Frédéric Houde

Biography

Frédéric Houde (September 23, 1847 – November 15, 1884) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper editor, and political figure in Quebec. Born in Louiseville, Canada East, he was the son of Antoine Houde and Angèle Descoteaux. He received his education at the Séminaire de Nicolet, an institution that provided him with the intellectual foundation he would draw upon throughout his career in journalism and public life.

Houde began his career in journalism in 1868 as an associate editor for Le Constitutionnel in Trois-Rivières. The following year he relocated to New England, where he spent several years working on a variety of French-language newspapers serving the growing Franco-American communities of the region. In 1871, he founded L'Avenir national in St. Albans, Vermont, demonstrating an entrepreneurial drive that would characterize his professional life. In 1874, he married Catherine Dougherty during this period of his New England years.

Upon returning to Quebec, Houde took up the editorship of Le Nouveau Monde, one of the prominent French-language newspapers in Montreal, and by 1879 had become its owner. His tenure there placed him at the centre of Quebec's Catholic and conservative press culture. In 1882, he published an article critical of Archbishop Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, which drew the attention of Bishop Édouard-Charles Fabre, who requested that Houde retract the piece. Rather than comply, Houde chose to withdraw from journalism altogether, a decision that reflected his independent temperament.

In the political arena, Houde represented the riding of Maskinongé in the House of Commons of Canada from 1878 to 1884, sitting as a Nationalist Conservative member. His uncle, Moïse Houde, had previously represented Maskinongé in both the legislative assembly of the Province of Canada and the Quebec legislature, making the riding something of a family political stronghold. Houde also held the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Trois-Rivières militia, combining his civic and military roles alongside his journalistic and parliamentary duties.

Houde died in office on November 15, 1884, at the age of 37, after contracting tuberculosis. Though cut short, his life had encompassed significant contributions to French-language journalism on both sides of the border. His historical novel Le Manoir mystérieux, first published serially in Le Nouveau Monde during his lifetime, was issued in book form in 1913, nearly three decades after his death, ensuring that a literary dimension of his work survived beyond his political and editorial career.