Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau

Sir Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau KCMG QC (October 20, 1808 – September 14, 1894) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Prior to Canadian Confederation, he served as the leader of the blue party in Canada East.

The Honourable Sir Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau KCMG QC
1st Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
In office July 1, 1867 – February 11, 1873
Monarch	Victoria
Governor General	The Viscount Monck The Lord Lisgar The Earl of Dufferin
Premier	Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
Preceded by	Office created in 1867
Succeeded by	René-Édouard Caron
Premier of the Province of Canada
In office 30 July 1865 – 1867
Preceded by	Étienne-Paschal Taché
Succeeded by	None (office abolished)
Mayor of Quebec City
In office 1850–1853
Preceded by	George Okill Stuart, Jr.
Succeeded by	Ulric-Joseph Tessier
Personal details
Born	October 20, 1808 Sainte-Foy, Lower Canada
Died	September 14, 1894 (aged 85)
Political party	Conservative

Early life

He was born in Quebec City in 1808. He studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec and went on to article in law, receiving his license to practice in 1832. In 1835, he married Marie-Reine-Josephte, the daughter of Quebec merchant Louis Gauvreau. In 1848, he ran unsuccessfully as a Reformer in Portneuf. In the same year, he was elected to the city council for Quebec and served as mayor from 1850 to 1853. During his term as mayor, a system providing drinking water was installed in the city. He served on the board of the Quebec Bank, later merged with the Royal Bank of Canada, from 1848 to 1893.

Political career

In 1852, he was appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1854. In 1857, he was named speaker of the Legislative Council and so became a member of the Executive Council. He was knighted in 1860. He became premier for Canada East and receiver general in 1865 on the death of Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché and served in that role until Confederation. He was nominated for a seat in the Senate of Canada in 1867 but withdrew when he was named the first Lieutenant Governor of Quebec in July of the same year. He refused a seat in the Senate when he retired from this post in 1873. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1879.

Later life and death

After politics Belleau continued to sit on the board of the Quebec Bank and took an active role in social functions. He continued to maintain his political influence.[1] He died at Quebec City in 1894 leaving his fortune, which contemporaries estimate between $200,000 and 400,000 to his nephew.

References

1. "Dictionary of Canadian Biography". biographi.

• BELLEAU, Sir NARCISSE-FORTUNAT. "Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–". biographi.ca. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12. Retrieved September 25, 2020.

External links

• "Biography of Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.

• Brassard, Michèle; Hamelin, Jean (1990). "Belleau, Sir Narcisse-Fortunat". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XII (1891–1900) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
• Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau – Parliament of Canada biography