Olivar Asselin
Encyclopedia
Olivar Asselin was a writer and journalist in Quebec
, Canada
. He was a prominent nationalist, pamphleteer
and polemist.
, Charlevoix
, Quebec
. His name is a combination of the French first name "Olivier
" and the last name of Latin American independence leader Simón Bolívar
.
He did his primary studies
in a Sainte-Flavie school and his secondary studies
at the Séminaire de Rimouski.
For financial reasons, his family emigrated to the United States
in 1891. There, he worked for numerous newspapers in what was then called the "French Canadian
" community. He was first journalist for Le Protecteur Canadien of Fall River
, in 1894. A year later, he was editor of Le National of Lowell
(notorious as an emigration target for Quebecers of the day) and Le Jean-Baptiste of Pawtucket
. From 1896 to 1898, he was editorial secretary at La Tribune of Woonsocket.
During the Spanish-American War
, he undertook a first brief military participation, from 1898 to 1899. Demobilized
in 1899, he moved to Montreal
and contributed to various papers, including Les Débats.
On August 3, 1902, he married Alice Le Bouthillier.
From 1901 to 1903, he was secretary to Minister of Colonization Lomer Gouin
. He stood as a nationalist candidate in Terrebonne
during the 1904 election, then in Saint-Jacques
during the 1911 election.
In 1907, after a session of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
had ended, he came down from the press gallery
to confront Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
, Premier of Quebec, on the Assembly floor. He was upset over an allegation the Premier supposedly made about him during the session, implicating him in an affair over a false telegram. Asselin told him it was false, but Taschereau refused to admit he made such an allegation. Asselin slapped him in the face, earning him a stay in jail. The imprisonment was notably criticized by Henri Bourassa
.
From 1902 to 1910, he worked closely with Henri Bourassa and collaborated with him in the founding of Le Devoir
in 1910. He was President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
of Montreal from 1913 to 1914. A nationalist militant, he set up the Ligue nationaliste in March 1903 and launched the newspaper Le Nationaliste
a year later. It is during this time that he takes on him to defend the settlers right to cut trees and provide information to the Commission de la colonisation of 1904. In 1905, he began a campaign in favour of public compulsory education
(it would become law under Premier Adélard Godbout
in the 1940s).
The 26 November 1915, Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, offered Asselin the honorary rank of Colonel, which entailed raising a battalion for the Canadian Expeditionary Force
. Asselin recruited men to form the 163rd (Canadien-Francais) Battalion, CEF
, known as the "Poils-aux-pattes", made up of French-Canadian volunteers, and placed them under the command of Captain Henri Desrosiers, accepting instead the rank of Major.
After training in Bermuda, the 163rd Battalion made its way to England, disembarking in December 1916, where the battalion was quickly dismantled and used to reinforce other depleted sections. Transferred to the 22nd Battalion, CEF, Asselin participated in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
and the Battle of Acheville
. However, he was later removed from the front after contracting trench fever
.
Alternately speaker and military attaché, Asselin found himself as a member of the Canadian Delegation at the Paris Peace Conference
of 1918, which led to the Treaty of Versailles
and the end of World War I.
Asselin received the Légion d'honneur
from France
in 1919.
In 1930, he became the editor-in-chief of Le Canada and founded, five years later, his own newspapers, named L'Ordre and La Renaissance.
Olivar Asselin died in 1937, in Montreal, at the age of 62.
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 a prominent nationalist, pamphleteer
Pamphleteer
A pamphleteer is a historical term for someone who creates or distributes pamphlets. Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions on an issue, for example, in order to get people to vote for their favorite politician or to articulate a particular political ideology.A famous pamphleteer...
and polemist.
Biography
Asselin was born in Saint-HilarionSaint-Hilarion, Quebec
Saint-Hilarion is a parish municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of the province of Quebec in Canada.-Demographics:Population trend:* Population in 2006: 1191 * Population in 2001: 1148...
, Charlevoix
Charlevoix
The Charlevoix region, located in Quebec, includes parts of the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains region of the Canadian Shield...
, 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....
. His name is a combination of the French first name "Olivier
Olivier
Olivier is the French form of Oliver. It may refer to:As a surname:* Guillaume-Antoine Olivier , a French entomologist* George Olivier, count of Wallis , Austrian field marshal...
" and the last name of Latin American independence leader Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
.
He did his primary studies
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
in a Sainte-Flavie school and his secondary studies
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
at the Séminaire de Rimouski.
For financial reasons, his family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1891. There, he worked for numerous newspapers in what was then called the "French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
" community. He was first journalist for Le Protecteur Canadien of Fall River
Fall River
-Cities and towns:In Canada:*Fall River, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:*Fall River, Kansas*Fall River, Massachusetts, the largest city with this name*Fall River, Tennessee*Fall River, Wisconsin*Fall River County, South Dakota-Rivers:In Canada:...
, in 1894. A year later, he was editor of Le National of Lowell
Lowell
- In the United States :* Lowell, Massachusetts** Lowell National Historical Park** Lowell * Lowell, Arkansas* Lowell, California* Lowell, Florida* Lowell, Indiana* Lowell, Bartholomew County, Indiana* Lowell, Maine* Lowell, Michigan...
(notorious as an emigration target for Quebecers of the day) and Le Jean-Baptiste of Pawtucket
Pawtucket
Pawtucket may refer to:* Pawtucket, Rhode Island* Pawtucket Falls , Lowell, Massachusetts* Pawtucket tribe* 2 ships named USS Pawtucket* Pawtucket Brewery, fictional brewery on the television series Family Guy...
. From 1896 to 1898, he was editorial secretary at La Tribune of Woonsocket.
During the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, he undertook a first brief military participation, from 1898 to 1899. Demobilized
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
in 1899, he moved to 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...
and contributed to various papers, including Les Débats.
On August 3, 1902, he married Alice Le Bouthillier.
From 1901 to 1903, he was secretary to Minister of Colonization Lomer Gouin
Lomer Gouin
Sir Jean Lomer Gouin, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician.-Biography:He was born in Grondines, Quebec and served as 13th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec, as a Cabinet minister in the federal government of Canada, and as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.On May 24, 1888, he married...
. He stood as a nationalist candidate in Terrebonne
Terrebonne
Terrebonne, meaning good earth in French, is a name of several places in North America:Canada*Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal*Terrebonne , a Quebec provincial electoral districtUnited States...
during the 1904 election, then in Saint-Jacques
Saint-Jacques (electoral district)
Saint-Jacques was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1988.There were two separate ridings named "Saint-Jacques". The first was created in 1952 from Cartier and St. James ridings...
during the 1911 election.
In 1907, after a session 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...
had ended, he came down from the press gallery
Press gallery
The press gallery is the part of a parliament, or other legislative body, where political journalists are allowed to sit or gather to observe and then report speeches and events...
to confront Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau was a the 14th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. He was elected four times, the first in 1900, in the riding of Montmorency. He was also a member of the Parti libéral du Québec...
, Premier of Quebec, on the Assembly floor. He was upset over an allegation the Premier supposedly made about him during the session, implicating him in an affair over a false telegram. Asselin told him it was false, but Taschereau refused to admit he made such an allegation. Asselin slapped him in the face, earning him a stay in jail. The imprisonment was notably criticized by Henri Bourassa
Henri Bourassa
Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. He is seen by many as an ideological father of Canadian nationalism....
.
From 1902 to 1910, he worked closely with Henri Bourassa and collaborated with him in the founding of Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
in 1910. He was President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
of Montreal from 1913 to 1914. A nationalist militant, he set up the Ligue nationaliste in March 1903 and launched the newspaper Le Nationaliste
Le Nationaliste
Le Nationaliste was a weekly newspaper and an organ of the Ligue nationaliste, an anti-imperialist and nationalist movement in Quebec, Canada....
a year later. It is during this time that he takes on him to defend the settlers right to cut trees and provide information to the Commission de la colonisation of 1904. In 1905, he began a campaign in favour of public compulsory education
Compulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
(it would become law under Premier Adélard Godbout
Adélard Godbout
Joseph-Adélard Godbout was an agronomist and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 15th Premier of Quebec briefly in 1936, and again from 1939 to 1944. He was also leader of the Parti Libéral du Québec .-Youth and early career:Adélard Godbout was born in Saint-Éloi...
in the 1940s).
The 26 November 1915, Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, offered Asselin the honorary rank of Colonel, which entailed raising a battalion for the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
. Asselin recruited men to form the 163rd (Canadien-Francais) Battalion, CEF
163rd (Canadien-Français) Battalion, CEF
The 163rd Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 throughout the province of Quebec. In May 1916, the battalion sailed for Bermuda, where it remained on garrison duty until late...
, known as the "Poils-aux-pattes", made up of French-Canadian volunteers, and placed them under the command of Captain Henri Desrosiers, accepting instead the rank of Major.
After training in Bermuda, the 163rd Battalion made its way to England, disembarking in December 1916, where the battalion was quickly dismantled and used to reinforce other depleted sections. Transferred to the 22nd Battalion, CEF, Asselin participated in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
and the Battle of Acheville
Acheville
-External links:* * -References:*...
. However, he was later removed from the front after contracting trench fever
Trench fever
Trench fever is a moderately serious disease transmitted by body lice. It infected armies in Flanders, France, Poland, Galicia, Italy, Salonika, Macedonia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt in World War I Trench fever (also known as "Five day fever", "Quintan fever" (febris Quintana in Latin), "Urban trench...
.
Alternately speaker and military attaché, Asselin found himself as a member of the Canadian Delegation at the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
of 1918, which led to the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and the end of World War I.
Asselin received the 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...
from France
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...
in 1919.
In 1930, he became the editor-in-chief of Le Canada and founded, five years later, his own newspapers, named L'Ordre and La Renaissance.
Olivar Asselin died in 1937, in Montreal, at the age of 62.
External links
- "12e législature, 1re session: Analyse des journaux et des sources" at the National Assembly of QuebecNational Assembly of QuebecThe National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
website - "Acteurs de notre histoire"
See also
- List of Presidents of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal
- Quebec nationalismQuebec nationalismQuebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...