George-Édouard Desbarats

George-Édouard-Amable Desbarats (5 April 1838 – 18 February 1893) was an influential Canadian printer and inventor.

Early life

He was born in Quebec, to George-Paschal Desbarats and Henriette Dionne. He was sent to College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts 1846. He studied law at the Université Laval, and was called to the bar of Lower Canada on 2 May 1859.

In 1860 he married Lucianne (Lucie-Anne) Bossé, who was the eldest daughter of Joseph-Noël Bossé.

Canadian Illustrated News

From 1869 to 1883 he published the Canadian Illustrated News, using the printing expertise of William Leggo. In 1869 he became the first official printer of Canada, upon acceptance of the offer by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald.

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