Lionel Chevrier (April 2, 1903 – July 8, 1987) was a Canadian politician who was a Member of Parliament and

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Life and career

Born in

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. state of New York (state), New York converge. It is Ontario's easternmost city. Although it is the seat of the United ...

, the son of former Cornwall mayor Joseph E. Chevrier, he was educated in Cornwall, at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

, the

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and

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart (architect), John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is n ...

. Chevrier was called to the bar in 1928 and was named

King'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 1939. He married Lucienne Brûlé in 1932. He was first elected as a Liberal candidate in the

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

riding of Stormont in the 1935 federal election. He was re-elected in the

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, and

1953 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1953. Africa * 1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election * 1953 South African general election * 1953 Southern Rhodesian federation referendum * 1953 South-West African legislative election * 1 ...

. He resigned in 1954, when he was appointed the first president of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority. Returning to politics, he was elected in the 1957 election in the

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

riding of Laurier. He was re-elected in the

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

, and

1963 elections The following elections occurred in 1963. Africa * 1963 Algerian presidential election * 1963 Chadian parliamentary election * 1963 Moroccan parliamentary election * 1963 Republic of the Congo parliamentary election * 1963 Senegalese general ele ...

. From 1943 to 1945, he was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Munitions and Supply. From 1945 to 1954, he was the Minister of Transport. He was President of the Privy Council from April 25, 1957 to June 20, 1957. From 1963 to 1964, he was the

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada The minister of justice and attorney general of Canada () is a dual-role portfolio in the Cabinet of Canada, Canadian Cabinet. The officeholder in the role of Minister of Justice () serves as the minister of the Crown responsible for the Depar ...

. From 1957 to 1963, he was the Official Opposition House Leader and Liberal Party House Leader. He resigned from the House of Commons in 1964 to become the Canadian High Commissioner in London. He held that position until 1967. Chevrier served as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders from 1948 - 1956 and as Honorary Colonel from 1956 - 1961. In 1967, he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 1997,

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issued a stamp in his honour.

References

*
Lionel Chevrier fonds
-

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

. *
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts
* Ministers of transport of Canada Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Lawyers in Ontario People from Cornwall, Ontario Franco-Ontarian people Companions of the Order of Canada 1903 births 1987 deaths High commissioners of Canada to the United Kingdom Canadian King's Counsel 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{Liberal-Ontario-MP-stub