Elzéar-Henri Juchereau Duchesnay (July 19, 1809 – May 12, 1871) was a

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

, lawyer and political figure in

Canada East Canada East () was the northeastern portion of the Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new colony, known as the Province of ...

. He also served in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

from 1867 until his death. Juchereau Duchesnay, also sometimes referred to as Henri-Elzéar, was born in Beauport,

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

in 1809, the son of Antoine-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay. He studied law, was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1832 and settled at Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce. In 1838, on the death of his first wife, Julie Perrault, daughter of Jean-Baptiste-Olivier Perrault, he inherited part of the

seigneury A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal system, feudal title in Ancien Régime, France before the French Revolution, Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owne ...

of Sainte-Marie. In 1846, he became lieutenant-colonel in the local

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

. He was also interested in farming and was president of the county agricultural society. He was elected to the

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada () was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known ...

in 1856 for the Lauzon division and served until

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 ...

, when he was appointed to the Canadian Senate. He served as mayor for Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce from 1868 to 1870. He died at Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce in 1871. One of his sons, Charles-Edmond, became superintendent of the

Canadian Pacific Railway 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 ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Another son Henri-Jules served in the House of Commons. He was the grandfather of François-Xavier Chouinard, clerck of the Ville de Québec until 1961.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duchesnay, Elzear-Henri 1809 births 1871 deaths Canadian senators from Quebec Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada People from Beauce, Quebec Politicians from Chaudière-Appalaches