Eugène Rhéaume

Who was Eugène Rhéaume?

Eugène "Gene" Rhéaume was a politician, insurance agent and social worker from Northwest Territories, Canada.

Born in High Prairie, Alberta, he was the eighth of nine children. Their father was French Canadian and their mother was of Scottish, Ojibwa and Métis heritage. Rhéaume studied English at the University of Saskatchewan, obtaining a BA in 1953, and later received a social work degree after working in that field for a time. He married Helen Gessler in 1954. They had six children between 1955 and 1963. They were married 40 years, then, following a divorce, Rhéaume's partner for fifteen years until his death was Margaret Hill of Okanagan Falls, British Columbia.

Rhéaume first ran for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 Canadian federal election against Isabel Hardie; he lost the hotly contested election by only 300 votes. He faced Hardie again just a year later in the 1963 Canadian federal election, this time defeating her.

Rhéaume served in the House of Commons for one term, before getting defeated himself in the 1965 Canadian federal election by Robert Orange. He attempted a comeback in the 1974 Canadian federal election running in the Saskatoon—Humboldt electoral district in Saskatchewan; he was defeated by incumbent Otto Lang.