Arthur Turcotte
Who was Arthur Turcotte?
Canadian politician (1845-1905)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Arthur Turcotte (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Arthur-Henri-René Turcotte was born on January 19, 1845, in Montreal, Quebec, to Joseph-Édouard Turcotte. He had a comprehensive education, studying at the Jesuit Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal and at Stonyhurst College in England, later pursuing legal studies at the Université Laval and McGill University. He became a lawyer in 1867 and set up his practice in Trois-Rivières, which became the hub of his political career.
Turcotte started in public life through journalism and civic work before being elected to office. In 1872, he served as a parliamentary correspondent for Le Canadien, covering the provincial assembly. The next year, he joined the Trois-Rivières town council and was the city's mayor from July 1876 to July 1877. That same year, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in a by-election for the riding of Trois-Rivières, running as an independent Conservative. He was re-elected in 1878 and became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, a role he held from 1878 to 1882. He was also named Queen's Counsel in 1878.
Turcotte stayed involved in journalism alongside his political duties. In 1879, he helped start the newspaper La Concorde and became its editor. His political stance changed over time: initially elected as a Conservative, he later ran as a Liberal. Although he lost in the 1881 election, he returned to win in an 1884 by-election after his opponent lost the seat due to bribery charges and was re-elected in 1886. When La Concorde shut down in 1884, he helped launch another newspaper, La Sentinelle.
He was a strong critic of the federal government's reaction to the North-West Rebellion of 1885. He worked actively in the Quebec campaign to save Louis Riel and supported Métis autonomy, mirroring the sentiments of French-Canadian nationalists then. In 1887, he was appointed minister without portfolio in Premier Honoré Mercier's cabinet, and from 1888 to 1890, he served as attorney general of Quebec. His ministerial role ended when he lost the 1890 election.
After his defeat, Turcotte was appointed protonotary for the Superior Court in Montreal district later in 1890, a position he held for the rest of his life. He died in Montreal on October 12, 1905, and was buried in Trois-Rivières. His brother, Gustave-Adolphe Turcotte, also took part in public life and served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
Before Fame
Arthur Turcotte was born in 1845 into a politically connected Quebec family, during a key time for Canadian institutions just before Confederation. His father, Joseph-Édouard Turcotte, was a notable figure, and Arthur's education took him across continents, attending Stonyhurst College in England and Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal. These experiences made him well-versed in both French-Canadian intellectual culture and wider British academic traditions.
After finishing his legal studies at Laval and McGill, Turcotte was admitted to the bar in 1867, the same year as Canadian Confederation. He settled in Trois-Rivières, where he started to build his professional reputation. Working as a parliamentary journalist for Le Canadien in 1872 gave him sharp insights into political life. He then moved into municipal politics as a town councillor, gaining hands-on experience in governance before pursuing elected office at the provincial level.
Key Achievements
- Served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1878 to 1882
- Appointed Attorney General of Quebec in the cabinet of Premier Honoré Mercier, serving from 1888 to 1890
- Co-founded and edited the newspaper La Concorde in 1879, and later helped establish La Sentinelle in 1884
- Named Queen's Counsel in 1878 in recognition of his standing at the bar
- Played a prominent role in the Quebec campaign to save Louis Riel and advocated for Métis autonomy during the North-West Rebellion crisis
Did You Know?
- 01.Turcotte studied at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England, one of Britain's oldest Jesuit schools, before returning to Canada to complete his legal education.
- 02.He served as Speaker of the Quebec Legislative Assembly from 1878 to 1882, presiding over the chamber during a turbulent period of provincial politics.
- 03.Turcotte co-founded two separate newspapers, La Concorde in 1879 and La Sentinelle in 1884, the latter launched specifically after La Concorde folded.
- 04.He began his political career as an independent Conservative but later contested elections as a Liberal, reflecting the shifting alliances of late nineteenth-century Quebec politics.
- 05.Although he died in Montreal, Turcotte was buried in Trois-Rivières, the city where he had built his legal, journalistic, and political career.