Aegidius Fauteux (27 September 1876 – 22 April 1941) was a journalist, librarian and historian. He was designated a

Person of National Historic Significance Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) () are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the ...

by the Canadian Government in 1955. Rue Aegidius-Fauteux in

Montreal 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 ...

is named after him.

Biography

Aegidius Fauteux was born on 27 September 1876 to Hercule Fauteux and Exilda Dagenais. He completed a classical education at the

Collège de Montréal The Collège de Montréal () is a subsidized private high school for students attending grades 7–11 located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A former Roman Catholic minor seminary, it was founded on June 1, 1767 as the ''Petit Séminai ...

. Fauteux felt a calling to the priesthood so he studied theology at the

Grand Séminaire de Montréal The Grand séminaire de Montréal (, "Major Seminary of Montreal") is the centre for priestly formation of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. History The institution was founded by the Sulpicians in 1840 at the request of the then-Bis ...

between the years of 1887–1893. Discovering that his vocation was not in the clergy, he enrolled in law school at the

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

de Montréal. He was called to the bar in July 1903, but never practised. In 1902, he founded the newspaper ''Le Rappel''. He remained its publisher until 1904. In 1905, he became parliamentary correspondent for the Quebec newspaper '' La Patrie'' until 1909. His last encounter with journalism was being the editor-in-chief to the newspaper ''

La Presse is a French-language online newspaper published daily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1884, it is now owned by an independent nonprofit trust. ' was formerly a broadsheet daily, considered a newspaper of record in Canada. Its Sunday edi ...

'' from 1909 to 1912. In 1911, he married Antonia Chevrier. In 1912, he began working at the Bibliothèque St. Sulpice, Montreal. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

caused the closure of the library in 1931, but Fauteux was hired by the city and worked as a librarian until his death in 1941.Fauteux, Aegidius - Québec
/ref> In 1937, he was the director and co-founder of the École de bibliothéconomie de l'Université de Montréal. Aegidius Fauteux Pierre tombale

Fauteux died a widower in Montréal on 22 April 1941, leaving an adopted daughter, Marie-Laure. 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. During his life he produced six volumes of literary works and a dozen of critical editions. He wrote several bibliographies, conferences, studies and blogs.

Honours

*Prix du concours de littérature française, Université Laval de Montréal, 1900, 1901 and 1902 *Ruban violet d'officier de l'Académie française, 1930 *Lorne Pierce Medal in History; Honorary Doctorate of Letters,

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

, 1936 * J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

, 1937 *Medal of the Société historique de Montréal for the best history book, 1941 *Person of National Historic Significance, 1955

References

External links

Aegidius Fauteux
biography at Ex Libris Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Fauteux, Aegidius Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 1876 births 1941 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian librarians Canadian male non-fiction writers Université Laval alumni Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery