Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard '' dit'' La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG (October 4, 1807 – February 26, 1864) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Premier of the

United Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Re ...

and the first head of a

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

in Canada. He was born in

Boucherville Boucherville () is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and the Montreal Metropolitan ...

, Lower Canada in 1807. A

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and

statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...

, La Fontaine was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of e ...

in 1830. He was a supporter of Papineau and member of the '' Parti canadien'' (later the '' Parti patriote''). After the severe consequences of 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 ...

against the British authorities, he advocated political reforms within the new Union regime of 1841. Under this Union of the two Canadas he worked with Robert Baldwin in the formation of a party of Upper and Lower Canadian liberal reformers. He and Baldwin formed a government in 1842 but resigned in 1843. In 1848 he was asked by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, Lord Elgin, to form the first administration under the new policy of

. The La Fontaine-Baldwin government, formed on March 11, battled for the restoration of the official status of the French language, which was abolished with the Union Act, and the principles of

and the double-majority in the voting of bills. While Baldwin was reforming Canada West (Upper Canada), La Fontaine passed bills to abolish the ''tenure seigneuriale'' ( seigneurial system) and grant amnesty to the leaders of the rebellions in Lower Canada who had been exiled. The bill passed, but it was not accepted by the

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

s of Canada East who rioted and burned down the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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 ...

. La Fontaine retired to private life in 1851 but was appointed Chief Justice of Canada East in 1853. In 1854 he was created a baronet by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and a knight commander in the pontifical Order of St. Sylvester by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

in 1855. His last name is often written in one word (Lafontaine or LaFontaine); his own signature was one word.

Province of Canada: The fight for responsible government

Following the rebellion in Lower Canada, and the similar rebellion in 1837 in

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 ...

(now

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 ...

), the British government decided to merge the two provinces into a single province, as recommended by Lord Durham in the

Durham Report The ''Report on the Affairs of British North America'', (, 1839) commonly known as the ''Durham Report'' or ''Lord Durham's Report'', is an important document in the history of Quebec, Ontario, Canada and the British Empire. The notable Briti ...

. The ''Union Act, 1840'', passed by the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, abolished the two provinces and their separate parliaments. It created the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, with a single Parliament for the entire province, composed of an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. The Governor General initially retained a strong position in the government. LaFontaine had been a member of the ''Parti patriote'' and a supporter of

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...

leading up to the Rebellion, but after the Rebellion failed he re-examined his political views. He decided to switch to a system of working within the existing constitutional order to achieve the political rights of French-Canadians. He adopted the cause of

, where the Governor General would appoint the members of the Executive Council from the groups which controlled a majority in the elected Legislative Assembly. Anticipating that he would stand for election in the riding of Terrebonne, with a large majority population of French-Canadians, LaFontaine set out his new political approach in an ''Address to the Electors of Terrebonne''. At that time, it was not uncommon for there to be election violence. Voting was by open-ballot, where each voter publicly declared their vote at the poll. One common tactic was for the supporters of one candidate to try to control the poll and prevent the voters for the other candidate from voting. In the run-up to the Terrebonne election in March 1841, LaFontaine began to hear rumours that Sydenham and the supporters for the government candidate, Michael McCulloch, planned to bring in large numbers of men from outside the riding to control the poll and prevent his supporters from voting. One of LaFontaine's supporters wrote to him and suggested that they could hold the poll, if he was able to organise one thousand men to support his position. One of the English-language newspapers in Montreal expressly stated that the goal was to prevent French-Canadians from voting in the poll: The poll was located at New Glasgow, one of the few towns in the riding with an English-speaking majority, and located on the outskirts of the riding, away from the major population centres. The day of the election, LaFontaine led a group of his supporters in a march to New Glasgow, where they would vote. Fearing violence, many of them were armed with clubs and pitchforks, which was not uncommon in contested elections. As they neared New Glasgow, they found the road blocked by groups of men supporting McCulloch, perhaps six or seven hundred in total. They too were armed, many with clubs, but some with firearms. Small fights began to break out, and there was blood on the snow. LaFontaine, fearing for the safety of his supporters, abandoned the march to New Glasgow. Since only McCulloch's supporters voted for him, the returning officer declared McCulloch the elected candidate. At first, LaFontaine thought there was no point in continuing in politics and announced his retirement from public life. But then a surprising event occurred. Robert Baldwin, a leading Reformer in Canada West, contacted LaFontaine. Following the elections in Canada West, there was a vacant seat, York 1st, where the Reformers were in strength. Baldwin offered to nominate LaFontaine as the candidate for the riding in the upcoming

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

, with the support of the local Reform party members. Before making the offer to LaFontaine, Baldwin had obtained the agreement of David Willson, leader in York 1st of the Children of Peace, a Quaker religious group which were strong Reformers, and Willson had agreed. LaFontaine gratefully accepted the offer, and with the support of Baldwin and the local Reformers, was elected in the by-election. The concept of a French-Canadian winning a seat in Canada West was remarkable. It was a strong indicator to French-Canadians that they had allies in their quest for popular control of the provincial government. A leading French-Canadian journalist and political writer, Étienne Parent, had accompanied LaFontaine to Canada West and reported back on their reception: and reported on their reception from the reformers: "Ils élisent M. Lafontaine pour montrer, disent-ils, leur sympathie envers les Bas-Canadiens, et leur détestation des mauvais traitements et des injustices auxquelles nous avons été exposés."Jean-Charles Falardeau
"Parent, Étienne"
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', vol. X (1871–1880), University of Toronto / Université Laval. The episode was the beginning of the alliance between reformers in Canada East and Canada West that LaFontaine had argued for in his ''Address to the Electors''. Baldwin also insisted that Sydenham include La Fontaine in the reformed Executive Council, or he would resign as Solicitor General. Their alliance allowed La Fontaine to have a seat in the assembly in 1841 and for Baldwin to win the by-election in 1843. During the 1840s, Willson continued his association with the Reform Party; he was, for example, the campaign manager in the area for both Robert Baldwin and LaFontaine, the "Fathers of

Responsible Government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

" and first elected premiers of the province. It was the Children of Peace who ensured the election of Montreal lawyer Louis La Fontaine as their representative in Upper Canada. Willson argued that this was an opportunity, as he said, "to show our impartial respect to the Canadian people of the Lower province." Here, Willson is expressing a clear Canadian identity that overcame differences in the language and religion. It was a vision of Canadian citizenship that was ultimately successful, as La Fontaine was elected in the 4th Riding of York. Subsequently, they elected Baldwin in their riding. The band of the Children of Peace was a familiar sight at Baldwin's campaign rallies. In 1844, they held a campaign rally for Baldwin concurrently with the illumination of the Temple. Over 3000 people attended, an event that helped end the reign of Orange Order electoral violence. On 3 September 1841, the Children of Peace held a campaign rally for Baldwin and La Fontaine in their

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, where they rejoiced "to say that we have it in our power to show our impartial respect to the Canadian people of the Lower Province." Despite threats of Orange Order violence, La Fontaine was elected as representative of 4th York. However, before La Fontaine could take up his seat, Governor Sydenham died. His replacement, Sir Charles Bagot, was not able to form a mixed cabinet of Reformers and Tories, and so he was forced to include the "Canadien party" under La Fontaine. La Fontaine refused to join the Executive Council unless Baldwin was also included. Bagot was finally forced to accede in September, 1842, and when he became severely ill thereafter, Baldwin and La Fontaine became the first real premiers of the Province of Canada. However, in order to take office as ministers, the two had to run for re-election. While La Fontaine was easily re-elected in 4th York, Baldwin lost his seat in Hastings as a result of Orange Order violence. It was now that the pact between the two men was completely solidified, as La Fontaine arranged for Baldwin to run in

Rimouski Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...

, Canada East. This was the union of the Canadas they sought, where La Fontaine overcame linguistic prejudice to gain a seat in English Canada, and Baldwin obtained his seat in French Canada.

Family

He first married on July 9, 1831, to Adèle Berthelot (1813–1859). Their union produced no children. His real family name is Ménard, the son of Antoine Ménard. The Hon. Sir Louis Hypolite Ménard, Bart., then Chief Justice of Lower Canada then married Montreal, January 30, 1861, the widowed Jane Élisabeth Geneviève Morrison, (1822–1905) daughter of Charles Morrison, on January 30, 1861. Julie had married in Montreal, December 18, 1848, Thomas Kinton, of the Royal Engineers Department. This second marriage produced two sons who died in infancy; Louis-Hippolyte (born July 11, 1862) and Charles François Hypolite Lafontaine, born April 13, 1864, who died the following year. The elder son succeeded to the baronetcy at eighteen months old in February, 1864, but died in 1867. The family residence was Saint Denis Street, Montreal.

Death

Lafontaine died on February 26, 1864. He was buried at

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 Road ...

in Montreal.

Memorials

The Louis Hippolyte Ménard Monument in La Fontaine Park Montreal

The city authorities of Montreal named Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine park as a tribute to Chief Justice Lafontaine's memory. The unveiling of the La Fontaine Monument in Parc La Fontaine Montreal was a tremendous event to honour such a great man, who is considered the father of responsible Government in Canada. In a book published by Le Comité Du Monument LaFontaine in 1930 titled ''Hommage à LaFontaine''. The book is a compilation of letters sent to various people about the unveiling of the monument in Montreal. In these letters and speeches, people expressed their sentiments about the unveiling of the LaFontaine Monument and it is clear they saw him as a great man. Mayor. C.Houde explained how . The crowd was extremely large at the unveiling and Mayor. Houde explained how the monument was erected . The Chief Justice for Sir Wilfrid Laurier was also present the day of the unveiling and he spoke very highly of the monument and LaFontaine as he said "It is a grateful joy to be allowed to laud and magnify LaFontaine's imperishable name. I would fain do it, excluding in a rise of Canada from colonial inferiority to international equality, wherein La Fontaine bore so great a part.

The Louis Hippolyte Ménard Monument in Boucherville

La Fontaine was born in

and moved to Montreal to begin his political career. A monument was unveiled in Boucherville after his demise as well as a commemorative plaque, placed upon his birth home. Evidence of this is given by Dr. Eudore Dubeau a doctor of the town who explained, . He goes further to explain how on La Fontaine's birth home they placed a bronze plaque which . Once again he is referenced as not only the father of responsible government, but also the defender of the French language. LaFontaine refused to speak English in the Assembly and fought to use his mother tongue. It was not that he was incapable of speaking English, he just believed people should be able to speak their mother tongue and supported the French Canadians right to do so.

The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Bridge-Tunnel

More about the Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine Tunnel, a highway bridge–tunnel running over and beneath the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

connecting

to the south shore of the river at

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie, Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the South Shore (Montreal), south shore o ...

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, ...

, can be found here. In brief construction began in 1963 and they named it after LaFontaine in order to preserve his memory for future generations. File:Louis H Lafontaine Tunnel.JPG, The LaFontaine Tunnel

Louis-Hippolyte Ménard Hospital

The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Hospital opened its doors in 1873 under the name "d'Hospice Saint-Jean-De-Dieu...La congrégation des Soeurs de la Providence". It was and still is a psychiatric hospital, although it speculated that they also took care of orphans who they wrongly labeled as mentally ill to conduct medical experiments, they are called the Duplessis Orphans. The name was changed because of letters from patients, although the reason they chose La Fontaine's name over others is not documented. File:StJeanduDieuHospice02.jpg, The Former Home of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine in Montreal

The Baldwin and La Fontaine Monument on Parliament Hill

Created by Walter Seymour Allward who is best known for his design of the "mammoth Canadian Battlefields Memorial in Vimy, France (1922–36), that commemorated the important

battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

." Allward created the statue of La Fontaine and Baldwin which rests on Parliament Hill in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. The "La Fontaine-Baldwin administration throughout the years 1849 and 1850 remained in a position of exceptional power". Under this regime La Fontaine fought to see the seigneurial system "abolished, but wished to find means to respect the interests of the seigniors by a proper compensation". Baldwin and La Fontaine fought hard to build unity in the government of Canada and build a true responsible government. If you would like to learn more about Baldwin and La Fontaine a Canadian Historical minute has been made concerning their rise into leadership which can be viewed a
Baldwin and La Fontaine Historical Minute

Awaiting Designations

The house Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine lived in as a politician in Montreal is still standing today and is located on 1395 Overdale, Montreal, Quebec. However, the City of Montreal has not yet designated the building into a historical site. It was discovered in July 1987 by Senator Serge Joyal that this home was once the former home of Louis Hippolyte La Fontaine. During the Rebellion for the Losses Bill in which Parliament was burned this home was also the target of many rioters. Since it was rediscovered in 1987 its facade has been left to be battered by the elements. Heritage Montreal has been lobbying for th
Sir Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine House
for many years and they are hoping that the City comes forward to help. Heritage Montreal and other advocates hope this home can be renovated and built into something such as an interpretive museum exploring the development of responsible government in Canada. File:Maison Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine 02.jpg, The Birth Home of Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine in Boucherville

Writings

Works

* ''Les deux girouettes, ou l'hypocrisie démasquée'', Montréal, 1834
online
* ''Notes sur l'inamovibilité des curés dans le Bas-Canada'', Montréal, 1837 * ''Analyse de l'ordonnance du Conseil spécial sur les bureaux d'hypothèques ..', Montréal, 1842 * ''De l'esclavage en Canada'', Montréal, 1859With Jacques Viger
online
* ''De la famille des Lauson. Vice-rois et lieutenants généraux des rois de France en Amérique'', 1859
online

Other

* ''The Address to the Electors of Terrebonne'', 1840

Notes

References

Bibliography

In English

* Abbott Nish, M. E. ''Double majority: Concept, Practice and Negotiations, 1840–1848'', Master Thesis, McGill University, Montréal, 1966 * * * ''Heritage Montreal'', "Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine Mansion", Montreal, https://web.archive.org/web/20110203084745/http://www.heritagemontreal.org/en/louis-hippolyte-lafontaine-mansion/. * * * Saul, John Ralston. ''Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin'' (2010
online
*

In French

* Aubin, Georges (2002–05). ''Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Correspondance générale'' ** Tome 1: ''Les ficelles du pouvoir: correspondance entre Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine et Robert Baldwin, 1840–1854'' ** Tome 2: ''Au nom de la loi: lettres de Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine à divers correspondants, 1829–1847'' ** Tome 3: ''Mon cher Amable: lettres de Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine à divers correspondants, 1848–1864'' * Aubin, Georges (1999). ''Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Journal de voyage en Europe, 1837–1838'', Sillery: Septentrion, 153 p. * Bertrand, Réal (1993). ''Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine'', Montréal: Lidec, 60 p. * Auclair, Elie-Joseph (1933). ''Figures canadiennes'', Montréal, vol. 2, pp. 9–19
online
* DeCelles, Alfred Duclos, ''LaFontaine et son temps'', Montréal: Librairie Beauchemin,192g
online
* Laurent-Olivier David (1872). ''Sir Ls.-H. Lafontaine'', Montréal: Typographie Geo. E. Desbarats, 45 p. *Fauteaux, M Aegidius. H''ommages à LaFontaine''. Montreal" le Comité Du Monument LaFontaine, 1931. *A Propos. "Historique".''Hôpital Louis-Hippolye LaFontaine'', Montreal:(accessed Feb 2011) * https://web.archive.org/web/20110202081420/http://www.hlhl.qc.ca/hopital/portrait/historique.html.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafontaine, Louis-Hippolyte 1807 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Canadian lawyers Premiers of the Province of Canada Attorneys general of Canada East, Province of Canada Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Canadian baronets Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Collège de Montréal alumni Judges in Canada East, Province of Canada Knights of the Order of St. Sylvester Lawyers in Lower Canada and Canada East Members of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Montreal City and District Savings Bank directors Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)