Félix-Gabriel
Marchand

Félix-Gabriel Marchand worked toward the common good through his involvement in education and municipal administration while pursuing a career as a notary. The son of Gabriel Marchand, Félix-Gabriel was born in 1832 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and owes part of his fame to his skills as a literary author, a gifted orator, and a journalist with Le Franco-Canadien and Le Canadien Français.

A Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saint-Jean since 1867, he would become Leader of the Liberal Party in 1892 and Premier of Quebec from 1897 until his passing in the course of his duties on October 3, 1900.

The Marchand government adopted a strong natural resource development policy enabling it to eliminate the deficit that stood at one million dollars. Concerned with education, the Marchand government introduced legislation to create a Ministry of Education. This forward-thinking project would, however, be challenged by the Legislative Council and modified before being adopted in 1899.

Félix-Gabriel Marchand authored several literary works and was named an Officier de l’Instruction publique de France (French Officer of Education) in 1879. He received an honorary doctorate in Humanities from Laval University in 1891, was made an Officer of the Legion of Honour in 1898, and was awarded with Silver Palms (Order of the Academic Palms) from the French government.

Marchand died during his tenure in Québec City on September 25, 1900, at the age of 68.