Pierre-François Casgrain

Pierre-François Casgrain, PC (August 4, 1886 – August 2, 1950) was a Canadian politician and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 1936 to 1940.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, his father was a physician. Following the death of his mother when he was three years old, he was raised by his grandmother. Casgrain graduated in law from Université Laval and practiced in Montreal where he worked as an organizer for the Liberal Party of Canada and the Quebec Liberal Party.

When his father-in-law, Sir Rodolphe Forget, the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Charlevoix, retired from politics, Casgrain decided to run for the seat as a Liberal in the 1917 election. The campaign occurred as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917. Casgrain ran as an opponent of the draft (see Laurier Liberals, and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons.

From 1921 to 1925, Casgrain was the parliamentary whip of the Quebec Liberal caucus, and from 1926 to 1936, he was the Chief Whip of the Liberal caucus.

Casgrain was nominated by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to be Speaker of the House in 1936. He served in this position until 1940 when he was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Canada, a position that had sweeping emergency powers during World War II. In 1941, Casgrain was given a judicial appointment, and retired from politics. He died in 1950.

Casgrain's wife, Thérèse Casgrain, was a prominent political figure in her own right.

External links

Pierre-François Casgrain – Parliament of Canada biography

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by The electoral district was created in 1914.	Member of Parliament for Charlevoix—Montmorency 1917–1925	Succeeded by The electoral district was abolished in 1924.
Preceded by The electoral district was created in 1924.	Member of Parliament for Charlevoix—Saguenay 1925–1941	Succeeded by Frédéric Dorion
Political offices
Preceded by George William Kyte	Chief Government Whip 1924-1926	Succeeded by William Alves Boys
Preceded by William Alves Boys	Chief Government Whip 1927-1930	Succeeded by Thomas Edward Simpson

Speakers of the Canadian House of Commons

Cockburn Anglin Blanchet Kirkpatrick Ouimet White Edgar Bain Brodeur Belcourt Sutherland Marcil Sproule Sévigny Rhodes Lemieux Black Bowman Casgrain Glen Fauteux Macdonald Beaudoin Michener Lambert Macnaughton Lamoureux Jerome Sauvé Francis Bosley Fraser Parent Milliken Scheer

Secretaries of State of Canada

Langevin Aikins Christie Scott Aikins O'Connor Mousseau Chapleau Patterson Costigan Dickey Montague Ouimet (acting) Daly (acting) Tupper Scott Murphy Roche Coderre Blondin Patenaude Sévigny (acting) Meighen Burrell Sifton Drayton (acting) Monty Copp Foster Murphy (acting) Lapointe Perley Rinfret Cahan Rinfret Lapointe Casgrain McLarty Martin Gibson Bradley Pickersgill Pinard Fairclough Courtemanche Balcer Dorion Balcer Halpenny Pickersgill Lamontagne LaMarsh Connolly Marchand Pelletier Faulkner Roberts MacDonald Fox Regan Joyal McLean B. Bouchard Crombie L. Bouchard Weiner de Cotret Landry¹

¹The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position of Minister of Canadian Heritage.