Joseph-Narcisse Cardinal
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Narcisse Cardinal (February 8, 1808 – December 21, 1838) was a notary
and political figure in Lower Canada
. He was the first person executed for taking part in the Lower Canada Rebellion
.
He was born in Saint-Constant
in 1808, the son of Joseph Cardinal, a Montreal
merchant, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal. He moved to Châteauguay with his family, articled as a notary there and qualified to practice in 1829. He was a school trustee there from 1829 to 1832. In 1831, he married Eugénie, the daughter of Bernard Saint-Germain, an interpreter with the Indian Department. His parents and one of his brothers died in a cholera
epidemic in 1832. Cardinal served in the local militia, becoming captain in 1834. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
for Laprairie County, as a supporter of the parti patriote. In 1837, he resigned from his position in the militia and became one of the Patriote leaders in the county. Cardinal did not take part in the armed rebellion, but fled to New York
after his political opponents threatened to turn him over to the authorities because of his support for the Patriote movement. He returned in 1838 and became a member of the Association des frères chasseurs
. He was leader for the Patriote army at Châteauguay during the rebellion in 1838 and was later captured at Kahnawake.
Considered leaders of the rebellion at Châteauguay, Cardinal and three others were sentenced to death for the crime of high treason with a recommendation for executive clemency. Cardinal and Joseph Duquet
were hanged at Montreal in December 1838. He was buried in the old Catholic cemetery at Montreal. In 1858, his remains were moved to the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
and buried under a monument dedicated to the Patriotes of 1837-8.
Civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...
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 was the first person executed for taking part in the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
.
He was born in Saint-Constant
Saint-Constant, Quebec
Saint-Constant is an off-island suburb of Montreal in the Roussillon Regional County Municipality of southwestern Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 23,957.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
in 1808, the son of Joseph Cardinal, a 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...
merchant, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal. He moved to Châteauguay with his family, articled as a notary there and qualified to practice in 1829. He was a school trustee there from 1829 to 1832. In 1831, he married Eugénie, the daughter of Bernard Saint-Germain, an interpreter with the Indian Department. His parents and one of his brothers died in a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic in 1832. Cardinal served in the local militia, becoming captain in 1834. 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 Laprairie County, as a supporter of the parti patriote. In 1837, he resigned from his position in the militia and became one of the Patriote leaders in the county. Cardinal did not take part in the armed rebellion, but fled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after his political opponents threatened to turn him over to the authorities because of his support for the Patriote movement. He returned in 1838 and became a member of the Association des frères chasseurs
Frères chasseurs
The Frères chasseurs were a paramilitary organization that fought in the Patriote Rebellion on the Patriote side, seeking to make Lower Canada, now Quebec, an independent and democratic republic....
. He was leader for the Patriote army at Châteauguay during the rebellion in 1838 and was later captured at Kahnawake.
Considered leaders of the rebellion at Châteauguay, Cardinal and three others were sentenced to death for the crime of high treason with a recommendation for executive clemency. Cardinal and Joseph Duquet
Joseph Duquet
Joseph Duquet was a notary in Lower Canada. He was executed for his part in the Lower Canada Rebellion....
were hanged at Montreal in December 1838. He was buried in the old Catholic cemetery at Montreal. In 1858, his remains were moved to 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...
and buried under a monument dedicated to the Patriotes of 1837-8.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- French Wikipedia article about failed Patriote raid on Kahnawake in November 1838 :fr:Attitude des Amérindiens du Bas-Canada lors des rébellions de 1837-1838