Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau
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Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau (17 February 1820 – April 12, 1898) was a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec City and the first Canadian cardinal. His father was Jean-Thomas Taschereau, a son of Gabriel-Elzéar Taschereau, the patriarch of this rather remarkable French Canadian family.
Born in 1820 he studied at the Séminaire de Québec (1826-36, 1837-42) and, by all accounts, was a highly regarded student. He obtained a doctorate in Canon law in Rome in 1856 and had a dual career in teaching and the episcopacy.
He was a teacher, director, prefect of studies and superior at the Séminaire de Québec; he helped found Université Laval in 1852 and served as its second rector (1860-66, 1869-71).
At the urging of the Canadian government and many, in 1886 Pope Leo XIII made Taschereau a cardinal. He was not able to stay in post for long as illness forced him to turn over his workload to Louis-Nazaire Bégin. He died in Quebec City on April 12, 1898.
[edit] References
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, by Salvador Miranda at Florida International University
- Biography at the Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Taschereau, Elzéar-Alexandre
- Assemblée Nationale Quebec: Thomas-Pierre-Joseph Taschereau (in French)
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Louis-Jacques Casault |
Rector of Université Laval 1860–1865 |
Succeeded by Michel-Édouard Méthot |
| Preceded by Michel-Édouard Méthot |
Rector of Université Laval 1869–1871 |
Succeeded by Thomas-Étienne Hamel |
| Religious titles | ||
| Preceded by Charles-François Baillargeon |
Archbishop of Quebec 1871–1898 |
Succeeded by Louis Nazaire Bégin |
