Thomas Vien, (19 July 1881 – 18 November 1972) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

politician. Born in Lauzon, Quebec on 19 July 1881. He studied at the

Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, then studied law at the Collège de Lévis. After, he studied law at the

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1905. He practiced with several law firms before becoming senior partner of Vien, Paré, Gould and Vien, of

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 ...

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 was first elected to 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 ...

for the Quebec riding of Lotbinière as a

Laurier Liberal Prior to the 1917 federal election in Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two factions. To differentiate the groups, historians tend to use two retrospective names: * The Laurier Liberals, who opposed conscription of soldiers to sup ...

in the 1917 federal election. He was re-elected in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

but did not run in

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

. From 1922 to 1923, he served as chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. From 1924 to 1925, he was chairman of the Banking and Commerce Committee. From 1925 to 1931, he was the deputy chief commissioner of the Board of Railway Commissioners for Canada. After returning to his legal practice, he was elected in 1935 federal election for the riding of

Outremont Outremont () is an affluent residential borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. The neighbourhood is inhabited largely by F ...

. From 1936 to 1940, he served as chairman of the Standing Committee on Railways, Canals and Telegraph Lines. He was 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, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

. From 1940 to 1942, he was the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole of the House of Commons. In 1942, he was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

representing the senatorial division of De Lorimier, Quebec. From 1943 to 1945, he was the

Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada () is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and presides over debat ...

. At the age of 87, in 1968, he resigned his senate seat. He died four years later in Montreal.

electoral record

References

External links

*
Speakers of the Senate biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vien, Thomas 1881 births 1972 deaths Canadian senators from Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Laurier Liberals Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Speakers of the Senate of Canada Royal Military College of Canada alumni People from Lévis, Quebec Politicians from Chaudière-Appalaches Université Laval alumni 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada