Joseph-Émery Robidoux, (March 10, 1843 – March 15, 1929) 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

Châteauguay Châteauguay ( , , ) is an off-island suburbs, off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, located on both the Châteauguay River and Lake Saint-Louis, Lac St-Louis, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population of the ...

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 1884 to 1892 and from 1897 to 1900 as a Liberal. He was born in Saint-Philippe,

Canada East Canada East () was the northeastern portion of the Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new colony, known as the Province of ...

, the son of Toussaint Robidoux and Marguerite Demers, and was educated at the

Collège de Montréal The Collège de Montréal () is a subsidized private high school for students attending grades 7–11 located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A former Roman Catholic minor seminary, it was founded on June 1, 1767 as the ''Petit Séminai ...

, at the

Collège Sainte-Marie In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

and

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, ...

. Robidoux was admitted to the Lower Canada bar in 1866 and set up practice at

Montréal 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 ...

, practising with Thomas Fortin, Amédée Geoffrion and

Cuthbert-Alphonse Chênevert Cuthbert-Alphonse Chênevert (May 22, 1859 – July 7, 1920) was a lawyer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Berthier in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1890 to 1892 and from 1897 to 1903 as a Liberal. He was born in ...

. In 1878, he was named

Queen'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 ...

. Robidoux also taught law at McGill University, where he was professor emeritus from 1890 to 1928. In 1882, he was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the House of Commons. Robidoux was first elected to the Quebec assembly in an 1884 by-election held after the death of Édouard Laberge. He served in the Quebec cabinet as provincial secretary in 1890 and again from 1897 to 1900 and as attorney general from 1890 to 1891. He was defeated by William Greig when he ran for reelection in 1892 but was elected again in 1897, defeating Greig. Robidoux was bâtonnier for the Montreal bar in 1895 and 1896, 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 ...

in 1896 and bâtonnier for the Quebec bar in 1896 and 1897. He was named a chevalier in 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 ...

in 1908. He was married twice: to Sophie Sancer in 1868 and to Clara Sancer, his first wife's sister, in 1878. He resigned his seat in the Quebec assembly after being 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 Trois-Rivières district in 1900. In 1901, he was transferred to Montreal district and, in 1906, to Terrebonne district. He retired from the bench in 1916. Robidoux died at Montréal at the age of 86 and was buried in the

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 ...

References

*
''Les juges de la province de Québec'' (1933)
Roy, PG p. 469 {{DEFAULTSORT:Robidoux, Joseph-Emery 1843 births 1929 deaths Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Judges in Quebec Knights of the Legion of Honour Politicians from Montérégie Canadian King's Counsel McGill University alumni Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec