Louis-Victor Sicotte
Encyclopedia
Louis-Victor Sicotte was a lawyer, judge and politician in Lower Canada
.
He was born Louis Cicot in Boucherville
, Lower Canada in 1812. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1839. He helped found the Aide-toi, le Ciel t’aidera (God helps those who help themselves
) society, which is credited with introducing the celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
for French Canadians, and was also its secretary-treasurer. He supported the Patriotes but apparently took no part in the Rebellions of 1837-38
. He believed, correctly as it turned out, that rebellion would only lead to an imposed union with Upper Canada
.
In 1838, he set up a practice in Saint-Hyacinthe
. In 1851, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
representing Saint-Hyacinthe. He became part of the Hincks
-Morin
government for a short time in August 1853. He was reelected in 1854 and elected speaker. In the same year, he was named Queen's Counsel
. In 1857, he was chosen as Commissioner of Crown Lands. He was reelected in 1858 and became Commissioner of Public Works in the Cartier
-Macdonald
government from 1858 to 1859. He was Joint Premier of the Province of Canada
with John Sandfield Macdonald
from May 24, 1862 to May 15, 1863. He refused a cabinet post in the Macdonald
-Dorion
government that followed and, after his reelection in 1863, introduced a motion of non-confidence, which was rejected by a small margin. In September 1863, he accepted an appointment as judge of the Superior Court in the Saint-Hyacinthe district, serving until 1887.
He died in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1889.
Sicotte Township, located in the Outaouais region of Quebec, was named in his honour (but renamed to Grand-Remous
in 1973).
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 Louis Cicot in Boucherville
Boucherville, Quebec
Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
, Lower Canada in 1812. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1839. He helped found the Aide-toi, le Ciel t’aidera (God helps those who help themselves
God helps those who help themselves
The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a popular motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative.The phrase originated in ancient Greece, occurring in approximately equivalent form as the moral to one of Aesop's Fables, Hercules and the Waggoner, and later in the great tragedy...
) society, which is credited with introducing the celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
Fête nationale du Québec
Quebec's National Holiday is celebrated annually on June 24, St. John the Baptist DayIn Quebec, the national holiday is a paid statutory public holiday covered under the Act Respecting Labour Standards...
for French Canadians, and was also its secretary-treasurer. He supported the Patriotes but apparently took no part in the Rebellions of 1837-38
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 believed, correctly as it turned out, that rebellion would only lead to an imposed union with Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
In 1838, he set up a practice in Saint-Hyacinthe
Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Saint-Hyacinthe is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 55,823. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River which flows...
. In 1851, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
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...
representing Saint-Hyacinthe. He became part of the 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...
-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...
government for a short time in August 1853. He was reelected in 1854 and elected speaker. In the same year, he was named Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. In 1857, he was chosen as Commissioner of Crown Lands. He was reelected in 1858 and became Commissioner of Public Works in the 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
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
government from 1858 to 1859. He was Joint Premier of the Province of Canada
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada were the leaders of the Province of Canada, from the 1841 unification of Upper Canada and Lower Canada until Confederation in 1867....
with John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, QC was the first Premier of the province of Ontario, one of the four founding provinces created at the confederation of Canada in 1867...
from May 24, 1862 to May 15, 1863. He refused a cabinet post in the Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, QC was the first Premier of the province of Ontario, one of the four founding provinces created at the confederation of Canada in 1867...
-Dorion
Antoine-Aimé Dorion
Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, PC was a French Canadian politician and jurist.-Early years:He was born in Lower Canada in 1818, the son of Pierre-Antoine Dorion, a merchant and member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada who supported Louis-Joseph Papineau...
government that followed and, after his reelection in 1863, introduced a motion of non-confidence, which was rejected by a small margin. In September 1863, he accepted an appointment as judge of the Superior Court in the Saint-Hyacinthe district, serving until 1887.
He died in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1889.
Sicotte Township, located in the Outaouais region of Quebec, was named in his honour (but renamed to Grand-Remous
Grand-Remous, Quebec
Grand-Remous is a town and municipality in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The municipality is south of the Baskatong Reservoir, spanning both sides of the Gatineau River...
in 1973).