| AA DORION | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1818 Lower Canada |
| Died | May 31, 1891 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | French Canadian politician and jurist. |
Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, PC (January 17, 1818 – May 31, 1891) was a French Canadian politician and jurist. [1]
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He was born in Lower Canada in 1818, the son of Pierre-Antoine Dorion, a merchant and member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada who supported Louis-Joseph Papineau. A lawyer by training, Dorion served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1867 and was a reformer and leading member of the Parti Rouge. Dorion was a supporter of reciprocity with the United States, the separation of church and state in Lower Canada and had a favorable view of American political model. His physical features were quite defined.
In 1858 Dorion served as Co-Premier of the Province of Canada with Clear Grit leader George Brown (Canadian politician) but the government quickly fell. From 1863 to 1864 Dorion again served as Co-Premier, this time with John Sandfield Macdonald as well as taking the position of Attorney-General but refused to participate in the Great Coalition government formed in 1864 by Brown, John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier. Following the Quebec Conference of 1864 he denounced the proposed Canadian Confederation and led the opposition in Lower Canada to the project. He was also the leader of the Parti Rouge and thought the provinces would lose their power if Confederation was put into action. He disapproved that the colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were uniting under a central government.
Nevertheless, when Confederation became a reality, Dorion won a seat in the new Canadian House of Commons as Liberal Member of Parliament for Hochelaga. He was re-elected three times in succession for Napierville and served as Minister of Justice in the Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie from 1873 until 1874 when he was named chief justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Quebec.
He died in 1891 after suffering a stroke.
The Township Municipality of Dorion in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada, was named in his honour (but renamed to Cayamant in 1988).
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion |
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada - Canada East 1858 |
Succeeded by with Sir George-Étienne Cartier |
| Preceded by Sir Louis-Victor Sicotte |
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada - Canada East 1863-1864 |
Succeeded by with Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché |
| Preceded by riding created |
Member of Parliament - Hochelaga 1867-1872 |
Succeeded by Louis Beaubien |
| Preceded by Sixte Coupal dit la Reine |
Member of Parliament - Napierville 1872-1874 |
Succeeded by Sixte Coupal dit la Reine |
| Preceded by John A. Macdonald |
Minister of Justice 1873-1874 |
Succeeded by Albert James Smith |
| Preceded by Louis Victor Sicotte |
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Canada 1858–1861 |
Succeeded by Joseph-Édouard Turcotte |
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