François-Philippe Brais, (October 18, 1894 – January 2, 1972) 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 ...

lawyer and politician. Born 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 ...

, the son of Émilien Brais and Blanche Brunet, he studied at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1917 and began a legal career in private practice, specialising in insurance law. From 1922 to 1930, he was a Crown prosecutor in Montreal, being appointed

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1927.Barreau du Québec: Bâtonniers 1930 à 1959: 1949-1950 François Philippe Brais
/ref> He appeared several times in the Supreme Court of Canada. He eventually served on many corporate boards, including the board 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 ...

and Sun Life Insurance. He also served on the boards of many non-profit and charitable organizations, such as the

Montreal Children's Hospital Montreal Children's Hospital () is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of Medicine. The hospital has 154 single-pati ...

. In 1940, Brais was appointed to the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (, ) was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower house. The council was composed of 24 memb ...

representing the Grandville division. He served until the Council was abolished in 1968. In 1940, he was made a

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

in the cabinet of Liberal

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

Adélard Godbout Joseph-Adélard Godbout (September 24, 1892 – September 18, 1956) was a Canadian agronomist and politician. He served as the 15th premier of Quebec briefly in 1936, and again from 1939 to 1944, in addition to serving as the leader of the Part ...

. Brais was President of the

Canadian Bar Association The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annual Meeting was ...

from 1944 until 1945.Canadian Bar Association: Past CBA Presidents
/ref> He then served as bâtonnier of the Montreal Bar in 1949, and bâtonnier of the provincial Barreau, 1949–1950. In 1943, Brais was made a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. In 1945 the Université de Montréal awarded him a doctorate in law, honoris causa. In 1953, the Université Laval awarded him a second honorary doctorate in law. In 1970, he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. Brais died on January 2, 1972, at

Cowansville Cowansville is a town in south-central Quebec, Canada, located on Lac Davignon north of the U.S. border. It is the seat of Brome-Missisquoi, a regional county municipality. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 15,234. In recent year ...

. He was buried on January 5, 1972, at

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (, ) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of Côte-des-Neiges Road ...

in Montreal.

References

1894 births 1972 deaths McGill University alumni Lawyers in Quebec Canadian King's Counsel Canadian Bar Association presidents Quebec Liberal Party MLCs Members of the Executive Council of Quebec Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of Canada Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery {{Quebec-politician-stub

See also

References