Joseph Dubuc
| Sir Joseph Dubuc | |
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| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Provencher |
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Assumed office 1879 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Bannatyne |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Royal |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Baie St-Paul | |
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In office 1870–1874 |
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Norbert | |
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In office 1874–1878 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 December 1840 Sainte-Martine, near Châteauguay, Lower Canada |
| Died | 7 January 1914 (aged 73) Los Angeles, California |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Anna Hénault m. June 1872 |
| Children | Lucien Dubuc |
Sir Joseph Dubuc (26 December 1840 – 7 January 1914), was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge who was born in Lower Canada and became an important political figure from Manitoba.
Dubuc was from a large family and was irregularly in school because of family responsibilities. He spent some time in the United States and learned English while working in a factory. Upon returning to Quebec, he completed military school in Montreal in November 1866. He further engaged in formal studies, latterly at the Petit Séminaire de Montreal, where he made friends with Louis Riel. This connection would shape his political life in the future. He received a Bachelor of Common Law degree from McGill College in 1869 and was called to the Lower Canada bar the same year.
In January 1870, Riel called on him to help with the new provisional government that had been established as part of the Red River Rebellion. Dubuc left for Manitoba in June and, upon his arrival in the Red River area, became friends with Bishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché who dissuaded him of his doubts. He wrote articles for the Montreal newspaper La Minerve explaining the position of the Métis and encouraging francophones to settle in the Canadian West. In 1871, he was accepted into the Manitoba bar. Following the end of the rebellion Dubuc established a law practice in Winnipeg and was editor a French-language weekly, Le Métis, aimed at the Métis population.
He had a son Lucien Dubuc who went on to become a famous Judge.
He was acclaimed to the first provincial legislature when elections were held in 1870 at the Baie St-Paul riding. He persuaded Riel to run for the Canadian House of Commons in 1872 and was almost beaten to death in the ensuing riots.
Dubuc worked to preserve the alliance between French Canadians and Métis. Politically he was a Conservative and ultramontane (supporter of the clergy). He served as attorney-general in the government of Marc-Amable Girard in 1872 but only served for a few months until the Girard ministry fell and was replaced by one formed by Robert Atkinson Davis, In March 1875, Dubuc was chosen Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba serving until 1878. He also served on the Council of the North-West Territories from 1872 to 1876.
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Wikipedia