Joseph Papineau
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Joseph Papineau (October 16, 1752 – July 8, 1841) was a notary, seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.
He was born in Montreal in 1752, the grandson of Samuel Papineau, and studied with Jean-Baptiste Curatteau, who advised his parents to send the boy to the Petit Séminaire de Québec to complete his studies. After completing his schooling, he studied to be a surveyor with Jean de Lisle. He conducted surveys of a number of seigneuries in the Montreal area. He later studied with de Lisle again, this time as a notary, and he qualified to practice in 1780. During the American Revolution, he carried military dispatches for Governor Guy Carleton. In 1779, he married Rosalie, the daughter of François-Pierre Cherrier, a prominent notary. His business as a notary prospered. He also managed a number of seigneuries on behalf of the religious communities that owned them. He was also able to expand his own real estate holdings. In 1801, he acquired part of the seigneury of Petite-Nation in lieu of fees and, in 1803, purchased the remainder.
In 1784, he became involved with the Canadian reform movement, which lobbied the British government for a legislative assembly. In 1792, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Montreal; he was elected in Montreal East in 1796 and again in Montreal in 1800. He helped defeat a measure to have the proceedings of the assembly recorded in English only. In 1809 and 1810, he was elected in Montreal East; his son Louis-Joseph Papineau was elected to the same assembly.
In 1814, he retired from politics and concentrated on developing his properties along the Petite-Nation River. In 1817, he sold the property to his son Louis-Joseph and resumed work as a notary and surveyor. Although reform-minded, unlike his son Louis-Joseph, he supported constitutional reform.
He died in Montreal in 1841 after suffering a long illness.
His son Denis-Benjamin also played a role in the politics of Canada East, serving as joint premier in the Legislative Assembly.
