Jean-Baptiste Meilleur
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Meilleur was a doctor, educator and political figure in Lower Canada
.
He was born at Petite-Côte in Saint-Laurent
, Lower Canada on the Island of Montreal
in 1796, the son of Jean Meilleur, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal and an English
school in Montreal
. Meilleur studied at the Castleton Academy of Medicine and Middlebury College
at Montpelier in Vermont
and then at Dartmouth College
in New Hampshire
, receiving an M.D.
in 1825. He was qualified to practice in Lower Canada the following year and set up practice at L'Assomption
. In 1827, he married Joséphine Éno, dit Deschamps, the daughter of Antoine Hénault. He served as a lieutenant in the local militia, later being commissioned as a surgeon for the militia. He was named to the Medical Board for Montreal district and also was a justice of the peace and the postmaster at L'Assomption. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
for L'Assomption County. Meilleur supported the parti patriote, but did not support the use of force to achieve political change.
He helped to maintain a museum of natural history originally established by Pierre Chasseur. Meilleur helped found the Collège de l'Assomption in 1834. He also taught in the local schools and produced the first chemistry textbook written by a Canadian and published in Canada for use in Canadian schools. In 1842, he was named first superintendent of education in Lower Canada and, in 1845, superintendent of education for Lower Canada. He resigned in June 1855.
Meilleur served as a president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
of Montreal in 1857. In 1860, he published Mémorial de l’éducation du Bas-Canada, a history of education in the province. In 1870, he was named president of the Natural History Society of Quebec.
He died at Montreal in 1878 and was buried in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
.
His daughter Joséphine-Charlotte married Georges-Isidore Barthe
; his daughter Marie-Alphonsine married Louis-Alphonse Boyer
.
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...
.
He was born at Petite-Côte in Saint-Laurent
Saint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Laurent is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now the largest in area of the boroughs of the city of Montreal....
, Lower Canada on the Island of Montreal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
in 1796, the son of Jean Meilleur, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal and an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
school in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Meilleur studied at the Castleton Academy of Medicine and Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
at Montpelier in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and then at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, receiving an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1825. He was qualified to practice in Lower Canada the following year and set up practice at L'Assomption
L'Assomption, Quebec
L'Assomption is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the L'Assomption River. It is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of L'Assomption. It is located on the outer fringes of the Montreal urban area....
. In 1827, he married Joséphine Éno, dit Deschamps, the daughter of Antoine Hénault. He served as a lieutenant in the local militia, later being commissioned as a surgeon for the militia. He was named to the Medical Board for Montreal district and also was a justice of the peace and the postmaster at L'Assomption. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
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...
for L'Assomption County. Meilleur supported the parti patriote, but did not support the use of force to achieve political change.
He helped to maintain a museum of natural history originally established by Pierre Chasseur. Meilleur helped found the Collège de l'Assomption in 1834. He also taught in the local schools and produced the first chemistry textbook written by a Canadian and published in Canada for use in Canadian schools. In 1842, he was named first superintendent of education in Lower Canada and, in 1845, superintendent of education for Lower Canada. He resigned in June 1855.
Meilleur served as a president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
of Montreal in 1857. In 1860, he published Mémorial de l’éducation du Bas-Canada, a history of education in the province. In 1870, he was named president of the Natural History Society of Quebec.
He died at Montreal in 1878 and was buried in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal...
.
His daughter Joséphine-Charlotte married Georges-Isidore Barthe
Georges-Isidore Barthe
Georges-Isidore Barthe was a Quebec lawyer, publisher, journalist, and political figure. He represented Richelieu in the Canadian House of Commons as an Independent Conservative from 1870 to 1872 and 1874 to 1878....
; his daughter Marie-Alphonsine married Louis-Alphonse Boyer
Louis-Alphonse Boyer
Louis-Alphonse Boyer was a Quebec merchant and political figure. He represented Maskinongé in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1878....
.