Édouard-Raymond Fabre

Who was Édouard-Raymond Fabre?

Édouard-Raymond Fabre was a Canadian politician and bookseller, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1849 and 1851.

In 1807, he began studies at the Petit Séminaire de Montréal, where he remained until 1812 after which he was employed at a prominent hardware store owned by Arthur Webster. After nearly a decade there, Fabre spent a year in Paris to gain experience in book retailing at the Galeries Bossange.

Fabre remained in the bookselling business for years while supporting the Patriote movement for much of this time.

In 1848, Fabre entered municipal politics when he was elected a councillor in Montreal's East Ward. The following year he was elected Mayor, prompted financially restructuring of the city's finances and introduced measures to manage a cholera outbreak. Despite his reluctance to serve a second year as Mayor, Fabre served in that role until 1851.

Édouard-Raymond Fabre contracted cholera and died in July 1854. Leading politician Louis-Joseph Papineau paid tribute, declaring that Fabre "rendered outstanding services to the country."

Fabre is commemorated by a street in the Plateau Mont-Royal district and a park in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.