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MERCIER, HONORE (184o—,894)

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 153 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MERCIER, HONORE (184o—,894) , See also:Canadian lawyer and statesman, was the son of See also:Jean See also:Baptiste Mercier, See also:farmer, and of See also:Marie Kimener, his wife. He was See also:born in the See also:village of St Athanase d'Iberville on the 15th of See also:October 184o. The See also:family came from See also:France, and settled in the See also:district of Montmagny, and later removed to Iberville. Mercier entered the Jesuit See also:College of St See also:Mary, See also:Montreal, at the See also:age of fourteen, and throughout his See also:life retained a warm friendship for the society. He married, firstly in 1866 Leopoldine See also:Boivin, and secondly in 1871 Virginie St See also:Denis. On the completion of his course at St Mary's he studied See also:law in the See also:office of Laframboise and See also:Papineau, in St Hyacinthe, and was admitted to the See also:bar of the See also:province in See also:April 1865. At the age of twenty-two he became the editor of the Conservative Courrier de St Hyacinthe, and in this See also:journal supported the policy of the Sicotte See also:administration, which then represented the interests of See also:Quebec, under the See also:Act of See also:Union (184o); but when Sicotte accepted a seat on the See also:bench Mercier joined the Opposition, and contributed largely to the defeat of the Ministerial See also:candidate. In 1864 he vigorously opposed the See also:scheme of See also:confederation, on the ground that it would prove fatal to the distinctive position held by the See also:French Canadians. He resumed the editorship of the Courrier in 1866; but after a few months retired from journalism, and for the next five years devoted all his See also:energy to his profession. At the commencement of the See also:year 1871 the See also:national party was organized in Quebec, and Mercier supported the candidates of the party on the See also:platform. In See also:August 1872 he was elected as a member of the See also:House of See also:Commons for the See also:county of Rouville, and proved a vigorous opponent of See also:Sir See also:John A. See also:Macdonald on the question of See also:separate See also:schools for New See also:Brunswick.

He was a candidate at the See also:

general elections in 1874; but retired on the See also:eve of the contest in favour of another candidate of his own party. Mercier entered the See also:arena of provincial politics in May 1879 as See also:solicitor-general in the Joly See also:government, representing the county of St Hyacinthe; and on the defeat of the See also:ministry in October he passed, with his See also:leader, into opposition. On the retirement of M. Toly from the leadership of the Liberal party in Quebec in 1883 Mercier was chosen as his successor. Towards the See also:close of 1885 the French-Canadian mind was greatly agitated over the See also:execution of See also:Louis See also:Riel, leader of the See also:north-See also:west See also:rebellion, and in consequence of the attitude of Mercier on this question the Liberal minority in the Legislative See also:Assembly, which had been reduced to fifteen, rapidly gained strength, until at the general elections held in October 1886 the province was carried in the Liberal See also:interest. In See also:January 1887 Mercier was sworn in as premier and See also:attorney-general, and from this moment he exercised an extraordinary See also:influence in the province. He succeeded in passing without opposition the Jesuit Estates Act, a measure to compensate the See also:order for the loss of See also:property confiscated by the See also:Crown. This act came before the Federal House for disallowance, but was carried on See also:division. When Mercier appealed to the electorate in 1890, his policy was endorsed, and he was able to give effect to many important See also:measures. See also:Early in 1891 he negotiated a See also:loan in See also:Europe for the province, and whilst on a visit to See also:Rome he was created a See also:count of the See also:Roman See also:Empire by See also:Leo XIII., who three years previously had conferred upon him the See also:rank of a See also:commander of the order of St See also:Gregory the See also:Great. Of commanding presence, See also:firm, decisive, courteous in manner, convincing in See also:argument, and deeply attached to his native province, he had all the qualities of a popular leader. For a few years he was the idol of the See also:people of Quebec, and French See also:Canada loomed large in the public See also:eye; but towards the end of 1891 serious charges were preferred against his ministry, on the ground that subsidies voted for See also:railways had been diverted to See also:political use, and he was dismissed by the See also:lieutenant-See also:governor.

At the subsequent elections held in See also:

March 1892 he was returned for the county of Bonaventure, but his party was hopelessly defeated. On the formation of a new government he was brought to trial, and declared not guilty; his See also:health, however, gave way, and he never regained his former influence. See Biographie, discours, conferences, &c., de fHon. Honore Mercier, by J.-O. Pelland (Montreal, 1893). (A. G.

End of Article: MERCIER, HONORE (184o—,894)

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