Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire: The Notary from Oka Who Presided Over Quebec's Upper House

 

• A Son of the Seigneury

• Birth at Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes: 1808

• The Sulpician Domain

• Parents: Ignace Lemaire and Louise Gastonguay

• Becoming a Notary: 1836

• Six Thousand Acts

• Agent of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice

• Collecting Seigneurial Dues

• Major in the Militia

• Clerk of the Circuit Court

• Mayor of Deux-Montagnes

• Appointment to the Legislative Council: 1867

• The Division of Mille-Isles

• A Conservative in the Upper House

• Vice-President of the Chamber of Notaries

• Speaker of the Legislative Council: 1874-1876

• Sworn to the Executive Council

• Friendship with Boucher de Boucherville

• Resignation Due to Health

• A Contemporary Tribute

• Marriage to Luce Barcelo

• The Barcelo Connection

• One Son and One Daughter

• Death at Saint-Benoit: 1879

• Legacy: A Life of Service

A Son of the Seigneury

Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire spent his entire life in the region of his birth, the seigneury of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes, yet he rose to the highest offices in the province of Quebec. He was a notary who signed some six thousand acts, the trusted agent of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice for more than thirty years, a major in the militia, a clerk of the court, and the mayor of his community. He was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec at Confederation and served until his death. For two years, he was Speaker of the Legislative Council, presiding over the upper house and sitting as a member of the Executive Council. He was a Conservative, a friend of premiers, and a respected figure in his community. When he died in 1879, a Montreal newspaper praised his "high sense of his family traditions, a lofty intelligence, a firm character allied to a strong underlying sense of moderation."

Birth at Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes: 1808

Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire was born on 14 March 1808 at the mission of Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes, a community that later became the parish of Oka in 1910 . Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes is located northwest of Montreal, on the shores of the lake of the same name. It was, and is, a place of remarkable beauty, with the Laurentian hills rising in the distance.

The Sulpician Domain

The region was a seigneury owned by the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice of Montreal. The Sulpicians were a Catholic order of priests who had been granted the land in the seventeenth century. They established a mission for the conversion of Indigenous peoples and, later, a parish for French-Canadian settlers. Lemaire grew up in this world, where the church and the seigneury shaped every aspect of life.

Parents: Ignace Lemaire and Louise Gastonguay

Lemaire's parents were Ignace Lemaire, a carpenter, and Louise Gastonguay . They were part of the hardworking population of the seigneury, people who cleared the land, built the houses, and raised the families that would populate the region.

Becoming a Notary: 1836

Lemaire became a notary in January 1836 . In Quebec, the notary was a figure of immense importance, responsible for drafting contracts, marriage agreements, wills, and deeds. A notary's work touched every aspect of life, from birth to death.

Six Thousand Acts

Lemaire practised his profession until the last month of his life; he signed some 6,000 acts . Six thousand documents, each one a record of a transaction, a promise, a transfer of property. His name appears on countless pages in the archives of Quebec.

Agent of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice

Lemaire's principal client was the seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Montreal, the Sulpicians who were the seigneurs of the region . For more than thirty years, starting in 1842, he served as their agent . This was a position of great trust, requiring knowledge of the law, the seigneurial system, and the people of the region.

Collecting Seigneurial Dues

As agent, his chief duty was to collect seigneurial dues from the farmers . The seigneurial system, a relic of New France, required tenants to pay annual rents and other charges to the seigneur. Lemaire was the intermediary between the Sulpicians and the habitants, a role that required both firmness and tact.

Major in the Militia

Lemaire was a major in the militia battalion of Deux-Montagnes . The militia was a citizen force, responsible for local defence and for maintaining order. The rank of major was a mark of standing in the community.

Clerk of the Circuit Court

He was also clerk of the Circuit Court there . The clerk managed the records of the court, ensuring that cases were properly documented and that justice was administered according to law.

Mayor of Deux-Montagnes

Lemaire served as mayor of Deux-Montagnes . At the local level, he was a leader, a man his neighbours trusted to manage the affairs of the municipality.

Appointment to the Legislative Council: 1867

In November 1867, shortly after Confederation, Lemaire was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec as a Conservative representing the division of Mille-Isles . The Legislative Council was the upper house of the Quebec legislature, composed of twenty-four members appointed for life.

The Division of Mille-Isles

The division of Mille-Isles comprised Terrebonne and Deux-Montagnes counties . Lemaire was representing his own region, the place where he had been born and where he had spent his entire life.

A Conservative in the Upper House

Lemaire was a Conservative, a supporter of the party that dominated Quebec politics in the early years after Confederation. He sat in the upper house, where legislation was reviewed and revised before being passed into law.

Vice-President of the Chamber of Notaries

In October 1873, Lemaire was elected vice-president of the Chamber of Notaries of Quebec . His fellow notaries recognized his stature and his service to the profession.

Speaker of the Legislative Council: 1874-1876

On 22 September 1874, Lemaire was appointed Speaker of the Legislative Council . He presided over the upper house, maintaining order, ruling on points of procedure, and representing the council on ceremonial occasions.

Sworn to the Executive Council

In September 1874, in his capacity as Speaker of the Legislative Council, Lemaire was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council of the province in Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville's cabinet . The Executive Council was the provincial cabinet, the body that directed the government. Lemaire's inclusion was a recognition of his importance.

Friendship with Boucher de Boucherville

The obtaining of this appointment was no doubt facilitated by the friendship between Boucher de Boucherville and himself . Boucher de Boucherville was the premier, a Conservative like Lemaire. The two men knew and trusted each other.

Resignation Due to Health

Less than two years later, the state of his health obliged him to resign . Lemaire stepped down as Speaker at the end of January 1876, though he remained a member of the Legislative Council until his death .

A Contemporary Tribute

Upon his death, La Minerve of Montreal stressed that he had "a high sense of his family traditions, a lofty intelligence, a firm character allied to a strong underlying sense of moderation." . This tribute captures the essence of the man: intelligent, firm, moderate, and rooted in his family and his community.

Marriage to Luce Barcelo

In January 1837, at Sainte-Scholastique, Lemaire married Luce Barcelo . She was the daughter of Jacob Barcelo, a merchant and Patriote of 1837, and of Luce Dorion . The Barcelos were a prominent family, and the marriage connected Lemaire to a wider network of influence.

The Barcelo Connection

Jacob Barcelo was a Patriote, a supporter of the rebellion of 1837. That Lemaire married into such a family suggests that political differences did not divide the local elite. The marriage united a future Conservative with a Patriote family.

One Son and One Daughter

Lemaire and his wife had one son and one daughter . The daughter, Luce, survived him, as did his wife.

Death at Saint-Benoit: 1879

Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire died on 17 December 1879 at Saint-Benoit, in Deux-Montagnes County . He was seventy-one years old. He was buried in his village of Saint-Benoit, the place where he had lived and worked for so many years.

Legacy: A Life of Service

Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire's legacy is that of a man who served his community and his province in many capacities. He was a notary, an agent, a major, a clerk, a mayor, a legislative councillor, a speaker, and a cabinet member. He was trusted by the Sulpicians, respected by his fellow notaries, and valued by his political colleagues.

He was not a famous man, not a figure of national importance. But he was a man who did his duty, who served faithfully, who left his mark on the records of his profession and the history of his province. His name lives on in the archives and in the pages of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire was born at Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes in 1808, became a notary in 1836, and served as agent of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice for more than thirty years. He was a major in the militia, clerk of the circuit court, and mayor of Deux-Montagnes. In 1867, he was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec, and from 1874 to 1876 he served as Speaker of the upper house. He was also vice-president of the Chamber of Notaries and a member of the Executive Council. He died in 1879. He was a notary, a public servant, a Conservative, a husband, a father. He was a son of the seigneury who rose to preside over the legislature.

Источник: https://tribune-monitor.com/component/k2/item/216470