Pierre Bachand (22 March 1835 – 3 November 1878) was a lawyer and politician born in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

who studied law with

Louis-Victor Sicotte Louis-Victor Sicotte, (November 6, 1812 – September 5, 1889) was a lawyer, judge and politician in Lower Canada. Biography He was born Louis Cicot in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1812. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1839. He ...

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 ...

. He was, at various times, deputy

protonotary A prothonotary is the "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek ' ''protos ...

of the Superior Court and assistant clerk of the Circuit Court in his area. In 1862, he went into partnership and built up a large practice throughout the area. It was a time of rapid economic growth and, through his influence, they founded a

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

in the Saint-Hyacinthe district. More important to the area was the start of the Banque de Saint-Hyacinthe which Bachand helped found. He was the president until his death. He was active in politics and ran successfully for the Liberals in the Legislative Assembly of the province of Quebec in 1867 and was unopposed in 1871 and 1875. Although he was an MLA, he was active in important matters on the federal scene. He worked 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 ...

during the time of the “

Pacific Scandal The Pacific Scandal was a political scandal in Canada involving large sums of money paid by private interests to the Conservative Party to cover election expenses in the 1872 Canadian federal election in order to influence the bidding for a natio ...

” and helped organize the

Parti National The Parti National () was the name taken by the Liberal Party of Quebec, Canada, under the premiership of Honoré Mercier. Origin and beliefs It was founded on November 17, 1885, the day following the execution of Métis Leader Louis Riel. ...

in 1871.

References

*
Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachand, Pierre 1835 births 1878 deaths Lawyers in Lower Canada and Canada East Lawyers in Quebec Quebec Liberal Party MNAs People from Verchères, Quebec 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec