Odilon Desmarais was a lawyer, judge and political figure in 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....

. He represented Saint-Hyacinthe

Saint-Hyacinthe (provincial electoral district)

Saint-Hyacinthe is a provincial electoral riding in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montérégie region, the riding includes the city of Saint-Hyacinthe as well as the municipalities of Saint-Damase, Saint-Dominique and Saint-Liboire...

 in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec

Legislative Assembly of Quebec

The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...

 from 1890 to 1892 and St. James

St. James (electoral district)

St. James was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1892 to 1952.The riding was created in 1892 from parts of Montreal Centre and Montreal East ridings. It consisted initially of St. James's Ward and the East Ward in the city of...

 in the Canadian 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...

 from 1896 to 1901 as a Liberal

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...

.

He was born in Joliette, 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....

, the son of Jean-Baptiste Desmarais and Émérentienne Beauchamps, and was educated at the Collège de Joliette and McGill University

McGill University

Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

. Desmarais articled in law with Alexandre Lacoste

Alexandre Lacoste

Sir Alexandre Lacoste, PC was a Canadian lawyer, professor, and politician.He was born in Boucherville, Quebec in 1842, the son of Louis Lacoste. From 1880 to 1923, he was a professor of law at the Université de Montréal.In 1882, he was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec...

, was called to the Quebec bar in 1876 and practised 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...

 with Honoré Mercier

Honoré Mercier

Honoré Mercier was a lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the ninth Premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887 to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Liberal Party ....

 and in 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...

. Desmarais was also crown prosecutor for Montreal district. In 1877, he married Marie-Louise-Herminie Gélinas.

Desmarais contributed to the newspapers L'Industrie de Trois-Rivières and Le National of Montreal. He was also editor and president of the L'Union printing company.

Desmarais served on the municipal council for Saint-Hyacinthe from 1888 to 1890, when he was elected to the Quebec assembly. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1892, losing to Antoine-Paul Cartier

Antoine-Paul Cartier

Antoine-Paul Cartier was a physician and political figure in Quebec. He represented Saint-Hyacinthe in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1892 to 1897 as a Conservative....

. He was elected to the House of Commons in the federal elections held in 1896

Canadian federal election, 1896

The Canadian federal election of 1896 was held on June 23, 1896 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Canada. Though the Conservative Party won a plurality of the popular vote, the Liberal Party, led by Wilfrid Laurier, won the majority of seats to form the...

 and 1900

Canadian federal election, 1900

The Canadian federal election of 1900 was held on November 7 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Canada. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, was re-elected to a second majority government, defeating the...

. In 1899, 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...

. Desmarais resigned his seat in the House of Commons after he was named judge for Trois-Rivières district in 1901.

He died in Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

 at the age of 50, after suffering a heart attack.