Joseph Édouard Cauchon
Encyclopedia
Joseph Édouard Cauchon, PC
(December 31, 1816 – February 23, 1885) was a prominent Quebec
politician in the middle years of the nineteenth-century. Although he held a variety of portfolios at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, he never achieved his goal of becoming the Premier of Quebec
.
Born to a well-established family of seigneurs
, Cauchon received a classical education at the Petit Séminaire of Quebec
from 1830 to 1839, and subsequently studied law. He was called to the Quebec bar
in 1843, but never practised. Instead he turned to journalism, working for Le Canadien
from 1841 to 1842, and launching his own Le Journal de Québec
in December of the latter year. This paper was known for its sharp political wit and generally supported Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
's French Canadian Reformers during its early years.
In 1841, he published an elementary treatise of physics entiteled Notions élémentaires de physique, avec planches à l'usage des maisons d'éducation.
Cauchon himself entered political life in 1844, winning election for the riding of Montmorency
in the Province of Canada's legislature
. He defeated a Mr. Taschereau by 475 votes to 147, and sat with Lafontaine's French Canadian group on the opposition benches for the next three years.
Lafontaine's party won a major victory in 1847, and Cauchon was re-elected by acclamation. He did not, however, join the cabinet of Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin
.
Cauchon supported the union of Canada East
and Canada West as a guarantor of rights for both regions and sought to have the bilingual Augustin-Norbert Morin
elected as speaker
of the provincial legislature. When Francis Hincks
replaced Lafontaine as Premier
in 1851, Cauchon's position was one of ambivalence. He opposed Hincks's alliance with the Clear Grit faction (which he described as "socialist and anticatholic"), and turned down Hincks's offer to become assistant Provincial Secretary
. While he did not abandon the Reform cause entirely, his newspapers's criticisms of the Hincks government weakened the ministry's position in Quebec.
Cauchon was himself re-elected in 1851 and 1854, defeating one Mr. Glackemeyer by 883 votes to 529 on the latter occasion. His political position in 1854 was ambiguous, and he held some hopes of replacing Hincks as a coalitionist Premier when the overall results proved inconclusive. He abandoned this plan, however, to support the alliance of Allan Napier McNab's Conservatives
with the French Canadian bloc (then led by Morin) and a part of Hincks's Reform group. In the year that followed, Cauchon supported the government's decisions to eliminate the seigneural system (over Louis-Joseph Papineau
's objections) and secularize the clergy reserves. In 1855, he introduced a bill to make the Legislative Council
elective; this was passed into law, and came into effect the following year.
Later in 1855, Cauchon was appointed to the McNab–Étienne-Paschal Taché
cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands
. He resigned in April 1857, when his government refused to allocate funds for a railway on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River
. Cauchon remained a member of the Parti bleu
, however, and was re-elected in the general election of 1857.
Cauchon voted against his party on some occasions in 1858, and spoke out against its early support of Canadian Confederation
. Nevertheless, he was appointed in 1861 as Minister of Public Works
in the George-Étienne Cartier
-Macdonald cabinet, and held this position until the Cartier-Macdonald government was defeated in the house the following year. Cauchon was returned by acclamation in the general election of 1861, and defeated a Mr. Tourangeau by 526 votes to 367 in 1863.
When the Conservatives returned to power in March 1864, Cauchon was again chosen as Public Works minister. He was forced to resign this position after the creation of a "Grand Coalition" ministry in August, though he continued to support the government from the back benches. Despite his previous opposition, he also emerged as a leading supporter of the confederation plan. In 1865, he published (in French and English) a work entitled The union of the provinces of British North America, which rejected his earlier opposition to the plan.
While retaining his seat in parliament, Cauchon also served as mayor
of Quebec City
from 1865 to 1867. It is difficult to determine what he accomplished, as he never published a report during this period.
After Confederation was achieved in July 1867, Cauchon was called upon to become the first Premier
of Quebec. He was unable to accomplish this task, however, as his plans to include an anglophone in cabinet broke down on the issue of educational funding for the province's Protestant minority. Cauchon opposed the creation of a Protestant Superintendency for the province, while all of his potential anglophone ministers supported it. Accordingly, Cauchon stood aside, and Pierre Chauveau became the province's first Premier instead. Despite this setback, Cauchon was re-elected for Montmorency to both the federal and provincial parliaments later in the year.
Rejected in his bid to become Quebec Premier, Cauchon still sought higher office. In October 1867, he demanded that the Conservative government appoint him to the Canadian Senate
, and allow him to be chosen as its first speaker. Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau
was accordingly convinced to resign his Senate seat, and Cauchon took his place on November 2, 1867, becoming speaker three days later. His appointment was extremely unpopular with senators from both parties, and Cauchon subsequently identified himself as an Independent Conservative. The affair may have contributed to Cauchon's defeat at the hands of John Lemesurier
in a bid for re-election as Quebec City's Mayor one month later. Despite the unpopularity of his appointment, Cauchon remained Speaker of the Senate until June 30, 1872 (though he stepped down on a temporary basis on two occasions, for eleven days in total). While in Ottawa he lived in Stadacona Hall in Sandy Hill
.
Cauchon was re-elected by acclamation to the Quebec assembly in 1871 and resigned his Senate seat in 1872 to run for the House of Commons
again. This time running in Quebec Centre, he was opposed by an Anglophone Protestant named James Gibb Ross
. The resulting election was divided on sectarian lines, and was extremely violent. Cauchon won by 964 votes to 694; he returned to parliament as an Independent Conservative and was not specifically aligned with either party.
In 1873, Cauchon wanted to replace N. F. Belleau as lieutenant governor of Quebec
, but was rejected by the Macdonald government due to his large number of enemies. He also wanted to become Quebec leader of the federal Conservative party after Cartier's death, but was too unpopular within the party. Following these rejections, he began to align himself with the opposition Liberals
, joining the party when the Pacific Scandal
brought down Macdonald's government later in the year. Cauchon resigned his seat in the Quebec legislature in February 1874 when his "dual mandate" became illegal, and thereafter focused his attentions on federal advancement.
Cauchon's presence in the Liberal Party was a matter of convenience for both sides. Cauchon provided the Liberals with a link to various Catholic concerns in Quebec, and helped the party rebuild a provincial network. In return, Cauchon was appointed to cabinet as President of the Privy Council on December 7, 1875. Liberal Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie
subsequently wanted to promote him to Minister of Justice, but was unable to do so because of divisions in the party. Cauchon was, however, promoted to Minister of Inland Revenue
on June 8, 1877.
As before, Cauchon was a leading source of division in his party. Wilfrid Laurier
emerged as a leading opponent of Cauchon among the Quebec Liberals, and was successful in having him removed from cabinet in October 1877. As compensation, Cauchon was appointed the third Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
, replacing the retiring Alexander Morris
.
Cauchon's appointment was met with apprehension among Manitoba's anglophone residents. The province's population was divided on ethnic, linguistic and religious lines at the time, and there was often strong antagonism between members of different communities. Many within Manitoba's majority anglophone population believed that Cauchon would refuse to uphold their legal rights. This supposition proved false, although Cauchon did reserve approval of an 1878 bill that eliminated the printing of government legislation in French.
While the previous lieutenant governors of Manitoba had been interventionist figures, Cauchon was generally content to assume a more ceremonial role. This was a reflection of the province's political maturity and its ability to govern without direction from its formal executive.
Cauchon's term ended on December 1, 1882, although he remained in Manitoba after this time. Already wealthy from his business activities in Quebec, he had made a further fortune on railway speculation in the western province (estimates of his earnings range from half a million to a million dollars). He was caught in a market downtown just as his term in office came an end, however, and was forced to sell his luxurious Winnipeg mansion in 1884. He then moved to the Qu'Appelle Valley (in modern Saskatchewan
), and lived in somewhat reduced circumstances until his death the following year.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(December 31, 1816 – February 23, 1885) was a prominent 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....
politician in the middle years of the nineteenth-century. Although he held a variety of portfolios at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, he never achieved his goal of becoming the Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
.
Born to a well-established family of seigneurs
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
, Cauchon received a classical education at the Petit Séminaire of Quebec
Petit Séminaire of Quebec
The Seminary of Quebec is a Roman Catholic community of priests in Quebec City founded by Bishop François de Laval, the first bishop of New France in 1663.-History and Mission:...
from 1830 to 1839, and subsequently studied law. He was called to the Quebec bar
Barreau du Quebec
The Bar of Quebec is the provincial law society for lawyers in Quebec, Canada...
in 1843, but never practised. Instead he turned to journalism, working for Le Canadien
Le Canadien
Le Canadien was a French language newspaper published in Lower Canada from November 22, 1806 to March 14, 1810. Its motto was: "Nos institutions, notre langue et nos droits"...
from 1841 to 1842, and launching his own Le Journal de Québec
Le Journal de Québec
Le Journal de Québec is a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec . The newspaper is printed in tabloid format and has a the highest circulation for a Quebec City newspaper, with its closest competitor being Le Soleil....
in December of the latter year. This paper was known for its sharp political wit and generally supported Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...
's French Canadian Reformers during its early years.
In 1841, he published an elementary treatise of physics entiteled Notions élémentaires de physique, avec planches à l'usage des maisons d'éducation.
Cauchon himself entered political life in 1844, winning election for the riding of Montmorency
Montmorency
- Places :In Australia:* Montmorency, Victoria, suburb of Melbourne** Montmorency railway stationIn Canada:* Montmorency Falls, Quebec* Montmorency , Quebec* Montmorency , Quebec...
in the Province of Canada's legislature
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
. He defeated a Mr. Taschereau by 475 votes to 147, and sat with Lafontaine's French Canadian group on the opposition benches for the next three years.
Lafontaine's party won a major victory in 1847, and Cauchon was re-elected by acclamation. He did not, however, join the cabinet of Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
.
Cauchon supported the union of Canada East
Canada East
Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
and Canada West as a guarantor of rights for both regions and sought to have the bilingual Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin
Augustin-Norbert Morin was a lawyer, judgeBorn in Saint-Michel, Lower Canada, into a large Roman Catholic farming family, Morin was identified by the parish priest at a young age as a boy of exceptional talent and intelligence. The parish priest therefore arranged for his education at the...
elected as speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the provincial legislature. When Francis Hincks
Francis Hincks
Sir Francis Hincks, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Thomas Dix Hincks an orientalist, naturalist and Presbyterian minister and the brother of Edward Hincks orientalist, naturalist and clergyman.He moved to York in 1832 and set up an importing business...
replaced Lafontaine as Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
in 1851, Cauchon's position was one of ambivalence. He opposed Hincks's alliance with the Clear Grit faction (which he described as "socialist and anticatholic"), and turned down Hincks's offer to become assistant Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
. While he did not abandon the Reform cause entirely, his newspapers's criticisms of the Hincks government weakened the ministry's position in Quebec.
Cauchon was himself re-elected in 1851 and 1854, defeating one Mr. Glackemeyer by 883 votes to 529 on the latter occasion. His political position in 1854 was ambiguous, and he held some hopes of replacing Hincks as a coalitionist Premier when the overall results proved inconclusive. He abandoned this plan, however, to support the alliance of Allan Napier McNab's Conservatives
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
with the French Canadian bloc (then led by Morin) and a part of Hincks's Reform group. In the year that followed, Cauchon supported the government's decisions to eliminate the seigneural system (over 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 objections) and secularize the clergy reserves. In 1855, he introduced a bill to make the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...
elective; this was passed into law, and came into effect the following year.
Later in 1855, Cauchon was appointed to the McNab–Étienne-Paschal Taché
Étienne-Paschal Taché
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché was a Canadian doctor, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon, Taché studied at the Séminaire de Québec until the War of 1812 when he joined the 5th battalion of the...
cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands
Commissioner of Crown Lands
Commissioner of Crown Lands may refer to:*Commissioners of Crown Lands *Commissioner of Crown Lands...
. He resigned in April 1857, when his government refused to allocate funds for a railway on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. Cauchon remained a member of the Parti bleu
Parti bleu
The Parti bleu was a moderate political group in Quebec, Canada that emerged in 1854. It was based on the moderate reformist views of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, and was a rival to the radical Parti rouge....
, however, and was re-elected in the general election of 1857.
Cauchon voted against his party on some occasions in 1858, and spoke out against its early support of Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. Nevertheless, he was appointed in 1861 as Minister of Public Works
Minister of Public Works (Canada)
The position of Minister of Public Works existed as part of the Cabinet of Canada from Confederation to 1995.As part of substantial governmental reorganization, the position was merged with that of the Minister of Supply and Services to create the position of Minister of Public Works and Government...
in the George-Étienne Cartier
George-Étienne Cartier
Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, PC was a French-Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation.The English spelling of the name, George, instead of Georges, the usual French spelling, is explained by his having been named in honour of King George III....
-Macdonald cabinet, and held this position until the Cartier-Macdonald government was defeated in the house the following year. Cauchon was returned by acclamation in the general election of 1861, and defeated a Mr. Tourangeau by 526 votes to 367 in 1863.
When the Conservatives returned to power in March 1864, Cauchon was again chosen as Public Works minister. He was forced to resign this position after the creation of a "Grand Coalition" ministry in August, though he continued to support the government from the back benches. Despite his previous opposition, he also emerged as a leading supporter of the confederation plan. In 1865, he published (in French and English) a work entitled The union of the provinces of British North America, which rejected his earlier opposition to the plan.
While retaining his seat in parliament, Cauchon also served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
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...
from 1865 to 1867. It is difficult to determine what he accomplished, as he never published a report during this period.
After Confederation was achieved in July 1867, Cauchon was called upon to become the first Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
of Quebec. He was unable to accomplish this task, however, as his plans to include an anglophone in cabinet broke down on the issue of educational funding for the province's Protestant minority. Cauchon opposed the creation of a Protestant Superintendency for the province, while all of his potential anglophone ministers supported it. Accordingly, Cauchon stood aside, and Pierre Chauveau became the province's first Premier instead. Despite this setback, Cauchon was re-elected for Montmorency to both the federal and provincial parliaments later in the year.
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
, and allow him to be chosen as its first speaker. Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau
Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau
Sir Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau, KCMG, QC was a Canadian politician, lawyer and businessman.He was born in Quebec City in 1808. He studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec and went on to article in law, receiving his license to practice in 1832. In 1835, he married Marie-Reine-Josephte, the daughter...
was accordingly convinced to resign his Senate seat, and Cauchon took his place on November 2, 1867, becoming speaker three days later. His appointment was extremely unpopular with senators from both parties, and Cauchon subsequently identified himself as an Independent Conservative. The affair may have contributed to Cauchon's defeat at the hands of John Lemesurier
John Lemesurier
John Lemesurier was a Canadian politician, serving as Mayor of Quebec City from January 1868 to November 1869.John Le Mesurier left his native Gaspe to make his mark in Quebec City...
in a bid for re-election as Quebec City's Mayor one month later. Despite the unpopularity of his appointment, Cauchon remained Speaker of the Senate until June 30, 1872 (though he stepped down on a temporary basis on two occasions, for eleven days in total). While in Ottawa he lived in Stadacona Hall in Sandy Hill
Sandy Hill
Sandy Hill is a bilingual neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario located just east of downtown. The neighbourhood is bordered on the west by the Rideau Canal and on the east by the Rideau River. To the north it stretches to Rideau Street and the Byward Market area while to the south it is bordered by...
.
Cauchon was re-elected by acclamation to the Quebec assembly in 1871 and resigned his Senate seat in 1872 to run for the 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...
again. This time running in Quebec Centre, he was opposed by an Anglophone Protestant named James Gibb Ross
James Gibb Ross
James Gibb Ross was a Canadian merchant and politician from the province of Quebec.Born in Carluke, a village of South Lanarkshire, Scotland, Ross emigrated to Canada in 1832 with his brother, John Ross, settling in Quebec City...
. The resulting election was divided on sectarian lines, and was extremely violent. Cauchon won by 964 votes to 694; he returned to parliament as an Independent Conservative and was not specifically aligned with either party.
In 1873, Cauchon wanted to replace N. F. Belleau as lieutenant governor of Quebec
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec : Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec, or : Lieutenant-gouverneure du Québec) is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions...
, but was rejected by the Macdonald government due to his large number of enemies. He also wanted to become Quebec leader of the federal Conservative party after Cartier's death, but was too unpopular within the party. Following these rejections, he began to align himself with the opposition Liberals
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...
, joining the party when the Pacific Scandal
Pacific Scandal
The Pacific Scandal was a political scandal in Canada involving allegations of bribes being accepted by the Conservative government in the attempts of private interests to influence the bidding for a national rail contract...
brought down Macdonald's government later in the year. Cauchon resigned his seat in the Quebec legislature in February 1874 when his "dual mandate" became illegal, and thereafter focused his attentions on federal advancement.
Cauchon's presence in the Liberal Party was a matter of convenience for both sides. Cauchon provided the Liberals with a link to various Catholic concerns in Quebec, and helped the party rebuild a provincial network. In return, Cauchon was appointed to cabinet as President of the Privy Council on December 7, 1875. Liberal Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
subsequently wanted to promote him to Minister of Justice, but was unable to do so because of divisions in the party. Cauchon was, however, promoted to Minister of Inland Revenue
Minister of Inland Revenue
The Minister of Inland Revenue is the political office of Minister for the department of Inland Revenue which is responsible for the collection of taxes. Minister of Inland Revenue is a title held by leaders in different countries...
on June 8, 1877.
As before, Cauchon was a leading source of division in his party. Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
emerged as a leading opponent of Cauchon among the Quebec Liberals, and was successful in having him removed from cabinet in October 1877. As compensation, Cauchon was appointed the third Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba is the viceregal representative in Manitoba of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
, replacing the retiring Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris, PC was a Canadian politician. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald , and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba...
.
Cauchon's appointment was met with apprehension among Manitoba's anglophone residents. The province's population was divided on ethnic, linguistic and religious lines at the time, and there was often strong antagonism between members of different communities. Many within Manitoba's majority anglophone population believed that Cauchon would refuse to uphold their legal rights. This supposition proved false, although Cauchon did reserve approval of an 1878 bill that eliminated the printing of government legislation in French.
While the previous lieutenant governors of Manitoba had been interventionist figures, Cauchon was generally content to assume a more ceremonial role. This was a reflection of the province's political maturity and its ability to govern without direction from its formal executive.
Cauchon's term ended on December 1, 1882, although he remained in Manitoba after this time. Already wealthy from his business activities in Quebec, he had made a further fortune on railway speculation in the western province (estimates of his earnings range from half a million to a million dollars). He was caught in a market downtown just as his term in office came an end, however, and was forced to sell his luxurious Winnipeg mansion in 1884. He then moved to the Qu'Appelle Valley (in modern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
), and lived in somewhat reduced circumstances until his death the following year.