Louis-Adélard Senécal
Encyclopedia
Louis-Adélard Senécal was a Quebec
businessman and political figure. He was a Conservative
member in the 1st Canadian Parliament
representing Drummond—Arthabaska
, represented Yamaska
in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
from 1867 to 1871 and was a member of the Senate of Canada for Mille Isles division in 1887.
He was born Louis-Adélard Sénécal in Varennes
, Lower Canada
in 1829 and then moved to Verchères
with his family while still very young. In 1850, he set up a general store there with a partner. The following year, he entered the business of selling grain with his father. He declared bankruptcy the following year due to debts incurred earlier; his father and wife helped him settle these debts. In 1853, in partnership with his father and others, he became the owner and captain of a steamship travelling between Verchères and Montreal
. The company acquired additional vessels and Senécal formed partnerships with a number of other shipping companies transporting goods in the region. He also speculated in land and was involved in the operation of sawmill
s and flour mill
s. In 1867, he was forced to declare personal bankruptcy
. This did not affect the Pierreville Steam Mills Company, of which he was a part owner. However, he was forced to sell his share in the company after a series of fires left him short of liquid assets.
He was elected to both the provincial and federal legislatures in 1867. During the 1870s, he expanded into railway construction, building the Richelieu, Drummond and Arthabaska Counties Railway. His son-in-law, Charles-Ignace Gill
, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
, helped provide Senécal with the required political connections for railway construction and also looked after some of Senécal's other business interests while he was otherwise occupied. In 1880, he was named superintendent for the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway; sections of this railway were later sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway
and the Grand Trunk Railway
. Senécal was also treasurer for the Parti conservateur du Québec
during this period which many saw as a conflict of interest because of the heavy government involvement in railways at the time. During the 1880s, he was also president of the Montreal City Passenger Railway Company, the North Shore Railway and the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. In 1883, he received the cross of commander in the French
Légion d'honneur
.
He was named to the Senate in January 1887 but died in Montreal later that year.
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....
businessman and political figure. He was a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
member in the 1st Canadian Parliament
1st Canadian Parliament
The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867 until July 8, 1872. The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was prorogued prior to the 1872 election.It was...
representing Drummond—Arthabaska
Drummond—Arthabaska
Drummond—Arthabaska was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...
, represented Yamaska
Yamaska (provincial electoral district)
Yamaska was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montérégie region, the district was formed in 1867 and later merged with Nicolet in 1973 to form Nicolet-Yamaska.-Members of Legislative Assembly:...
in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
from 1867 to 1871 and was a member of the Senate of Canada for Mille Isles division in 1887.
He was born Louis-Adélard Sénécal in Varennes
Varennes, Quebec
Varennes is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The city is approximately 15 miles from Downtown Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 20,950...
, 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...
in 1829 and then moved to Verchères
Verchères, Quebec
Verchères is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,243.- History :...
with his family while still very young. In 1850, he set up a general store there with a partner. The following year, he entered the business of selling grain with his father. He declared bankruptcy the following year due to debts incurred earlier; his father and wife helped him settle these debts. In 1853, in partnership with his father and others, he became the owner and captain of a steamship travelling between Verchères and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The company acquired additional vessels and Senécal formed partnerships with a number of other shipping companies transporting goods in the region. He also speculated in land and was involved in the operation of sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and flour mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s. In 1867, he was forced to declare personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy is a procedure which, in certain jurisdictions, allows an individual to declare bankruptcy. In other jurisdictions, bankruptcies are reserved for corporations.-Canada:...
. This did not affect the Pierreville Steam Mills Company, of which he was a part owner. However, he was forced to sell his share in the company after a series of fires left him short of liquid assets.
He was elected to both the provincial and federal legislatures in 1867. During the 1870s, he expanded into railway construction, building the Richelieu, Drummond and Arthabaska Counties Railway. His son-in-law, Charles-Ignace Gill
Charles-Ignace Gill
Charles-Ignace Gill was a Quebec lawyer and political figure. He represented Yamaska in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1871 to 1874 and in the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative member from 1874 to 1879.He was born in Saint-François-du-Lac, Lower Canada in 1844, the son of Ignace...
, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
, helped provide Senécal with the required political connections for railway construction and also looked after some of Senécal's other business interests while he was otherwise occupied. In 1880, he was named superintendent for the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway; sections of this railway were later sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and the 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...
. Senécal was also treasurer for the Parti conservateur du Québec
Parti conservateur du Québec
The Parti conservateur du Québec was a political party in Quebec, Canada.-Origins:The party originated as the Parti bleu which was formed around 1850 by the followers of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine...
during this period which many saw as a conflict of interest because of the heavy government involvement in railways at the time. During the 1880s, he was also president of the Montreal City Passenger Railway Company, the North Shore Railway and the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. In 1883, he received the cross of commander in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
He was named to the Senate in January 1887 but died in Montreal later that year.