Joseph-Napoléon Francoeur (; 13 December 1880 – 25 July 1965) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

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, ...

. He represented Lotbinière 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 1908 to 1936 and Lotbinière in 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 ...

from 1937 to 1940 as a Liberal. Francoeur was

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and terr ...

from 1919 to 1928. He was born in

Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec Cap-Saint-Ignace () is a municipality in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, east of Quebec City on Route 132. Geogr ...

, the son of Auguste Francoeur and Avila Caron, and was educated at the

Séminaire de Québec The Seminary of Quebec (French: , ) is a Catholic Church, Catholic community of Secular clergy, diocesan priests in Quebec City founded by Bishop François de Laval, the first bishop of New France in 1663. History The Séminaire de Québec is ...

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 was admitted to the Quebec bar in 1904 and set up practice in

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 ...

. Francoeur practised in partnership with

Philippe-Auguste Choquette Philippe-Auguste Choquette (; January 6, 1854 – December 20, 1948) was a Canadian Member of Parliament and Senator. Biography He was born on January 6, 1854, in Beloeil, Canada East to Joseph Choquette and Thaïs Audet. He studied at U ...

Antonin Galipeault Antonin Galipeault (August 7, 1879 – May 12, 1971) was a Québécois politician, lawyer and judge . Biography Antonin Galipeault studied at a seminary in Joliette and at Université Laval, later being admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1900. H ...

and Thomas Vien, among others. In 1913, he was named

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 ...

. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Quebec assembly in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

before being elected in

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

. In 1918, he prepared the Francœur Motion in response to anti-Quebec sentiment following the conscription crisis during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Francoeur served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Public Works and Labour from 1930 to 1931, as Minister of Public Works from 1931 to 1936 and as Minister of Mines and Minister of Labour from 1935 to 1936. He was defeated when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

. Francoeur was elected to the House of Commons in a 1937 by-election held following the death of Joseph-Achille Verville. He resigned his seat in 1940 after he was named judge in the

Court of King's Bench The Court of King's Bench, formally known as The Court of the King Before the King Himself, was a court of common law in the English legal system. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century from the '' curia regis'', the King's Bench initi ...

, serving until 1945. He died in Quebec City at the age of 84. His brother Joseph-Achille also served in the Quebec assembly.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Francoeur, Joseph-Napoleon Presidents of the National Assembly of Quebec Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Judges in Quebec 1880 births 1965 deaths Politicians from Chaudière-Appalaches Université Laval alumni Canadian King's Counsel 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec