemn those who took up arms. In his view, they were only a few hundred men who were driven to despair by the actions of the British government.

Province of Canada

Following the rebellion in Lower Canada, and the similar rebellion in 1837 in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

(now

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

), the British government decided to merge the two provinces into a single province, as recommended by

Lord Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Refo ...

in the

Durham Report The ''Report on the Affairs of British North America'', (, 1839) commonly known as the ''Durham Report'' or ''Lord Durham's Report'', is an important document in the history of Quebec, Ontario, Canada and the British Empire. The notable Briti ...

. The ''Union Act, 1840'', passed by the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, abolished the two provinces and their separate parliaments, and created the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, with a single parliament for the entire province, composed of an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. The

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

retained a strong position in the government. Taché now embarked on a political career. Closing down his medical practice, he was a candidate in the 1841 general election for the new

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the Parliament of the Province of Canada. The Province of Canada consisted of the former province of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East (now Quebec), and Upper Canada ...

. Campaigning against the union of the Canadas, he was unopposed in the constituency of L'Islet and was elected by

acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

. When the first Parliament was summoned, Taché was a member of the French-Canadian Group. He voted against the principle of the union, opposed the policies of Governor-General Lord Sydenham, and generally voted in favour of the reform proposals of La Fontaine and

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

, particularly

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

. He held numerous posts in successive administrations, including, for a time, joint-premier of the province (1856–1857, 1864–1865) as well as

Minister of Militia and Defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canada, Canadian militia units only, as the British ...

for the

(1855 to 1860).

Father of Confederation

Taché actively participated in the debate on the potential creation of a Canadian confederation, defended proposals for the new form of government in part because it would serve to reaffirm Canada's link to the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. At the Confederation Debates, he stated that "Confederation was imperative if Canadians 'desired to remain British and monarchical, and ... desired to pass our children these advantages. These ideas reflected the ideas of the conservative

Parti bleu The Parti bleu (, "Blue Party") was a political group that contested elections in the Canada East, Eastern section of the Province of Canada. The Blue Party was ideologically located on the Right-wing politics, political right; it was also defin ...

(with which Taché was associated). An avid supporter of the British Crown, Taché expressed ideas of loyalty even before the debates regarding the creation of Canada's confederation: "in 1848, he delivered his famous idea of French-Canadian loyalty to the British crown: ... 'we will never forget our allegiance till the last cannon which is shot on this continent in defence of Great Britain is fired by the hand of a French-Canadian. This can certainly explain why Taché worked with future Prime Minister

and other significant characters who were Fathers of the Confederation and who shared similar views. Therefore, these alliances led to the

of 1864 – 'a government led by Cartier, Brown and Macdonald under the premiership of a bleu elder statesman, Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché' - responsible for the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

. For this matter, Taché presided of over the

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

conference of 1864. Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché's loyalty was officially recognized as an " aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria ">Queen_Victoria.html" ;"title="Queen Victoria">Queen Victoria [and] held the honorary rank of a Colonel in the army". When Edward VII, Edward, Prince of Wales, toured British North America in 1860, Taché was specially attached to the Prince's staff.

Death and legacy

Taché died at age 69 in Montmagny, and is buried there at St. Odilon Cemetery, where a marker from the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board marks his grave. A monument to him stands at 141 Taché Boulevard East in Montmagny.Government of Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: "Taché, Sir Étienne Paschal National Historic Person".
/ref> He left an important legacy, not only regarding the formation of Canada, but also to the province of Quebec's heritage: "Taché is widely credited with coining the provincial motto of Quebec, later adopted by the French-speaking

Royal 22nd Regiment The Royal 22nd Regiment (R22R; ) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Known colloquially in English as the Van Doos (representing an anglicized pronunciation of the French number twenty-two, ) or in French as , the mostly francophone re ...

.. ('I remember')."

Honours and recognition

*1858:

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

*1860: appointed honorary colonel in the British Army and aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria *1862: appointed to the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood of th ...

*1937: designated a

National Historic Person Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) () are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the ...

by the federal government *1990: Taché's house in Montmagny was designated a National Historic Site by the Canadian Register of Historic Places

Works

*
Quelques réflexions sur l'organisation des volontaires et de la milice de cette province, par un vétéran de 1812
' (Quebec 1863)