Joseph-Napoléon Francoeur (December 13, 1880 – July 25, 1965) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Quebec

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....

. He represented Lotbinière

Lotbinière (provincial electoral district)

Lotbinière is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, the riding was created in 1829...

 in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec

Legislative Assembly of Quebec

The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...

 from 1908 to 1936 and Lotbinière

Lotbinière (electoral district)

Lotbinière was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 2004.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 from 1937 to 1940 as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

. Francoeur was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

President of the National Assembly of Quebec

The President of the National Assembly of Quebec is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, which is modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system...

 from 1919 to 1928.

He was born in Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec

Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec

Cap-Saint-Ignace is a town in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada...

, the son of Auguste Francoeur and Avila Caron, and was educated at the Séminaire de Québec and the Université Laval

Université Laval

Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...

. He was admitted to the Quebec bar in 1904 and set up practice in 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...

. Francoeur practised in partnership with Philippe Auguste Choquette, Antonin Galipeault

Antonin Galipeault

Antonin Galipeault was a Québécois politician, lawyer and judge .-Biography:Antonin Galipeault studied at a seminary in Joliette and at Université Laval, later being admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1900.He worked as a lawyer alongside Joseph-Napoléon Francoeur and Louis Saint-Laurent and later...

 and Thomas Vien

Thomas Vien

Thomas Vien, PC, QC was a Canadian politician.Born in Lauzon, Quebec on 19 July 1881. He studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, then studied law at the Collège de Lévis. After, he studided law at the Université Laval. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1905...

, among others. In 1913, he was named King's Counsel.

He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Quebec assembly in 1904 before being elected in 1908. In 1918, he prepared the Francœur Motion

Francœur Motion

The Francœur Motion, prepared in 1918 by Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec Joseph-Napoléon Francœur, declared that Quebec was disposed to leave the Canadian federation if English Canadians felt the presence of Quebec was a nuisance to Canada....

 in response to anti-Quebec sentiment following the conscription crisis

Conscription crisis

A conscription crisis is a public dispute about a policy of conscription, or mandatory service in the military, also known as a "draft". A dispute can become a crisis when submission to military service becomes highly controversial and popular revolt ensues...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Francoeur served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Public Works and Labour from 1930 to 1931, as Minister of Public Works from 1931 to 1936 and as Minister of Mines and Minister of Labour from 1935 to 1936. He was defeated when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1936. Francoeur was elected to the House of Commons in an 1937 by-election held following the death of Joseph-Achille Verville

Joseph-Achille Verville

Joseph-Achille Verville was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Sainte-Gertrude, Quebec and became a notary.Verville attended Nicolete College and Université Laval...

. He resigned his seat in 1940 after he was named judge in the Court of King's Bench

Quebec Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal for Quebec is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada....

, serving until 1945. He died in Quebec City at the age of 84.

His brother Joseph-Achille

Joseph-Achille Francoeur

Joseph-Achille Francoeur was a plumber and political figure in Quebec. He represented Montréal-Dorion from 1931 to 1935 and Montreal-Mercier from 1939 to 1948 in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Liberal....

also served in the Quebec assembly.

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