Sarto Fournier (15 February 1908 – 23 July 1980) Obituary, age 72. was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. He 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 ...

from 1957 to 1960.

Biography

Born in

East Broughton, Quebec East Broughton is a municipality located in Les Appalaches Regional County Municipality in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the ...

to a family of Quebecois and

Italian-Canadian Italian Canadians ( it, italo-canadesi, french: italo-canadiens) comprise Canadians who have full or partial Italian heritage and Italians who migrated from Italy or reside in Canada. According to the 2021 Census of Canada, 1,546,390 Canadians ...

origin, he graduated in law from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

and formally entered law practice in 1938. Fournier was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

in the 1935 election and was subsequently re-elected in

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, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, and

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 2022. * January 2 – ...

. He became the youngest member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

in 1953 and served until his death. He studied law at McGill University and at the Université de Montréal. He was only 27 when he became the Liberal MP for Maisonneuve-Rosemont. He was re-elected in 1940, 1945, and 1949. He was called to the bar in 1938. In 1953, he entered the senate, called by Prime Minister Louis Saint-Laurent. After two previous attempts in 1950 and 1954, he was elected mayor of Montreal in 1957. He initiated the

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

project. He had been interested in municipal politics since 1950. Although he ran for mayor five times between 1950 and 1962, he won only once, in 1957, against Jean Drapeau. At this election, Fournier was heading a new municipal party, the Ralliement du Grand Montréal (Greater Montreal Movement), which brought together Drapeau's opponents. Fournier took also advantage of the support of Québec’s prime minister,

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A conservative, nationalist, anti-Communist, anti-unionist and fervent Catholic, he and hi ...

. During his term as mayor, Fournier confined himself to representative functions and acted more as a spectator, mainly because Drapeau’s

Civic Action League The Civic Action League (french: Ligue d'Action Civique or LAC) was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1951 to 1961. Origins It was established in January 1951 by good government activists who were known as ...

still held a majority on city council. Partly due to this, Drapeau, now running under the banner of the

Civic Party of Montreal The Civic Party of Montreal (french: Parti Civique de Montréal) was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1960 to 1994. Throughout its history the Civic Party was dominated by the personality of its leader Je ...

, defeated him in a 1960 rematch. His administration was especially marked by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Boulevard Métropolitain and the candidacy of Montréal for the 1967 World’s Fair. After his attempts to run for mayor, Fournier decided to return to the Senate.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Sarto 1908 births 1980 deaths Canadian senators from Quebec Lawyers in Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Mayors of Montreal Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec McGill University Faculty of Law alumni