Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier (May 8, 1839 – June 27, 1920) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

judge, author, and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics of the original

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

version of the Canadian

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

O Canada "O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the ...

". He was born in

Saint-Placide, Quebec Saint-Placide is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Deux-Montagnes Regional County Municipality, along the north shore of the Ottawa River. History In 1780, the first European settlers arrived here. In 1848, ...

, to Charles Routhier and Angélique Lafleur.

Early life and education

Routhier was born and grew up in

, on his family's farm. He attended Séminaire de Ste-Thérèse, and later studied law at

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

. He graduated and was called to the Quebec bar in 1861.

Career

Routhier practised law in Kamouraska until he was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 1873 (as Chief Justice from 1904 to 1906) and Admiralty of the Exchequer Court of Canada (from 1897 to 1906). Routhier ran as a Conservative candidate for the riding of Kamouraska in several federal elections, but he was never elected. Routhier wrote a number of books under the name Jean Piquefort. Routhier's poem " Ô Canada" was commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec

Théodore Robitaille Théodore Robitaille, (29 January 1834 – 17 August 1897) was a Canadian physician, politician, and the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Born in Varennes, Lower Canada, the son of Louis-Adolphe Robitaille (pronounced "ro-bee-tie") a ...

for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony. In June 1914, Routhier was one of the three judges appointed to conduct the Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

steamship , which had resulted in the loss of 1,012 lives.

Personal

Routhier married Clorinde Mondelet on November 12, 1862, in Quebec and had one son.

Honours

Many sites and landmarks were named to honour Basile Routhier. They include: *Rue Basile-Routhier (Basile-Routhier Street), located in

Shawinigan Shawinigan () is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,349 as of the 2016 Canadian census. Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) an ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada; *Place Basile-Routhier, located in

; *Rue Basile-Routhier in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

; *Boulevard Basile-Routhier in Repentigny,

. *Avenue Sir Adolphe Routhier in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, Canada;

Selected publications

*''Les Echos'', P. G. Delisle, 1882.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Routhier, Adolphe Basile 1839 births 1920 deaths Canadian songwriters Songwriters from Quebec National anthem writers Judges in Quebec Canadian Knights Bachelor Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Judges of the Exchequer Court of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Université Laval alumni Université Laval faculty