Patrician Liberal: The Public and Private Life of Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, 1829-1908

Patrician Liberal examines the life and career of a neglected figure in Canadian history, Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière. This book provides a detailed account of Joly's political career as Quebec premier, Cabinet minister in the Laurier government, and lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, as well as his public role as a French-speaking Protestant promoter of national unity, a leading spokesperson for the Canadian forest conservation movement, a Quebec seigneur, and father to a large and devoted family.Joly's life serves as a prism through which author J.I. Little elucidates important themes in Quebec and Canadian society, economy, politics, and culture during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As Little reveals, Joly's story is particularly fascinating for how closely the conflicting forces in his life – religious, cultural, and social – mirrored those of a Canadian society straining to forge a cohesive and distinctive national identity.

Patrician Liberal examines the life and career of a neglected figure in Canadian history, Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière. This book provides a detailed account of Joly’s political career as Quebec premier, Cabinet minister in the Laurier government, and lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, as well as his public role as a French-speaking Protestant promoter of national unity, a leading spokesperson for the Canadian forest conservation movement, a Quebec seigneur, and father to a large and devoted family.

Joly’s life serves as a prism through which author J.I. Little elucidates important themes in Quebec and Canadian society, economy, politics, and culture during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As Little reveals, Joly’s story is particularly fascinating for how closely the conflicting forces in his life – religious, cultural, and social – mirrored those of a Canadian society straining to forge a cohesive and distinctive national identity.

Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 15 Conversion Standards 17 Canadian Genealogical Line 19 Seigneuries and Townships in Lotbinière County 21 Introduction 23 Chapter One. Blood and Soil 35 Chapter Two. Family Man 63 Chapter Three. Seigneur and Lumberman 92 Chapter Four. Liberal Deputy 122 Chapter Five. Quebec Premier 149 Chapter Six. Promoter of National Unity 173 Chapter Seven. Forest Conservationist 199 Chapter Eight. Laurier Cabinet Minister 223 Chapter Nine. Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia 235 Conclusion 265 Notes 273 Bibliography 365 Index 389