Eugène Martineau (1837–1880) was mayor of

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

from 1872 to 1873, the first

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

mayor for Ottawa after the town's name was changed from

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...

.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005) He was born in Saint-Nicholas,

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 1837. Martineau came to Ottawa some time before 1860. A stone building on Murray Street in the

Byward Market The ByWard Market (), is a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located east of the government and business district. The Market district includes the market buildings and open-air market alo ...

area now known as Heritage House, previously known as the Martineau Hotel, was built by Martineau in 1872. He served at least 16 years as alderman on the City Council. Martineau promoted the building of an aqueduct across the Lebreton Flats to provide water to the city. Late in life, he encountered financial problems in his business interests and died in 1880.

References

19th-century mayors of places in Ontario Mayors of Ottawa Franco-Ontarian people 1837 births 1880 deaths {{Ontario-mayor-stub