User:Mr Serjeant Buzfuz/Electoral history of Charles Boucher de Boucherville

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This article is the Electoral history of Sir Charles-Eugène-Napoléon Boucher de Boucherville, the third Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec. He served two terms, from 1874 to 1878 and from 1891 to 1892. He was the third of eight Conservative premiers.

Boucher de Boucherville was one of ## premiers who did not sit in the elected Legislative Assembly of Quebec as premier, being a member of the appointed Legislative Council. He was also one of ## premiers who were dismissed from office by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.

Boucher de Boucherville led the Conservative Party of Quebec in two general elections, in 1875 and 1892, and won strong majorities both times. His first term as premier ended in 1878, when he was dismissed by the Lieutenant Governor. He was again appointed premier in 1891 and called a general election, which he won with a strong majority. He served a second term of one year, then resigned as premier.

In addition to being a member of the Legislative Council of Quebec, Boucher de Boucherville was also a member of the Senate of Canada, appointed in 1878. He retained his seats in the Senate and the Legislative Council until his death in 1915, an example of dual mandate.

Prior to Confederation, Boucher de Boucherville had been a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for the Parti bleu, the predecessor in Quebec to the Conservative Party.

Summary

Boucher de Boucherville ranks thirteenth out of thirty-two premiers of Quebec for time in office, serving from September 22, 1874 to March 8, 1878 (3 years, 167 days), and again from December 21, 1891 to December 13, 1892 (358 days).^[1] He was in office for a total of 4 years, 160 days.

Boucher de Boucherville began his political career in the election of 1861, when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada as an independent for the riding of Chambly. He was re-elected in the election of 1863, this time as a Bleu.^[2] The following year, he supported the Great Coalition of the Bleus, led by George-Étienne Cartier, the Clear Grits led by George Brown and the Liberal-Conservatives, led by John A. Macdonald, formed to seek Confederation with the Maritime provinces.

Canada came into existence on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 came into force. The former Province of Canada was split into the new provinces of Quebec (formerly Lower Canada) and Ontario (formerly Upper Canada).^[3] Boucher de Boucherville lost his seat in the old Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, as that Assembly was extinguished as part of the new constitutional structure, replaced by the new Legislative Assemblies in Quebec and Ontario, and the House of Commons of Canada at the federal level.

The first government of the Province of Quebec was sworn in on July 15, 1867, with Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau appointed as the first Premier of Quebec. He appointed Boucher de Boucherville to the Legislative Council of Quebec, the upper chamber of the new Legislature of Quebec. Appointments to the Legislative Council were for life. Premier Chauveau also appointed Boucher de Boucherville as Speaker of the Legislative Council, a government position which entitled him to sit in the provincial Cabinet.^[2][4] He lost that position in 1873 under the new government of Gédéon Ouimet, the second premier, but the Ouimet government was short-lived, collapsing under the Tanneries scandal. Ouimet was forced to resign and Boucher de Boucherville was appointed premier in 1874.^[4]

Boucher de Boucherville led the Conservatives in the Quebec general election of 1875 and won a substantial majority. However, the federal government of Alexander Mackenzie appointed a new lieutenant governor, Luc Letellier de Saint-Just, who was a strongly partisan Liberal.^[5] Tensions developed between Boucher de Boucherville and Letellier de Saint-Just. In particular, Letellier disagreed with railway legislation enacted by the government, and on March 2, 1878, the lieutenant governor dismissed the premier. The dismissal was described by the Conservatives as a coup d'état and was not welcomed by the Mackenzie government in Ottawa.^[5]

Boucher de Boucherville was forced to cede the leadership of the Quebec Conservative party to Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, who was the leader of the Conservatives in the elected Legislative Assembly. However, the newly elected federal government of Sir John A. Macdonald appointed him to the Senate of Canada in 1878.^[4]

Several years later, in December 1891, he again became premier, when Lieutenant Governor Auguste-Réal Angers dismissed Premier Honoré Mercier and called on Boucher de Boucherville to form a government. Boucher de Boucherville accepted the position and called a general election in the spring of 1892. He won a strong majority, and remained in office until the appointment of Chapleau as Lieutenant Governor in December 1892, when he resigned as premier.^[4]

Boucher de Boucherville retained his seats in the Legislative Council of Quebec and the Senate of Canada until his death in 1915.

Quebec general elections, 1875 and 1892

Boucher de Boucherville led the Conservatives in two general elections: 1875 and 1892. He won both elections with majority governments, defeating the Liberals both times.

1875 General election

In his first election, Boucher de Boucherville won a strong majority in the Legislative Assembly, defeating Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière and the Liberals.

¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

1892 General election

In his second general election, fourteen years after his first, Boucher de Boucherville again won a strong majority in the Legislative Assembly, defeating Félix-Gabriel Marchand and the Liberals.

¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

Legislative Council of Quebec, 1867 to 1915

Boucher de Boucherville was one of the original members of the Legislative Council of Quebec. He was appointed to represent the district of Montarville on July 15, 1867, and held the position until his death in 1915. He served as the first Speaker of the Legislative Council from July 15, 1867 to February 27, 1873.

Senate of Canada, 1879 to 1915

In 1879, a year after his dismissal from office by Lieutenant Governor Letellier de Saint-Just, Boucher de Boucherville was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, a fellow Conservative. He was appointed to represent the federal Senate district of Montarville, covering the same area as his Legislative Council district.^[2][4]

Boucher de Boucherville tried to gain entry to the federal Cabinet, and later sought to be appointed Speaker of the Senate, but found his way blocked by Chapleau, who was now a federal Conservative Cabinet minister with considerable influence. One biographer of Boucher de Boucherville has suggested that the animosity between the two men contributed to Boucher de Boucherville's decision to resign as premier when Chapleau was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1892.^[4]

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, 1861 to 1867

Boucher de Boucherville first sought election to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in the election of 1861. He was elected by acclamation for the riding of Chambly as an independent. He gradually moved to the Parti bleu, and was re-elected in the general election of 1863 as a Bleu. His membership in the Legislative Assembly ended Canada was established on July 1, 1867.^[2][4]

References

External links

• National Assembly of Quebec: La répartition des voix aux élections générales

• National Assembly of Quebec: La répartition des sièges aux élections générales

• National Assembly of Quebec: Premiers ministres du Québec depuis 1867

• National Assembly of Quebec: Les chefs de l'opposition officielle depuis 1869