Félix Gatineau

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Félix Gatineau (November 12, 1857 - December 21, 1927) was a French-Canadian statesman and historian in his adopted hometown of Southbridge, Massachusetts. He was born in Sainte-Victoire, Quebec, an area halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Gatineau arrived in Southbridge in 1877. Among his many deeds, he was a State Representative in Massachusetts in 1906, 1920-21, and 1927, and led several French-Canadian societies. His written works include L'Histoire des Franco-Américains de Southbridge and L'Historique des Conventions Générales des Canadiens-Français aux Etats-Unis.

[edit] Anecdotal

A statue was erected in his honor in Southbridge at a fork in a main road, and is one of the landmarks, with locals often directing people "Félix to the left" or "Félix to the right."

Another common joke involves the pronunciation of his last name. Since the statue of him is a bust, he is often called Felix Got-a-no-legs, got-a-no arms.