Fulgence Charpentier, OC (June 29, 1897 – February 6, 2001) was a French Canadian journalist, editor and publisher. Born in Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott, Ontario, Charpentier's career included diplomatic, political and bureaucratic positions, but his first love had been journalism ever since he began his reporting career at

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- ...

's ''

Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large- ...

'' in 1915, during which he earned $20 a week. In 1918, Charpentier joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, but the war ended before he could be sent overseas. He stayed in the army after the Armistice to work in a military hospital on the campus of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in Montreal. Charpentier began covering Parliament for

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

's ''

Le Droit ''Le Droit'' is a Canadian French-language daily newspaper, published in Gatineau, Quebec. Initially established and owned by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the paper was published by Martin Cauchon and his company, Capitales Média ...

'' (the city's largest newspaper) in 1922. He got the job because his father built ''Le Droits first offices. The newspaper sent him to law school in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

for two academic years before he began his parliamentary reporting. Charpentier was the longest-serving member of the

Parliamentary Press Gallery The Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery (french: Tribune de la presse parlementaire) is an association established to oversee rules and responsibilities of Canadian journalists when at Parliament Hill. The organization was formed in 1866 by Thom ...

. His early stories on the then-unilingual English environment of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

were believed to be instrumental in getting federal authorities to increase the visibility of French in the Canadian public service. Over the course of his career, Charpentier also wrote for Montreal's '' La Presse'' and

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

's '' Le Soleil''. He was also head of the French section of the Canadian Censorship Branch through most of

the Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, assuming full control of the Censorship Branch in January 1945, when chief censor

Wilfrid Eggleston Wilfrid Eggleston OBE (25 March 1901 – 13 June 1986) was an Anglo-Canadian journalist, author and civil servant. Born in Lincoln to middle-class English parents, he relocated to Netherfield, Nottinghamshire where his father was convin ...

resigned. He was appointed editor-in-chief of ''Le Droit'' following his diplomatic career in 1968 at the age of 71. His resume included serving as a media spokesman for ambassador Georges Vanier in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

and working as a diplomat from 1946 until 1968 in some francophone

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n nations and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. While serving in Africa, Charpentier met Dr.

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

and became an advocate for his work. Charpentier was still writing weekly columns on his trusty typewriter for ''Le Droit'' until 1999, when he had to stop due to chronic bronchial

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

at the age of 101. The Canadian Parliamentary Press gallery held a celebration for him shortly after Charpentier's retirement. In 1978, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

and was promoted to Officer in 1998. He died at age 103 of pneumonia on February 6, 2001. Charpentier served on the

Ottawa Board of Control The Ottawa Board of Control was an important part of the governance of Ottawa, Ontario from 1908 until 1980 when it was abolished. Through the 19th century Ottawa had been governed by a mayor and city council, but most councillors were only part ...

, and ran for mayor in 1935, but lost.

References

1897 births 2001 deaths Canadian centenarians Men centenarians Ambassadors of Canada to Haiti Canadian military personnel of World War I Franco-Ontarian people Journalists from Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada Ottawa controllers {{Canada-journalist-stub

See also

References