Jean-Louis Beaudry (March 27, 1809 – June 25, 1886) was a Canadian entrepreneur and politician. Beaudry served as

mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ci ...

three times, from 1862 to 1866, from 1877 to 1879, and from 1881 to 1885 for a total time served as mayor of ten years.

Early life

Born in

Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines () is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, northwest of the city of Montreal in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality, in the region of Laurentides. Its population was 14,990 during the census of 201 ...

, Quebec, he was raised and worked on the family farm. After working as a clerk and shopkeeper, Beaudry opened a dry goods store with his brother in 1834. Beaudry became increasingly politically active. In 1827 he signed a petition in opposition to the proposed union of the upper and lower Canadas. In 1837 he became one of the vice presidents of the Société des Fils de la Liberté. When the

Rebellions of 1837 Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

occurred, Beaudry fled temporarily to the United States. He returned in June 1838 and resumed his business dealings which flourished.

Political career

Having established himself as a successful businessman, in 1860 Beaudry ran and was elected

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

. In 1862 he ran for mayor of

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 ...

and won. He was easily re-elected through 1885. He declined to run for a couple of years, but ran again in 1868 against William Workman. During the campaign Beaudry turned off voters with religious and negative overtones. Beaudry did not run for mayor again until 1877, where he won, and again in 1878. However, in 1879 he lost in a fierce campaign against

Sévère Rivard Sévère-Dominique Rivard (7 August 1834 – 4 February 1888) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1879 and 1881. After an education at the Séminaire de Nicolet, Rivard apprenticed in law under Rodolp ...

. Beaudry was once again re-elected from 1881 through 1885. His younger brother

Prudent Beaudry Prudent Beaudry (1819 – May 29, 1893) was a Canadian-born American politician who served as the 13th mayor of Los Angeles, from 1874 to 1876. A native of Quebec, he was the 2nd French Canadian and 3rd French-American mayor of Los Angeles. Ear ...

was mayor of Los Angeles (1874–1876). He was a member of the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (, ) was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower house. The council was composed of 24 memb ...

from 1867 until his death in 1886. He was buried in 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 ...

Accomplishments

During his 10 years served as mayor of Montreal, Beaudry: * established fire and health departments * inauguration of a City Hall on Notre-Dame Street * was instrumental in keeping peace between the

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

through halting the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaudry, Jean-Louis 1809 births 1886 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Quebec Businesspeople from Quebec Mayors of Montreal People from Laurentides Conservative Party of Quebec MLCs Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Province of Canada politicians

Early life

Political career

Accomplishments

References

Further reading

External links