Honoré Mercier
Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a prominent lawyer, journalist, and politician in Quebec, Canada. Born in Saint-Athanase, he received his early education at the Jesuit Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal, where he began to show leadership and oratory skills. Initially training as a lawyer, Mercier shifted to journalism, becoming the editor of a Conservative newspaper, Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe, in 1862. His political career was marked by his role as the premier of Quebec from 1887 to 1891, during which he led the Liberal Party and was known for his charismatic and sometimes extravagant leadership style.
Mercier was instrumental in founding the Parti National, a coalition aimed at prioritizing national interests over partisanship. His tenure included significant actions such as the passage of the 1888 Jesuit Estates Act, which addressed historical land confiscations. However, his time in office ended amid allegations of corruption, although he was not personally implicated. Beyond his political achievements, Mercier’s legacy was commemorated with a monument in the Quebec legislature in 1912. He experienced personal loss, having been married twice, and left behind a daughter and a son. Mercier's life and career reflect a dynamic period in Quebec's political history.
Subject Terms
Honoré Mercier
Politician
- Born: October 15, 1840
- Birthplace: Saint-Athanase, Quebec
- Died: October 30, 1894
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec
Contribution: Honoré Mercier was a French Canadian lawyer, journalist, and politician who served as premier of Quebec. He was known for his strong views on French Canadian nationalism and for a government that was eventually disbanded due to allegations of abuse of public funds. Though Mercier was forced to step down as premier, he was eventually acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Early Life and Education
Honoré Mercier was born on October 15, 1840, in Saint-Athanase, Lower Canada (present-day Quebec), to Jean-Baptiste Mercier and Marie-Catherine Timineur. The Mercier family was among the earliest to settle in the region. Mercier began his education in classical studies at the Jesuit Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal, where he was an excellent student; he was already developing a reputation during his early education as a leader and orator. When he was twenty-one, Mercier began training as a lawyer at the firm of Maurice Laframboise and Augustin-Cyrille Papineau in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. In 1862, he put aside his legal training and accepted an offer to take over as editor of Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe, a newspaper with a Conservative political slant.
Political Career
Mercier’s political career was brief but intense, and he was known for a somewhat extravagant style of leadership. In 1871, he helped establish the Parti National, a coalition of Liberals and Conservatives who sought to put aside partisan agendas in favor of national interests. However, the party was short lived, and in 1872, Mercier was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Liberal Party.
In 1879, Mercier was elected to the Quebec House of Assembly, where he served until 1894. In 1885, following the execution of Louis Riel for his part in the North-West Rebellion, Mercier responded to widespread dissatisfaction with the federal government by reorganizing the Parti National of Quebec. Mercier held numerous positions that helped shape Quebec politics, including premier of the province from 1887 to 1891. One of his most controversial political moves during this time was the passage of the 1888 Jesuit Estates Act, which remunerated the Society of Jesus for earlier confiscation of its land by the British government. Toward the end of 1891, Mercier was dismissed as premier following allegations of corruption and other wrongdoing within his administration, though he himself was not implicated.
During his time in the legislature, Mercier also served as commissioner of agriculture and colonization, attorney general, solicitor general, and president of the executive council. On June 25, 1912, the Quebec legislature honored Mercier’s contributions to provincial politics by unveiling a monument in his name.
Personal Life
Mercier married twice, first to Léopoldine Boivin on May 29, 1866. Following her death in 1869, he married Virginie Saint-Denis on May 9, 1871. He had a daughter from his first marriage and a son from his second. Mercier died in Montreal on October 30, 1894, at age fifty-four.
Bibliography
Bélanger, Claude. “Honoré Mercier.” Quebec History. Marianopolis College, 2003. Web. 30 July 2013.
Dufour, Pierre, and Jean Hamelin. “Mercier, Honoré.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. U of Toronto and Université Laval, 2013. Web. 30 July 2013.
“Honoré Mercier.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (2013): n. pag. Canadian Reference Centre. Web. 30 July 2013.
Latouche, Daniel. “Mercier, Honoré.” Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion, 2012. Web. 30 July 2013.
Lindsay, Lionel. “Louis-Honoré Mercier.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Appleton, 1911. Print.
“Mercier, Honoré.” Parliamentarian File. Library of Parliament, n.d. Web. 30 July 2013.