Charles-Joseph Coursol, (3 October 1819 – 4 August 1888) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1871 and 1873, and a member of Canadian Parliament from 1878 until his death. Baptised Michel-Joseph-Charles Coursol, he was born at

Fort Malden Fort Malden, formally known as Fort Amherstburg, is a defence fortification located in Amherstburg, Ontario. It was built in 1795 by Great Britain in order to ensure the security of British North America against any potential threat of Americ ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, located at what is now

Amherstburg, Ontario Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

. He was the son of Michel Coursol (d.1820), of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

, and Marie-Mélanie Quesnel, daughter of Joseph Quesnel. His father died before he was one year old, and he was adopted and brought up like a son in the home of his uncle, The Hon. Frédéric-Auguste Quesnel. His early education was at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal, and afterwards he was apprenticed to his step-father Côme-Séraphin Cherrier for the legal profession until his formal installation as a lawyer on 24 February 1841. During his legal career in Montreal, he was a city councillor in Saint-Antoine ward between 1853 and 1855. Coursol left politics for numerous years, yet maintained a high profile in the Montreal community with other activities such as business and culture. He returned to local politics and was acclaimed Mayor in both 1871 and 1872. During that time, Coursol established

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

s for public use. After he left the Mayor's office, Coursol served as President of the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (, ) is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in ...

from 1872 to 1876. His attention turned to national politics, winning the

Montreal East Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

riding for the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

in the 1878 federal election. He served second and third terms in the riding, running uncontested in the

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

and 1887 federal elections. However, Coursol died in office at Montmagny, Quebec on 4 August 1888. Coursol's honours included Spain's

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

in 1872, then his appointment as

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in February 1873. After his death in 1888, he was entombed at the

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (, ) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of Côte-des-Neiges Ro ...

in Montreal.

Electoral record

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

Charles-Joseph Coursol at City of Montreal
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coursol, Charles-Joseph 1819 births 1888 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Quebec Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Mayors of Montreal Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec People from Amherstburg, Ontario Lawyers in Quebec Canadian King's Counsel Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

Electoral record

Archives

References

External links