Louis-Adélard Senécal (July 10, 1829 – October 11, 1887) was a

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, ...

businessman and political figure. He was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

member in the

1st Canadian Parliament The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867, until July 8, 1872 (4 years and 252 days). The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867. It was prorogued prior to the 1872 election. ...

representing

Drummond—Arthabaska Drummond—Arthabaska was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was created by the British North America Act, 1867, ''British N ...

, represented Yamaska 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 1867 to 1871 and was a member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

for Mille Isles division in 1887. He was born Louis-Adélard Sénécal in

Varennes Varennes may refer to: Canada * Varennes, Quebec * Varennes, Winnipeg, a neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada * Varennes County, a county established 1881 in the disputed District of Keewatin, Canada France Varennes is the name of sev ...

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

in 1829 and then moved to

Verchères Verchères () is an off-island suburbs, off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 5,759. History file:Verchères (Québec)-Pan ...

with his family while still very young. In 1850, he set up a general store there with a partner. The following year, he entered the business of selling grain with his father. He declared bankruptcy the following year due to debts incurred earlier; his father and wife helped him settle these debts. In 1853, in partnership with his father and others, he became the owner and captain of a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

travelling between Verchères and

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 ...

. The company acquired additional vessels and Senécal formed partnerships with a number of other shipping companies transporting goods in the region. He also speculated in land and was involved in the operation of

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s and

flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

s. In 1867, he was forced to declare

personal bankruptcy Personal bankruptcy law allows, in certain jurisdictions, an individual to be declared bankrupt. Virtually every country with a modern legal system features some form of debt relief for individuals. Personal bankruptcy is distinguished from corpora ...

. This did not affect the Pierreville Steam Mills Company, of which he was a part owner. However, he was forced to sell his share in the company after a series of fires left him short of liquid assets. He was elected to both the provincial and federal legislatures in 1867. During the 1870s, he expanded into railway construction, building the Richelieu, Drummond and Arthabaska Counties Railway. His son-in-law,

Charles-Ignace Gill Charles-Ignace Gill (March 12, 1844 – September 16, 1901) was a Quebec lawyer and political figure. He represented Yamaska (federal electoral district), Yamaska in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1871 to 1874 and in the House of C ...

, a member of the

, helped provide Senécal with the required political connections for railway construction and also looked after some of Senécal's other business interests while he was otherwise occupied. In 1880, he was named superintendent for the

Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway The Canada, Canadian province of Quebec formed the ''Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway'' (QMO&OR) in 1874 to link those cities since private companies, without the usual subsidies from the Federal Government of Canada, could not get ...

; sections of this railway were later sold to the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

and the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

. Senécal was also treasurer for the Parti conservateur du Québec during this period which many saw as a conflict of interest because of the heavy government involvement in railways at the time. During the 1880s, he was also president of the Montreal City Passenger Railway Company, the

North Shore Railway North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

and the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. In 1883, he received the cross of commander in the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

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 was named to the Senate in January 1887 but died in Montreal later that year. He was entombed at 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 Ro ...

in Montreal.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Senecal, Louis Adelard 1829 births 1887 deaths Canadian businesspeople Canadian senators from Quebec Commanders of the Legion of Honour Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs People from Varennes, Quebec Politicians from Montérégie Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 19th-century members of the Senate of Canada