Gérard Cournoyer (18 April 1912 – 11 November 1973) was a

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

. He was born in Sorel, Quebec and became a lawyer by career. Cournoyer studied at the Saint Hyacinthe Seminary, then attended the

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

where he received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and

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degrees. He was called to the Quebec bar in 1935. He was first elected to Parliament at the Richelieu—Verchères riding in a by-election on 23 December 1946 then re-elected there in the 1949 federal election. Cournoyer resigned his House of Commons seat on 5 July 1952 during his term in the

21st Canadian Parliament The 21st Canadian Parliament was in session from September 15, 1949, until June 13, 1953. The membership was set by the 1949 Canadian federal election, 1949 federal election on June 27, 1949, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and ...

to pursue provincial politics in Quebec where he won a Legislative Assembly seat in the Richelieu riding later that year in the 1952 Quebec election. He was defeated in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

, but was elected again in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and again in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

. From 1960 to 1964, he was Minister of Transport and Communication under the

Jean Lesage Jean Lesage (; June 10, 1912 – December 12, 1980) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 19th premier of Quebec from July 5, 1960, to June 16, 1966. Alongside Georges-Émile Lapalme, René Lévesque and others, he is often v ...

administration, then was minister of Hunting and Fishing until 1965, then 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 ...

until his election defeat in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

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* 1912 births 1973 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Lawyers in Quebec Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Université de Montréal alumni People from Sorel-Tracy Politicians from Montérégie 20th-century Canadian lawyers 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{Liberal-Quebec-MP-stub