- Thomas Chase-Casgrain
Thomas Chase-Casgrain, PC (
28 July 1852 –29 December 1916 ), also known as Thomas Casgrain, was aFrench Canadian lawyer andpolitician . As a young attorney he became famous for his participation in theprosecution ofLouis Riel .He was born at
Detroit in 1852, the son ofCharles Eusèbe Casgrain , and studied at thePetit Séminaire de Québec and theUniversité Laval . He was admitted to theQuebec Bar in 1877 and received the governor general's medal in the same year. He was named professor of law at Université Laval two years later.In 1885, he was named to the legal team representing the Crown in the trial of Louis Riel. Although the crown was represented by a large team including
George Burbidge ,Christopher Robinson ,Britton Bath Osler and others, Casgrain was the only French-Canadian in the group. Pro-Riel sentiment in the province ofQuebec was so strong that he was burned in effigy during at least one demonstration.However, this did not prevent him from being elected in the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec . He was elected for Quebec County in 1886 and for Montmorency in 1892. He was attorney general in the provincial cabinet from December 1891 to November 1892 and again from December 1892 to May 1896. He represented Montmorency as a ConservativeMember of Parliament in theCanadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1904 and Quebec County from 1914 until his death frompneumonia atOttawa in 1916. He served as Postmaster General from October 1914 until his death.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7281 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fra/membres/notices/c/casgtc.htm Biography from Assemblée nationale du Québec] fr icon
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2829&s=M Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament]s-ttl|title=
Member of Parliament from Montmorency
years=1896–1904s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament from Quebec County
years=1914–1917
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