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Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, QC (French pronunciation:; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959), byname "Le Chef" ("The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec.
Maurice Duplessis’ tenure as premier of Quebec (1936-39, 1944-59) is commonly referred to as le grande noirceur (the great darkness). Born in Trois-Rivières in 1890, Duplessis obtained a law degree at Université Laval in Quebec City and worked as a lawyer in his hometown until he entered politics in 1927.
- Background and Rise to Power
- First Term as Premier
- Second Term as Premier
Maurice Duplessis's father, Nérée Le Noblet Duplessis, was a fervently Catholic and Conservative MLA for Trois-Rivières 1886–1900. He had been an unsuccessful federal Conservative Party candidate before being named a superior court judge by Sir Robert Borden in 1915. Duplessis' mother was of part Scottish and Irishdescent. After studying at Collège...
Maurice Duplessis's first term was a disappointment. Except for his successful farm credit scheme, his Fair Wages Commission, and provisions for destitute mothers and the blind, little was achieved. The administration was prodigal. Duplessis himself lived riotously (he was a lusty and somewhat alcoholic bachelor in these times, and never did marry)...
Maurice Duplessis campaigned strenuously for two years, and was narrowly re-elected in 1944 over Godbout and the nationalist Bloc populaire canadien. The latter included notable figures like André Laurendeau and Jean Drapeau as well as being supported by Henri Bourassa. The Union Nationale was re-elected in 1948, 1952 and 1956. The party also succe...
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, who would be called “the Chief” or Maurice Duplessis, was to devote his life to politics, following in the footsteps of his father, a Conservative mla for the riding of Saint-Maurice from 1886 to 1900, town councillor and mayor of Trois-Rivières, and later judge of the Superior Court.
- Michel Sarra-Bournet
- DUPLESSIS, MAURICE LE NOBLET
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 18
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (born April 20, 1890, Trois-Rivières, Que., Can.—died Sept. 7, 1959, Schefferville, Que.) was a Canadian politician who controlled Quebec’s provincial government as its premier from 1936 until his death, except for the war years of 1940–44.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 15, 2020 · The Grande Noirceur is a term that refers to the 19 years of Maurice Duplessis' premiership in Quebec (1936-1939, 1944-1959). It implies a period of social, political and economic regression, but also a cultural and intellectual awakening.
Portrait of Duplessis. Maurice Duplessis's death was a rare historical marker, forever discussed in terms of before and after.
