Marie-Joseph Godefroy de Tonnancour (June 5, 1786 – September 2, 1850) was a seigneur

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:...

 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...

 in 1820.

He was born in Yamaska

Yamaska, Quebec

Yamaska is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,643.-Population:Population trend...

, the son of Joseph-Marie Godefroy de Tonnancour

Joseph-Marie Godefroy de Tonnancour

Joseph-Marie Godefroy de Tonnancour was a seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Trois-Rivières in 1750, the son of Louis-Joseph Godefroy de Tonnancour, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec and then at the Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris and Oxford University. He...

 and Marie-Catherine Pélissier, and was educated at the Séminaire de Québec, the College Louis le Grand

Lycée Louis-le-Grand

The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...

 in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 and Oxford University. Godefroy de Tonnancour received his commission as a lieutenant in the militia in 1803 and served as a captain 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...

, later reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He became co-seigneur of Yamaska in 1834 following the death of his father. Elected to the assembly in April 1820, Godefroy de Tonnancour did not run for reelection in the election held in July 1820. He was married twice: first to his cousin Marie-Anne Pélissier in 1815 and then to his cousin Charlotte Godefroy de Tonnancour in 1835. He died in Yamaska at the age of 64.

His brother Léonard

Léonard Godefroy de Tonnancour

Léonard Godefroy de Tonnancour was a political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Saint-Michel-d'Yamaska in 1793, the son of seigneur Joseph-Marie Godefroy de Tonnancour, and studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet. He worked as an administrator on the family estates...

 also served in the assembly. His sister Agnès-Élizabeth married Léon Rousseau

Léon Rousseau

Léon Rousseau was a farm owner and political figure in Canada East. He represented Yamaska in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1848....

. Marguerite, the sister of his first wife, married Jean-Olivier Arcand

Jean-Olivier Arcand

Jean-Olivier Arcand was a land surveyor and political figure in Lower Canada. He represented Hampshire in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1822 to 1824....

, who also served in the assembly.