Antoine Polette
Encyclopedia
Antoine Polette was a Quebec
lawyer, judge and political figure.
He was born Antoine Paulet in Pointe-aux-Trembles
, Lower Canada
in 1807 and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec
. He articled in law at Quebec City
, was admitted to the bar in 1828 and set up practice in Trois-Rivières
. Polette served as warden for the county from 1842 to 1846 and then was mayor of Trois-Rivières from 1846 to 1853. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
for Trois-Rivières
as a Reformer in an 1848 by-election held after the preceding general election was not completed in that riding. He was reelected in 1851 and 1854 and retired from politics in 1857. Although Polette had originally supported the government of Francis Hincks
and Augustin-Norbert Morin
, he participated in the defeat of this government in 1854 because of the unresolved issue of seigneurial tenure
. In 1854, he was named Queen's Counsel
. Polette served as a judge in the Quebec Superior Court
for Trois-Rivières district from 1860 to 1880 and was a member of the royal commission that investigated the Pacific Scandal
in 1873.
He died in Trois-Rivières in 1887.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
lawyer, judge and political figure.
He was born Antoine Paulet in Pointe-aux-Trembles
Neuville, Quebec
Neuville is a village on the north shore of the Saint Laurence River, just west of Quebec City, part of the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1684, and has remained quite picturesque throughout these years....
, Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in 1807 and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec
Petit Séminaire de Québec
Le Petit Séminaire de Québec is a private French-language Roman Catholic secondary school in the Vieux-Québec area of Quebec City which was originally part of the Séminaire de Québec...
. He articled in law at Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, was admitted to the bar in 1828 and set up practice in Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières is a city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence Rivers. It is situated in the Mauricie administrative region, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour...
. Polette served as warden for the county from 1842 to 1846 and then was mayor of Trois-Rivières from 1846 to 1853. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
for Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (electoral district)
Trois-Rivières is an electoral district in Quebec, Canada that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1892 and from 1935 to the present....
as a Reformer in an 1848 by-election held after the preceding general election was not completed in that riding. He was reelected in 1851 and 1854 and retired from politics in 1857. Although Polette had originally supported the government of Francis Hincks
Francis Hincks
Sir Francis Hincks, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Thomas Dix Hincks an orientalist, naturalist and Presbyterian minister and the brother of Edward Hincks orientalist, naturalist and clergyman.He moved to York in 1832 and set up an importing business...
and Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin was a lawyer, judgeBorn in Saint-Michel, Lower Canada, into a large Roman Catholic farming family, Morin was identified by the parish priest at a young age as a boy of exceptional talent and intelligence. The parish priest therefore arranged for his education at the...
, he participated in the defeat of this government in 1854 because of the unresolved issue of seigneurial tenure
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
. In 1854, he was named Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. Polette served as a judge in the Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court is the highest trial Court in the Province of Quebec, Canada. It consists of 144 judges who are appointed by the federal government.Chief Justices : [partial listing]* Edward Bowen...
for Trois-Rivières district from 1860 to 1880 and was a member of the royal commission that investigated the Pacific Scandal
Pacific Scandal
The Pacific Scandal was a political scandal in Canada involving allegations of bribes being accepted by the Conservative government in the attempts of private interests to influence the bidding for a national rail contract...
in 1873.
He died in Trois-Rivières in 1887.