Benjamin Sulte
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Sulte baptized Olivier-Benjamin Vadeboncœur, was a Canadian
journalist, writer, civil servant, and historian.
Born Trois-Rivières
, Lower Canada
, the son of Benjamin Sulte dit Vadeboncœur, and Marie-Antoinette Lefebvre, Sulte had to leave school in 1851 as a consequence of the death of his father in 1847. He held a variety of jobs including working in a dry goods shop, as a clerk in a grocer’s shop, as a bookkeeper for lumber merchants, as a paymaster on a steamship, and as an owner of a shop on a Grand Trunk Railway
line.
In 1861, he joined the militia eventually becoming a sergeant-major. In 1866, he was appointed editor of Le Canada, a Conservative Ottawa newspaper. In 1867, he became a translator in the Canadian House of Commons
. In 1870, he started working for the Department of Militia and Defence eventually becoming chief clerk in 1889. He retired in 1903. In 1871, he married Augustine Parent, daughter of Étienne Parent
.
He wrote poems, songs, and was a historian.
In 1882 he was appointed a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada
, and served as its president from 1904 to 1905. In 1916, he was awarded an honorary LL.D. by the University of Toronto
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist, writer, civil servant, and historian.
Born Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
, Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
, the son of Benjamin Sulte dit Vadeboncœur, and Marie-Antoinette Lefebvre, Sulte had to leave school in 1851 as a consequence of the death of his father in 1847. He held a variety of jobs including working in a dry goods shop, as a clerk in a grocer’s shop, as a bookkeeper for lumber merchants, as a paymaster on a steamship, and as an owner of a shop on a Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
line.
In 1861, he joined the militia eventually becoming a sergeant-major. In 1866, he was appointed editor of Le Canada, a Conservative Ottawa newspaper. In 1867, he became a translator in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
. In 1870, he started working for the Department of Militia and Defence eventually becoming chief clerk in 1889. He retired in 1903. In 1871, he married Augustine Parent, daughter of Étienne Parent
Étienne Parent
Étienne Parent was a Canadian journalist and government official.He was editor of the newspaper Le Canadien and, as such, supported French Canadian journalism and writing...
.
He wrote poems, songs, and was a historian.
In 1882 he was appointed a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, and served as its president from 1904 to 1905. In 1916, he was awarded an honorary LL.D. by the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Selected works
- Les Laurentiennes: poésies (Montréal, 1869)
- Histoire de la ville des Trois-Rivières et de ses environs (Montréal, 1870)
- Mélanges d’histoire et de littérature (Ottawa, 1876)
- Chants nouveaux (Ottawa, 1880)
- Histoire des Canadiens-français, 1608–1880: origine, histoire, religion, guerres, découvertes, colonisation, coutumes, vie domestique, sociale et politique, développement, avenir (8 volumes, 1882-1884)