Google Answers Logo
View Question
 
Q: Origins of some Prime Ministers in Canada ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Origins of some Prime Ministers in Canada
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: beaver1234-ga
List Price: $19.50
Posted: 29 Mar 2004 21:42 PST
Expires: 28 Apr 2004 22:42 PDT
Question ID: 322169
What were the origins (mother and father's nationality/ancestry) of:
Wilfred Laurier
Brian Mulroney
Louis St-Laurent
Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Jean Chrétien?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Origins of some Prime Ministers in Canada
Answered By: leli-ga on 30 Mar 2004 00:04 PST
 
Thanks for an interesting question, beaver1234.

In the course of researching this, I found a useful genealogical
website with plenty of information on Canadian politicians and their
family trees. I will pick out some key points in my answer, and the
links will take you to a more detailed list of ancestors.


Wilfrid Laurier
===============

His father Carolus' paternal ancestors can be traced back to François
Cotineau dit Champlaurier, born in Montreal in 1677. François's father
had come from Charente in France.

Wilfrid Laurier's mother, Marcelle Martineau, has a family tree
stretching back to François Desmarais dit Maret, born in St-Sulpice in
1723.

Wilfrid Laurier		
http://www.francogene.com/politiciens/laurier.php

"LAURIER, SIR WILFRID 
[...]
The child of French Roman Catholic parents, he attended the elementary
school of his native parish and for eight or nine months was a pupil
of the Protestant elementary school at New Glasgow in order to learn
English; his association with the Presbyterian family with whom he
lived during this period had a permanent influence on his mind"
http://33.1911encyclopedia.org/L/LA/LAURIER_SIR_WILFRID.htm

Wilfrid Laurier was born in St. Lin, Quebec (Canada East) on November
20, 1841 to Marcelle Martineau and Carolus Laurier. Laurier's father
was a successful farmer by trade.
[...]
 He was sent to New Glasgow, Quebec at the age of 13 by his father to
learn English and about the culture. Laurier's mother had died 4 years
earlier and his father wanted to ensure his son received the best
education available that he could provide. His father understood that
to succeed in an increasingly English Canada his son would need to
learn English and the customs. This was a rare opportunity indeed for
someone such as Laurier during the 1850s."
http://www.frymybacon.com/articles/articles.php?article_ID=384


Brian Mulroney
==============

His father Benedict's grandfather was born in Ste-Catherine de
Portneuf, to a father who had come from Galway in Ireland.

His mother Irene O'Shea had Canadian-born ancestors stretching back to
the mid-nineteenth century.

On both sides of the family there are many distinctively Irish names.

Brian Mulroney
http://www.francogene.com/politiciens/mulroney.php

"Mulroney was the third of six children of Irish Canadian parents,
whose families had immigrated to Canada in the mid-19th century."
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567375/Brian_Mulroney.html


Louis St-Laurent
================

His father was Jean-Baptiste-Moïse St-Laurent, whose paternal line
goes back to a French settler in Quebec in the 17th century.

His mother Mary-Ann Broderick was the child of Stephen Broderick, born in Ireland.

Louis St-Laurent
http://www.francogene.com/politiciens/st-laurent.php

"Louis Stephen St. Laurent was born in Compton, Quebec in 1882. His
father, a store owner, was Quebecois and his mother was Irish. He grew
up speaking French to his father and English to his mother, and was a
teenager before he realized that this was not a customary practice in
every family!"
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/primeministers/h4-3306-e.html



Pierre Elliot Trudeau
=====================

On his father Charles-Emile's side there is a long line of direct
ancestors going back to 17th century settlers in Montreal who had come
from Charente in France.

His mother Grace Elliott is generally described as being of Scottish
descent. One of her Elliott ancestors was born in Berthier in 1855.
Her mother had a French name (Sara Sauvé).

Pierre Trudeau
http://www.francogene.com/politiciens/trudeau.php

"Pierre was the 2nd child of Charles Emile (father) and Grace Trudeau.
His father was a successful Montreal businessman, his mother was of
Scottish ancestry."
http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/tecumseh/student/8/pierre_elliot_trudeau.htm

"Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada October 18th, 1919 to
French-Canadian entrepreneur Charles-Emile Trudeau and his wife Grace
Elliott Trudeau who was of Scottish descent, Pierre Elliott Trudeau
was raised in a bilingual and extremely wealthy family."
http://obits.com/trudeau.html


Jean Chrétien
=============

His father Wellie/Willie came from a long line of Chrétiens who had
been in Quebec since the 17th century.
http://www.francogene.com/politicians/chretien.php

Canadian-born ancestors of Marie Boisvert go back at least as far as
Joseph Boisvert, born in Yamachiche in 1820.

Jean Chrétien
http://www.francogene.com/politicians/chretien.php

"Chrétien was born in the small Québec town of La Baie Shawinigan,
near the city of Shawinigan on the shore of the Saint-Maurice River.
He was the 18th of 19 children (10 died in infancy) born to Wellie and
Marie Chrétien, French-speaking Canadians whose Québec roots extended
back several generations. "
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579483/Jean_Chr%C3%A9tien.html

"Jean Chrétien was born in Shawinigan, Que., on January 11, 1934, the
18th of 19 children, only nine of whom survived. His mother was Marie
Boisvert-Chrétien, his father Wellie Chrétien, who worked as a
machinist at a paper mill.
[ . . . ]
In 1963, at the age of 29 and with only a smattering of English,
Chrétien ran for federal office in the riding of
Saint-Maurice-Laflèche, winning the first of what would be 10 federal
campaigns. "
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/chretien/profile.html


Jean Chrétien's father is often called Willie on French webpages, but
Wellie in English, see for example:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:uOFRsypoYzQJ:marchif.crosswinds.net/texte/25/25755.html+Jean+CHR%C3%89TIEN+willie&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

The site where I found that page is not working at present, but here
are links to Google's stored (cached) copies of their clearly laid out
family trees:

Wilfred Laurier
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:RPydahvH1ZcJ:marchif.crosswinds.net/texte/26/26065.html++site:marchif.crosswinds.net++wilfrid+laurier&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Brian Mulroney
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:ZiT1l4nc4LQJ:marchif.crosswinds.net/texte/26/26423.html++site:marchif.crosswinds.net++mulroney&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Pierre Elliot Trudeau
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:ZXnUMk-ZH6MJ:marchif.crosswinds.net/texte/26/26368.html++site:marchif.crosswinds.net+trudeau&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

They don't have a page for Louis St-Laurent.


You might also find it interesting to look at this list of other
Canadian politicians whose genealogical information is available on
the internet:
http://www.francogene.com/politicians/index.php


I hope you will find this helpful, but please do feel free to ask if
you would like something clarified.

Best Wishes - Leli



Searches used:

[names] with combinations of:
family, born, ancestry, parents, biography, genealogy

Clarification of Answer by leli-ga on 30 Mar 2004 02:25 PST
Sorry - those long links towards the end of the answer didn't come out
as "clickable", but you could copy and paste them into the address
bar.

Leli
Comments  
There are no comments at this time.

Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Google does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. Please read carefully the Google Answers Terms of Service.

If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you.
Search Google Answers for
Google Answers  


Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy