Jean Desfossés was a merchant and political figure in 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...

. He represented Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières (Lower Canada)

Under the Constitutional Act of 1791, the district of Trois-Rivières was established. Its boundaries roughly covered the pre-merger city of Trois-Rivières...

 in 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...

 from 1833 to 1834.

He was born in Nicolet, Quebec

Nicolet, Quebec

Nicolet, Quebec is the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 7,827...

, the son of Joseph Desfossés and Madeleine Boudreau. Around 1809, he entered business at 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...

. He served in the militia during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

; he became a lieutenant in 1825 but was stripped of his rank by Governor George Ramsay, was reinstated by Governor Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer

Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer

‎Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer was a British military officer and colonial administrator.- Napoleonic Wars :...

 and, in 1850, became lieutenant-colonel. Desfossés was elected to the legislative assembly in an 1833 by-election held after Charles Richard Ogden

Charles Richard Ogden

Charles Richard Ogden was a Joint Premier of the Province of Canada for Canada East from 1842 with William Henry Draper PM for Canada West. Odgen was a member of the Château Clique....

 became attorney general. He supported the Parti patriote but did not vote for or against 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....

. He was married twice: to Charlotte Miller in 1816 and to Angèle Ménéclier de Montrochon in 1822. Desfossés died at Trois-Rivières at the age of 64.

His granddaughter Marie-Louise-Elmire Guillet married Joseph-Adolphe Tessier

Joseph-Adolphe Tessier

-Background:He was born on December 17, 1861 in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Mauricie. He was a lawyer and a senior army officer of the local military reserve. He was married to Marie-Louise-Elmire Guillet.-Mayor of Trois-Rivières:...

.