Armand Lavergne

Who was Armand Lavergne?

Armand Renaud Lavergne or La Vergne was a Quebec lawyer, journalist and political figure. He represented Montmagny in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1904 to 1908 and as a Conservative member from 1930 to 1935. He represented Montmagny in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Nationalist member from 1908 to 1916. His surname is given as "La Vergne" by some authoritative sources, including his National Assembly of Quebec biographical page, although these same sources spell his father's name as "Lavergne".

He was born in Arthabaska, Quebec in 1880, the son of Joseph Lavergne and Émilie Barthe, who was the daughter of Joseph-Guillaume Barthe. Lavergne studied at the Collège Sacré-Coeur at Arthabaska, the Séminaire de Québec, the University of Ottawa and Université Laval; he later studied in Paris. He articled in law, was called to the bar in 1903 and set up practice at Quebec City and then Montmagny. In 1903, he helped found the Ligue nationaliste canadienne. Lavergne directed Le Courrier at Montmagny and also contributed to Le Nationaliste, edited by Olivar Asselin, and Le Devoir, edited by Henri Bourassa.

He was elected to the House of Commons in an 1904 by-election and reelected in the general election later that year. He was expelled from the Liberal Party by Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1907 and he resigned from his seat the following year to run for Ligue nationaliste canadienne in the 1908 Quebec election. He was elected to the legislative assembly along with Henri Bourassa and re-elected in the 1912 Quebec election; Lavergne served as the party's only member from 1912 until leaving office in the 1916 election.