Joseph Tassé (23 October 1848 – 17 January 1895) was a Canadian writer, translator, and parliamentarian. Born in Lower Canada (now part of modern

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

Quebec), Tassé as a young man studied the

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

at the

Collège Bourget Collège Bourget is a French-language private education institution in Rigaud, Quebec, Canada. Despite its former religious involvements under the Roman Catholic branch, the students are no longer obliged to practice Catholicism or any other re ...

. Upon graduation he articled in law offices in Montreal, Plattsburgh, New York, and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. However, he never practised law, and instead pursued a career in journalism. From the 1860s, he was employed by newspapers such as Ottawa's '' Le Canada'', and Montreal's '' La Minerve'' in 1868. Though he would eventually rise to become its editor, he was initially employed by ''La Minerve'' as a translator, a role he would revisit in 1872, when he became the official translator for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

. During this period, Tassé also became interested in the history of the Canadian West, and began to publish a series of articles on

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

explorers of the west. This culminated in the 1878 publication of his two-volume work ''Les Canadiens de l'Ouest''. After six years as translator for the house, he resolved to himself enter politics. A Conservative, Tassé served was twice elected to serve as a member of parliament in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the Ontario

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

of City of Ottawa. He was first elected in the Canadian federal election of 1878, and successfully defended this seat in

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

. However, in 1887 he stood for the Quebec riding of Laprairie and was defeated by only 23 votes, ending his career in the House. The loss undoubtedly arose from his support of the Conservative government's handling of the Red River Rebellion and the subsequent hanging of Louis Riel. On 9 February 1891 he was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

on the recommendation of Sir John A. Macdonald, and he served in the capacity representing the senatorial division of De Salaberry, Quebec until his death.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tasse, Joseph 1848 births 1895 deaths Canadian male journalists Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Canadian senators from Quebec Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Journalists from Quebec Politicians from Laval, Quebec Writers from Quebec 19th-century Canadian journalists 19th-century Canadian male writers