Daniel Tracey
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Daniel Tracey (probably 1794 – July 18, 1832) was born in Roscrea, Tipperary County, Ireland, a doctor, journalist and Canadian politician. He is considered by some political historians to be a formidable early pioneer in the establishment of Canadian independent political thinking and democracy.
He arrived in Lower Canada (today Quebec) with his younger siblings in 1825.
In 1828, he began publishing the Vindicator, a Montreal newspaper which took a dissenting view of the non-elected but powerful, autocratic Family Compact, known in Lower Canada as the Château Clique. The compact exercised political and economic domination of the people of both Lower and Upper Canada, particularly after the conquest by the British in 1763. The newspaper advocated the enrichment of the democratic rights for the majority of its citizens, most of whom were Catholics. Outside of the clergy, Catholics, most of whom were the French speaking majority, did not have any position of power or influence in society.
Tracey was one of several journalists imprisoned early in 1832 for criticizing the non-elected legislative council that represented the interests of the Château Clique. Tracey, editor of the Vindicator and Ludger Duvernay, another editor of the French language La Minerve newspaper were arrested for libel and imprisoned together for over a month for writing articles that said that “it is certain that before long all of America must be republican.” They were released after much public support and condemnation of the arrests. [1]
In the spring of 1832, he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. At the vote counting station supporters of the opponent candidate, Stangley Bagg (supported by the Clique) triggered a violent confrontation. As a result, three of Tracey's supporters were killed and many more were wounded. Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian fathers of confederation, would hold the same Legislative seat in 1857.
Despite his rising political stature he died suddenly in July, 1832 becoming a victim of the widespread cholera outbreak that summer in Montreal. After his passing, Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan took over as editor of the Vindicator.
His name is sometimes erroneously attached with direct participation in the Lower Canada Rebellion, which occurred five years after his death. However, he certainly participated in the formative political movement that led up to the rebellion.
