Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (; May 8, 1839 – June 27, 1920) 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 ...

judge, author, and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics of the original French version of the Canadian

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

" O Canada". He was born in Saint-Placide, Quebec, to Charles Routhier and Angélique Lafleur.

Early life and education

Routhier was born and grew up in Saint-Placide, Quebec, on his family's farm. He attended Séminaire de Ste-Thérèse, and later studied law at Université Laval. He graduated and was called to the Quebec bar in 1861.

Career

Routhier practised law in Kamouraska until he was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 1873 (as Chief Justice from 1904 to 1906) and Admiralty of the Exchequer Court of Canada (from 1897 to 1906). Routhier ran as a Conservative candidate for the riding of Kamouraska in several federal elections, but he was never elected. Routhier wrote a number of books under the name Jean Piquefort. Routhier's poem " Ô Canada" was commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (), also known in English as ''St John the Baptist Day'', is a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was brought to Canada by French settlers celebrating the traditional feast day of the Na ...

ceremony. In June 1914, Routhier was one of the three judges appointed to conduct the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

steamship , which had resulted in the loss of 1,012 lives.

Personal

Routhier married Clorinde Mondelet on November 12, 1862, in Quebec and had one son.

Honours

Many sites and landmarks were named to honour Basile Routhier. They include: *Rue Basile-Routhier (Basile-Routhier Street), located in

Shawinigan Shawinigan (; ) is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,620 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada; *Place Basile-Routhier, located in

; *Rue Basile-Routhier in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

; *Boulevard Basile-Routhier in Repentigny,

. *Avenue Sir Adolphe Routhier in

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 ...

, Canada;

Selected publications

*''Les Echos'', P. G. Delisle, 1882.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Routhier, Adolphe Basile 1839 births 1920 deaths Canadian male songwriters Songwriters from Quebec National anthem writers Judges in Quebec Canadian Knights Bachelor Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Judges of the Exchequer Court of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Université Laval alumni Academic staff of Université Laval 20th-century Canadian judges 20th-century Canadian songwriters