Elzéar Bédard
Encyclopedia
Elzéar Bédard was a lawyer and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
. He later became a judge.
He was born at Quebec City
in 1799, the son of Pierre-Stanislas Bédard
. Bédard received a typical education for the time which he completed in 1818, He then pursued a career in the priesthood but abandoned this and in 1819 articled to become a lawyer which took place in 1824. By 1830, he was involved in provincial politics and ran unsuccessfully in Kamouraska. He won a by-election in 1832 for Montmorency, a riding left vacant by Philippe Panet
. He aligned himself with Louis-Joseph Papineau
's Patriote party program and in 1834 was the member who introduced the Ninety-Two Resolutions
, although likely he did not have a significant role in the preparation.
He was the first mayor of Quebec City
, (1833–1834), but lost the next election to René-Édouard Caron
. A close friend and supporter of Lord Gosford
, he was appointed a judge of the Court of King's Bench in 1836, an appointment that was called bribery by his radical adversaries in the Patriote party
.
Bédard was a political moderate at a time when a more extreme outlook was held by most politicians and this stance brought him some adversity and misfortune during his political life.
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
. He later became a judge.
He was born 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...
in 1799, the son of Pierre-Stanislas Bédard
Pierre-Stanislas Bédard
Pierre-Stanislas Bédard was a lawyer, judge, journalist and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Charlesbourg in 1762, descended from French ancestors who had first arrived in New France before 1660. He studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, articled in law and was called to the bar...
. Bédard received a typical education for the time which he completed in 1818, He then pursued a career in the priesthood but abandoned this and in 1819 articled to become a lawyer which took place in 1824. By 1830, he was involved in provincial politics and ran unsuccessfully in Kamouraska. He won a by-election in 1832 for Montmorency, a riding left vacant by Philippe Panet
Philippe Panet
Philippe Panet was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born at Quebec City in 1791, the son of Jean-Antoine Panet, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec...
. He aligned himself with Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
's Patriote party program and in 1834 was the member who introduced the Ninety-Two Resolutions
Ninety-Two Resolutions
The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the Parti patriote of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony....
, although likely he did not have a significant role in the preparation.
He was the first mayor of 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...
, (1833–1834), but lost the next election to René-Édouard Caron
René-Édouard Caron
René-Édouard Caron was a Canadian politician, judge, and the second Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.Born in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Lower Canada, the son of Augustin Caron, a farmer, and Elizabeth Lessard, he studied at a Quebec seminary, the Petit Séminaire of Quebec, and studied law in André-Rémi...
. A close friend and supporter of Lord Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford GCB , styled The Honourable Archibald Acheson from 1790 to 1806 and Lord Acheson from 1806 to 1807, was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century.-Background:Born at...
, he was appointed a judge of the Court of King's Bench in 1836, an appointment that was called bribery by his radical adversaries in the Patriote party
Parti canadien
The Parti canadien or Parti patriote was a political party in what is now Quebec founded by members of the liberal elite of Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century...
.
Bédard was a political moderate at a time when a more extreme outlook was held by most politicians and this stance brought him some adversity and misfortune during his political life.