User:Mr Serjeant Buzfuz/Electoral history of Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau



This article is the Electoral history of Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, the first Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec. He served from 1867 to 1873. He was the first of eight Conservative premiers.

Chauveau was active in politics in the Province of Canada prior to Confederation, which led to the creation of Canada and the new province of Quebec. Appointed as premier, he led the Conservative party of Quebec in the first provincial election in 1867, and formed the first provincial government. Four years later, he led the Conservatives to a second victory, in the 1871 general election.

When Canada was created, an individual could stand for election both federally and provincially, an example of the political practice called a dual mandate. While he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and Premier of Quebec, Chauveau was also a member of the federal House of Commons.

In 1873, he resigned the premiership and also his seats in both the Legislative Assembly and the Commons, to take an appointment to the Senate of Canada, as well as being appointed Speaker of the Senate. However, he resigned from the Senate less than a year later, and stood for election again to the House of Commons in the federal general election of 1874. He was defeated and then retired from politics.

Summary


Chauveau was the seventh-longest serving Premier of Quebec, serving from from July 15, 1867 to February 27, 1873. He was in office for a total of.

The province of Quebec was created on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 came into force, splitting the old Province of Canada into the new provinces of Quebec (formerly Lower Canada) and Ontario (formerly Upper Canada). Chauveau had been active in politics in the former Province of Canada, and was appointed Premier of Quebec by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec on July 15, 1867. He then advised the Lieutenant Governor to hold the first elections for the Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Legislature of Quebec. Chauveau and the Conservatives won a substantial majority and formed the first government of Quebec. Four years later, Chauveau again led the Conservatives in the general election of 1871 and was re-elected, again with a substantial majority.

At the same time, Chauveau was elected to the House of Commons, the lower house of the federal Parliament, in the federal general elections of 1867 and 1872. He held his positions in both the provincial Legislative Assembly and the federal House of Commons until February 27, 1873, when he resigned both positions, as well as the premiership of Quebec. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada, the upper house of the Parliament of Canada, by the Conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald. The Macdonald government also appointed Chauveau the Speaker of the Senate.

Chauveau held the position of senator for less than a year, resigning in January, 1874 to run in the federal general election of 1874. He was defeated and retired from politics.

Prior to Confederation, Chauveau was elected four times to the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada. He was the Solicitor General for Lower Canada, without sitting in Cabinet, from 1851 to 1853. He was then a member of the Cabinets in the Hincks-Morin and MacNab-Morin ministries, 1853 to 1855.

Quebec general elections, 1867 and 1871
Chauveau led the Conservatives in two general elections: 1867 and 1871. He won both elections with majority governments, defeating the Liberals led by Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière both times.

1867 General election
In his first election, Chauveau won a strong majority in the Legislative Assembly, defeating Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière and the Liberals.

1 Premier when election was called; Premier after election. 2 Leader of the Opposition from 1869 onwards. 3 The riding of Kamouraska did not elect a member until 1869. 4 Rounding error.

1871 General election
In his second election, Chauveau again won a strong majority in the Legislative Assembly, although with a slightly reduced number of seats. He again defeated Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière and the Liberals.

1 Premier when election was called; Premier after the election. 2 Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.

Quebec constituency elections, 1867 and 1871
Chauveau stood for election to the Legislative Assembly twice, both in the riding of Quebec County. He was elected both times, once by acclamation.

1867 General election: Quebec County
Elected.

1871 General election: Quebec County
Elected. X Incumbent.

Federal constituency elections, 1867 to 1874
Chauveau stood for election to the House of Commons three times, twice in Quebec County and once in Charlevoix. He was elected twice and defeated once.

1867 Federal election: Quebec County
Elected.

1872 Federal election: Quebec County
Elected.

1874 Federal election: Quebec County
Elected.

Senate appointment
Chauveau was appointed to the Senate on February 20, 1873, for the Quebec senatorial division of Stadacona. He was also appointed the Speaker of the Senate. He held both positions for less than a year, resigning on January 2, 1874, to stand unsuccessfully in the general election of that year.

Province of Canada elections
Chauveau was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada four times, in the general elections of 1844, 1848, 1851, and 1854, for the County of Quebec. He sat from 1844 to 1855.

He served as Solicitor-General of Canada East from 1851 to 1853. He was a member of the Cabinet in the Hincks-Morin and MacNab-Morin ministries, serving as Provincial Secretary from 1853 to 1855. In 1855, he was appointed the Superintendent of Education for Canada East, which required him to leave electoral politics. He held that position until Confederation in 1867.