Hector-Louis Langevin

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Sir Hector-Louis Langevin

Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, PC , QC , KCB (August 25, 1826 – June 11, 1906) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.

Langevin was born in Quebec City in 1826. He studied law and was called to the bar in 1850. In 1856, he was elected to the municipal council of Quebec City and was mayor from 1858 to 1861. In 1857, he was elected Member of Parliament for Dorchester in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada as a member of the Conservative Party. He held various positions in Cabinet, including Solicitor General (1864-66), Postmaster General (1866-67), Secretary of State for Canada (1867-69), Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (1868-69) and Minister of Public Works (1869-73). Langevin also attended all three conferences leading up to Confederation. He left politics in 1873 due to his role in the Pacific Scandal.

In 1876, he was re-elected in the riding of Charlevoix. His opponent contested the election and it was declared invalid, but he won the subsequent by-election in 1877. He was defeated in Rimouski in 1878 but elected by acclamation in the riding of Trois-Rivières in the same year. Langevin became Minister of Public Works again in 1879. He lobbied behind the scenes against the hanging of Louis Riel in 1885 and was one of the few Conservatives Members of Parliament to survive the resulting backlash in the province of Quebec in 1887. He was promised the post of Lieutenant Governor of Quebec by the new Conservative Prime Minister John Abbott if he stepped down as Minister of Public Works. Langevin stepped down in 1891 but Abbott appointed Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau instead. In 1891 he was implicated with Thomas McGreevy in what became known as the "McGreevy-Langevin scandal" over kickbacks to McGreevy associated with federal contracts granted to him by the department of public works overseen by Langevin. He joined the backbenches and then left politics in 1896.

The Langevin Block on Parliament Hill was named in his honour.

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Parliament of Canada
Preceded by None	Member of Parliament from Dorchester 1867–1874	Succeeded by Fortunat Rouleau
Preceded by Pierre Alexis Tremblay	Member of Parliament from Charlevoix 1876–1878	Succeeded by Pierre Alexis Tremblay
Preceded by William McDougall	Member of Parliament from Three Rivers 1878–1892	Succeeded by Electoral district was abolished
Preceded by Joseph-Aimé Massue	Member of Parliament from Richelieu 1891	Succeeded by Arthur Aimé Bruneau
Political offices
Preceded by None	Secretary of State of Canada 1867-1869	Succeeded by James Cox Aikins
Preceded by None	Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs 1868-1869	Succeeded by Joseph Howe
Preceded by William McDougall	Minister of Public Works 1869-1873	Succeeded by Alexander Mackenzie
Preceded by George Étienne Cartier	Minister of Militia and Defence (Acting) 1873	Succeeded by Hugh McDonald
Preceded by Lucius Seth Huntington	Postmaster General 1878-1879	Succeeded by Alexander Campbell
Preceded by William McDougall	Minister of Public Works 1879-1891	Succeeded by Alexander Mackenzie