Vincent-Joseph Pottier (11 April 1897 – 4 February 1980) was a

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of 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 ...

. He was the first

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

from Nova Scotia elected to the House of Commons and the first Acadian to serve on the

Nova Scotia Supreme Court The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...

Early life and education

He was born in Belleville, Nova Scotia to Augustin and Rose Emma Pothier. He graduated from

Dalhousie Law School The Schulich School of Law is the law school of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1883 as Dalhousie Law School, it is the oldest university-based common law school in Canada. It adopted its current name in October ...

in 1920 and was a barrister by trade.

Political career

Pottier served as a school commissioner and town councillor. He was first elected to Parliament at the

Shelburne—Yarmouth—Clare Shelburne—Yarmouth—Clare was a federal electoral district in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1949 and from 1953 to 1968. This riding was created in 1933 from parts of ...

riding in the 1935 general election, the first

from Nova Scotia to join the House of Commons. 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 ...

. After completing his second term, the

19th Canadian Parliament The 19th Canadian Parliament was in session from 16 May 1940, until 16 April 1945. The membership was set by the 1940 federal election on 26 March 1940, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved ...

, Pottier did not seek further re-election in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

Judicial career

In 1947, Pottier was appointed a judge at County Court number 1 in Halifax. On 4 January 1965, he became the first Acadian appointed to the

, serving in that role until his retirement after five years in May 1970. In his final years, he donated his time supporting the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service.

Electoral history

References

External links

* 1897 births 1980 deaths Politicians of Acadian descent People from Yarmouth County Judges in Nova Scotia Lawyers in Nova Scotia Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia New Brunswick municipal councillors 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{NovaScotia-MP-stub