Odilon Desmarais, (February 27, 1854 – May 18, 1904) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

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, ...

. He represented

Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie regi ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

from 1890 to 1892 and St. James in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

from 1896 to 1901 as a Liberal. He was born in

Joliette Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...

Canada East Canada East () was the northeastern portion of the Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new colony, known as the Province of ...

, the son of Jean-Baptiste Desmarais and Émérentienne Beauchamps, and was educated at the Collège de Joliette and

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. Desmarais articled in law with Alexandre Lacoste, was called to the Quebec bar in 1876 and practised in

with

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Libera ...

and 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 ...

. Desmarais was also crown prosecutor for Montreal district. In 1877, he married Marie-Louise-Herminie Gélinas. Desmarais contributed to the newspapers ''L'Industrie de Trois-Rivières'' and ''Le National'' of Montreal. He was also editor and president of the ''L'Union'' printing company. Desmarais served on the municipal council for Saint-Hyacinthe from 1888 to 1890, when he was elected to the Quebec assembly. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1892, losing to Antoine-Paul Cartier. He was elected to the House of Commons in the federal elections held in

1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...

and

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

. In 1899, he was named

Queen'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 ...

. Desmarais resigned his seat in the House of Commons after he was named judge for Trois-Rivières district in 1901. He died in

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

at the age of 50, after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

.Roy, P
''Les juges de la province de Québec'' (1933)
p. 165

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desmarais, Odilon 1854 births 1904 deaths Canadian King's Counsel Judges in Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec People from Joliette Politicians from Lanaudière Quebec Liberal Party MNAs McGill University alumni 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec