Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (dzyplɛsi; 20 April 1890 – 7 September 1959) served as the 16th Premier

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....

 of the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of 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....

 from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale

Union Nationale (Canada)

The Union nationale was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that identified with conservative Québécois autonomist nationalism. It was created during the Great Depression and held power in Quebec from 1936 to 1939, and from 1944 to 1960 under the leadership of Premier Maurice Duplessis, and...

party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau was a the 14th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. He was elected four times, the first in 1900, in the riding of Montmorency. He was also a member of the Parti libéral du Québec...

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His reign is often referred to in Quebec as La grande noirceur

Grande Noirceur

The Grande Noirceur is the name that critics of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis's regime have given to the conservative policies undertaken by the provincial government in the 1936-1939 and 1944-1959 period of Quebec history.-Rural areas:...

("The Great Darkness"), especially due to the prevalent corruption and for the scandal surrounding the Duplessis Orphans

Duplessis Orphans

The Duplessis Orphans were the victims of a scheme in which several thousand orphaned children were falsely certified as mentally ill by the government of the province of Quebec, Canada, and confined to psychiatric institutions.-Overview:...

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