Augustin Gallant (August 4, 1916 – May 5, 1994) was an educator, lawyer and political figure on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. He represented 3rd Prince in the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locat ...

from 1954 to 1959 as a Liberal. He was born in Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island, the son of Peter Gallant and Eleanor Arsenault. Gallant was educated at

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its his ...

and then received a teaching license from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not par ...

. He taught school in Urbainville and was a school principal in Tignish. Gallant served as a pilot in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environ ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In 1943, he married Marcella, the daughter of Joseph Alphonse Bernard. They had seven (7) children. The oldest, Peter Gallant, was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. From there they had five children (Michael, Carroll, John, Robert and Patrick) all born in Prince Edward Island. Their youngest, Richard Gallant, was born in

Jonquière Jonquière (; ; 2021 population: 60,250) is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Saguenay in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saguenay River, near the borough of Chicoutimi. History Jonquiè ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, 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 ...

. He returned to Mount Allison University and then studied law at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

. He set up practice in Summerside. Gallant ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1951, losing to J. Wilfred Arsenault. He was first elected to the provincial assembly in a 1954 by-election held after Arsenault resigned his seat. He served as speaker from 1956 to 1958. After he retired from politics, Gallant was a high school principal in Bagotville, Quebec. Twenty years later, he returned to Prince Edward Island, practising law at Alberton from 1979 to 1990. Gallant died in Summerside at the age of 77.

References

* Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs 1916 births 1994 deaths People from Prince County, Prince Edward Island Politicians of Acadian descent {{PrinceEdwardIsland-politician-stub