Sir François-Xavier Lemieux (April 9, 1851 – July 18, 1933), often referred to as F.X. Lemieux, was a

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, ...

lawyer, judge and political figure. He represented

Lévis Lévis () is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre-Laporte Bridge, connect we ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

from 1883 to 1892 and

Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; ; ; born Giovanni di Fidanza; 1221 – 15 July 1274) was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal, Scholasticism, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General ( ...

from 1894 to 1897. Lemieux was also

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

's lawyer in 1885. He was born at

in 1851 and studied at the college there, at

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 ...

and the

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

. He articled in law, was called to the Quebec bar in 1872 and became a successful criminal lawyer. In 1874, he married Diane, the daughter of judge Marc-Aurèle Plamondon. Lemieux was the head of Louis Riel's defence team, which included several other leading lawyers from eastern Canada, at his trial for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

in 1885. Some believe that Riel's lawyers may not have taken advantage of available options for avoiding the death penalty. The jury returned a verdict of guilty with a recommendation for mercy, but the death penalty was mandatory under the statute. Subsequent appeals of the verdict were dismissed and Riel was executed in November 1885. In 1892, Lemieux successfully defended

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Libera ...

against a charge of having defrauded the public treasury. Lemieux was named bâtonnier for the Quebec bar in Quebec district in 1896 and for the province in 1896 and 1897. Lemieux had been reelected to the legislative assembly in both Lévis and Bonaventure in 1897, but resigned his seat when he was named judge in the

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec () is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Jurisdictio ...

for Athabaska district. In 1915, he was named chief judge in the court. He was knighted in 1915. He died at Quebec City in 1933.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemieux, Francois-Xavier 1851 births 1933 deaths Canadian Knights Bachelor Judges in Quebec Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Université Laval alumni 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec