Zoé, Lady Laurier ( Lafontaine; June 26, 1841 – November 1, 1921), was the wife of

Sir Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime min ...

, the seventh

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Biography

Zoé Lafontaine was born on 27 June 1841 to Godefroy-Napoleon Robert Lafontaine and Zoé Tessier dite LavigneMacdonald & Laurier Days » Answers from Historians Christopher Moore and Réal Bélanger
The genealogist Jean-Jacques Lefebvre is mistaken when he refers to her as Zoé Tessier. 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 ...

. She was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

on 28 June at the Notre-Dame Basilica.Généalogie Zoe Lafontaine
/ref> In Montreal, Lafontaine was educated at the School of the Bon Pasteur, and at the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, St. Vincent de Paul. She was one of the vice presidents on the formation of the

National Council of Women of Canada National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

and was honorary vice president of the

Victorian Order of Nurses The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) is a non-profit charitable organization founded on January 29, 1897, and based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was created as a gift for Queen Victoria for the purposes of home care and social services. It is regi ...

. In 1861, Lafontaine first met her future husband,

, at the home of Dr. Séraphin Gauthier, where both were boarding. During this time she was a piano teacher to Gauthier's children. On May 13, 1868, the two were married in the Saint-Jacques Cathedral. The couple lived at Arthabaskaville until they moved to Ottawa in 1896. Ultimately, their union was childless, to Laurier's dismay. Lafontaine was one of the vice presidents on the formation of the National Council of Women and was honorary vice president of the Victorian Order of Nurses. On 17 February 1919, Laurier died. Lafontaine outlived her husband by more than two years. She died in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

on November 1, 1921, at the age of 80. Her will bequeathed her Ottawa home to

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

Legacy

* Graham-Laurier Provincial Park, in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, has a lake named 'Lady Laurier Lake' and a mountain named 'Lady Laurier Mountain', which is the highest peak in the park. *In 1985, a lounge in the

Château Laurier The Fairmont Château Laurier is a hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive, it is designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to co ...

was named in her honour. The lounge overlooks

Rideau Street Rideau Street () is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and one of Ottawa's oldest and most famous streets running from Wellington Street in the west to Montreal Road in the east where it connects to the Vanier district. Ride ...

. *, a Canadian Coast Guard ship was christened after her. The ship operated between 1902 and 1960. *DuVillage, a specialty cheesemaker, has a

soft cheese There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criter ...

called "Lady Laurier d'Arthabaska".

Notes

References

External links

A Love Letter From W. Laurier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurier, Zoe 1841 births 1921 deaths Spouses of prime ministers of Canada Canadian socialites Wilfrid Laurier Wives of knights

Biography

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links