Daniel Johnson, Sr
Encyclopedia
Francis Daniel Johnson, Sr., PC
(April 9, 1915 – September 26, 1968) was a Quebec
politician and the 20th Premier of Quebec
from 1966 until his death in 1968.
, Quebec
, Canada
. He was the son of Francis Johnson, an anglophone labourer of Irish
heritage, and Marie-Adéline Daniel, a French-Canadian. He was raised bilingually but educated entirely in French. His sons, Pierre-Marc Johnson
and Daniel Johnson, Jr. also became premiers of Quebec: remarkably, each as a leader of a different party, Pierre-Marc as leader of the sovereigntist
Parti Québécois
for a brief period in 1985, and Daniel Jr. as leader of the federalist Liberal Party of Quebec for nine months in 1994.
in 1946 and became the Union Nationale Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Bagot
. He was re-elected in 1948
, 1952
, 1956
and 1960
.
He served as parliamentary assistant
to Premier
Maurice Duplessis
in 1955 and Deputy House Speaker from 1955 to 1958. He became the target of cartoonists who portrayed him as Danny Boy
.
in 1958 and served as Minister of Hydraulic Resources until the 1960 election
which was won by the Liberals. He was the minister who started the Manic-5 hydroelectric project in 1958 of which its Daniel-Johnson Dam
was named after him.
in 1961. His party lost the 1962 election
against Jean Lesage
's Liberals, but he was returned to the legislature.
In 1965, his book entitled, Égalité ou indépendance (Equality or independence), made him the first leader of a Quebec political party to recognize the possibility of independence for Canada from the British Crown—and if the English-speaking Canadians didn't want to be independent, then Quebec could do it alone. His position on the issue was seen to be ambiguous: as he wrote in his book, his position was for "independence if necessary, but not necessarily independence" (a reference to Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King
's famous utterance in the WWII conscription debate).
and he became Premier of Quebec, a position he retained until his death. His term was, among other things, qualified by tensions with the Government of Canada over constitutional matters, because as Premier of Quebec he put forward proposals to reform the Canadian constitution based on the notion of two equal nations as opposed to ten equal provinces.
On September 25, 1968, Hydro-Québec, the government-owned utility organized a ceremony to mark the completion of the Manicouagan-5 dam
. Hundreds of dignitaries, politicians, utility executives, financiers, engineers and journalists were ferried by plane from Montreal, Quebec City and New York to the worksite to attend a banquet and a plaque unveiling ceremony.
Among the guests were Johnson, his predecessor, Jean Lesage
, and René Lévesque
, the former Hydraulic Resources minister responsible for the consolidation of all investor-owned utilities into Hydro-Québec in 1962-1963. Photographs taken at the banquet show the three men were in excellent spirits, holding hands and smiling, although relations between the Liberal leader and his former cabinet minister were strained by Lévesque's recent defection to the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
, a precursor of the Parti Québécois
.
In his memoirs, Hydro-Québec executive, Robert A. Boyd
, recalls being woken up at 6 a.m. the next morning by his boss, Roland Giroux
. "I've got bad news, Robert...", said Giroux, adding that he just found the Premier lying dead in his bed. Johnson's sudden demise sent shockwaves at the worksite and across the province and the dedication ceremony was quickly cancelled.
On September 26, 1969, a year to the day after Johnson's death, the new Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand
accompanied by Johnson's widow and children, unveiled two plaques and officially dedicated the dam after his predecessor. Both plaques now sit side by side at the top of the complex.
.
He won the 1966 election
and died in office in 1968.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(April 9, 1915 – September 26, 1968) was a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
politician and the 20th Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
from 1966 until his death in 1968.
Background
Johnson was born in DanvilleDanville, Quebec
Danville is a town in the administrative region of Estrie, in the Canadian province of Quebec. As of the 2006 Canadian Census, the population was 4,041....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
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...
. He was the son of Francis Johnson, an anglophone labourer of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
heritage, and Marie-Adéline Daniel, a French-Canadian. He was raised bilingually but educated entirely in French. His sons, Pierre-Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson, , is a Quebec lawyer, physician and politician. He was the 24th Premier of Quebec from October 3 to December 12, 1985.- Early background :...
and Daniel Johnson, Jr. also became premiers of Quebec: remarkably, each as a leader of a different party, Pierre-Marc as leader of the sovereigntist
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
for a brief period in 1985, and Daniel Jr. as leader of the federalist Liberal Party of Quebec for nine months in 1994.
Member of the legislature
Johnson won a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1946 and became the Union Nationale Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Bagot
Bagot (provincial electoral district)
Bagot is a former provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Created in 1867, the Estrie region district existed until 1972, when it was included in the new riding of Johnson in honour of former Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson who was a Member of the Legislative and National...
. He was re-elected in 1948
Quebec general election, 1948
The Quebec general election of 1948 was held on July 28, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This was the third time ...
, 1952
Quebec general election, 1952
The Quebec general election of 1952 was held on July 16, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Georges-Émile Lapalme.This was the...
, 1956
Quebec general election, 1956
The Quebec general election of 1956 was held on June 20, 1956 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Georges-Émile Lapalme.This was the fifth and final...
and 1960
Quebec general election, 1960
The Quebec general election of 1960 was held on June 22, 1960 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election...
.
He served as parliamentary assistant
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
in 1955 and Deputy House Speaker from 1955 to 1958. He became the target of cartoonists who portrayed him as Danny Boy
Danny Boy
-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
.
Cabinet Member
Johnson was appointed to the CabinetExecutive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
in 1958 and served as Minister of Hydraulic Resources until the 1960 election
Quebec general election, 1960
The Quebec general election of 1960 was held on June 22, 1960 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election...
which was won by the Liberals. He was the minister who started the Manic-5 hydroelectric project in 1958 of which its Daniel-Johnson Dam
Daniel-Johnson Dam
The Daniel-Johnson Dam , formerly known as Manic-5, is a multiple arch buttress dam on the Manicouagan River which creates Manicouagan Reservoir. The dam is composed of 14 buttresses and 13 arches and is north of Baie-Comeau in Quebec, Canada...
was named after him.
Party Leader
Johnson was elected party leader against Jean-Jacques BertrandJean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
in 1961. His party lost the 1962 election
Quebec general election, 1962
The Quebec general election of 1962 was held on November 14, 1962, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage, won re-election, defeating the Union Nationale led by Daniel Johnson, Sr..In an unusual move,...
against Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
's Liberals, but he was returned to the legislature.
In 1965, his book entitled, Égalité ou indépendance (Equality or independence), made him the first leader of a Quebec political party to recognize the possibility of independence for Canada from the British Crown—and if the English-speaking Canadians didn't want to be independent, then Quebec could do it alone. His position on the issue was seen to be ambiguous: as he wrote in his book, his position was for "independence if necessary, but not necessarily independence" (a reference to Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
's famous utterance in the WWII conscription debate).
Premier
Under the same slogan, Égalité ou indépendance, his party won the 1966 electionQuebec general election, 1966
The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage....
and he became Premier of Quebec, a position he retained until his death. His term was, among other things, qualified by tensions with the Government of Canada over constitutional matters, because as Premier of Quebec he put forward proposals to reform the Canadian constitution based on the notion of two equal nations as opposed to ten equal provinces.
Death
Daniel-Johnson Dam
The Daniel-Johnson Dam , formerly known as Manic-5, is a multiple arch buttress dam on the Manicouagan River which creates Manicouagan Reservoir. The dam is composed of 14 buttresses and 13 arches and is north of Baie-Comeau in Quebec, Canada...
. Hundreds of dignitaries, politicians, utility executives, financiers, engineers and journalists were ferried by plane from Montreal, Quebec City and New York to the worksite to attend a banquet and a plaque unveiling ceremony.
Among the guests were Johnson, his predecessor, Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
, and René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
, the former Hydraulic Resources minister responsible for the consolidation of all investor-owned utilities into Hydro-Québec in 1962-1963. Photographs taken at the banquet show the three men were in excellent spirits, holding hands and smiling, although relations between the Liberal leader and his former cabinet minister were strained by Lévesque's recent defection to the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
The Mouvement Souveraineté-Association was formed on November 19, 1967 by René Lévesque to promote the concept of sovereignty-association between Quebec and the rest of Canada....
, a precursor of the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
.
In his memoirs, Hydro-Québec executive, Robert A. Boyd
Robert A. Boyd
Robert A. Boyd, CM, OQ was a Canadian electric engineer and utility executive. He successfully led the construction of first phase of the James Bay hydroelectric project, a large dam complex built in northern Quebec by Hydro-Québec during the 1970s and early 1980s.Born in Sherbrooke in the Eastern...
, recalls being woken up at 6 a.m. the next morning by his boss, Roland Giroux
Roland Giroux
Roland Giroux, was from 1969 to 1977 the Chairman of the Quebec Hydro-Electric Commission ....
. "I've got bad news, Robert...", said Giroux, adding that he just found the Premier lying dead in his bed. Johnson's sudden demise sent shockwaves at the worksite and across the province and the dedication ceremony was quickly cancelled.
On September 26, 1969, a year to the day after Johnson's death, the new Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
accompanied by Johnson's widow and children, unveiled two plaques and officially dedicated the dam after his predecessor. Both plaques now sit side by side at the top of the complex.
Elections as party leader
He lost the 1962 electionQuebec general election, 1962
The Quebec general election of 1962 was held on November 14, 1962, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage, won re-election, defeating the Union Nationale led by Daniel Johnson, Sr..In an unusual move,...
.
He won the 1966 election
Quebec general election, 1966
The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage....
and died in office in 1968.
See also
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- List of Quebec premiers
- List of Quebec general elections
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- Nicknames of politicians and personalities in QuebecNicknames of politicians and personalities in QuebecA custom of Quebecers is to give nicknames to their politicians , quite especially their Premiers. Many of those given to Premiers are affectionate or even express admiration, while others are insulting.-Nicknames of Quebec Premiers:...