Alexandre-Édouard Kierzkowski
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Alexandre-Édouard Kierzkowski (November 21, 1816 – August 4, 1870) was a civil engineer and political figure in Canada East.
He was born Alexander Edward Kierzkowski in the duchy of Poznań in Poland and joined the Polish Army as an officer in an unsuccessful campaign against the Russians in 1830 to 1831. He moved to France and received a diploma as a civil engineer in Paris. He arrived in Canada in 1842. In 1845, he married Louise-Amélie Debartzch, daughter of Pierre-Dominique Debartzch, and, by marriage, became seigneur of parts of Saint-François-le-Neuf, Cournoyer, Debartzch, and L’Assomption. He became justice of the peace and was appointed major in the Richilieu militia in 1855.
In 1858, he was elected to the Legislative Council for the Montarville division, but he was disqualified in 1861 because the value of the property that he owned was not judged to be adequate. In 1861, he was elected to the 7th Parliament of the Province of Canada representing Verchères; his election was declared invalid in 1863. In 1867, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons representing Saint-Hyacinthe; he died while still in office at Saint-Ours, Quebec in 1870. He is believed to have returned from a trip to his native country with some Polish soil that was later buried with him.
