Honoré Beaugrand (24 March 1848 – 7 October 1906)
was a
French Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
journalist, politician, author and folklorist, born in Berthier County, Quebec.
[
As a young graduate from military school Beaugrand joined the French military forces under General Bazaine in ]Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, supporting the ill-fated emperor Maximilian of Mexico
Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian archduke who became emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Mexican Republic on 19 June 1867.
A member of the House of Habsburg-Lorra ...
. He returned with those troops to France after the fall of Chapultepec and Maximilian's execution. After some months he moved to New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1868 and became a journalist. Subsequently, he wrote for U.S. newspapers in St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, Boston, Chicago, and Lowell and Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...
.
In 1878, he returned to Canada and founded the newspaper '' La Patrie'' 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 ...
to take the place of '' Le National'' which had recently folded. It ceased publication in 1957, after 78 years. In August 1879 he acquired ''Le Canard'' from publisher and satirist Hector Berthelot
Hector Berthelot (March 4, 1842 – September 15, 1895) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist, columnist, satirist, caricaturist, photographer and publisher who was born in Trois-Rivières. He was not married and died in Montreal. He is most wel ...
. He made a name as a political writer and reporter, and in 1885 received the cross of the French Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
.
He became a freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
in 1873 and took part in the foundation of Montreal Émancipation lodge in 1897.
He was elected mayor of Montreal
The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...
in 1885. Today, a street in Montreal and the Honoré-Beaugrand station on the green line of the Montreal metro
The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...
are named in his honour. He is most famous in Quebec for writing down the legend of the "Chasse-galerie
''La Chasse-galerie'', also known as "The Bewitched Canoe" or "The Flying Canoe", is a popular French-Canadian tale of lumberjacks from camps working around the Gatineau River who make a deal with the devil, a variant of the Wild Hunt. Its best-k ...
", published in 1891 in ''La chasse galerie: légendes canadiennes'', which also included "Le loup-garou," "La bête à grand'queue," "Macloune," and "Le père Louison." He also published English-language version of "Le loup-garou" ("The Werwolves") in a 1898 edition of The Century, under the name Henry Beaugrand.
Publications
* ''Anita''
* ''Jeanne la fileuse''
* ''Contes Canadiens''
* ''La Chasse-galerie et autres récits''
Gallery
Image:Lachassegalerie.jpg, La chasse galerie, Illustration from Henri Julien Quebec museum
Image:Honore Beaugrand.jpg, As mayor of Montreal
Image:Honore Beaugrand dernieres volontes.jpg, Last wishes of Honoré Beaugrand
References
External links
Extensive dossier on Beaugrand at ''L'Encyclopédie de l'Agora''
(in French)
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* (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaugrand, Honore
19th-century mayors of places in Quebec
Canadian folklorists
Mayors of Montreal
Journalists from Montreal
1848 births
1906 deaths
Canadian Freemasons