Jean Blanchet

Who was Jean Blanchet?

Hon. Jean Gervais Protais Blanchet was the second eldest of eleven children of Cyprien Blanchet, notary public of St. Francois, Beauce and his wife, Marie Gosselin. He was a descendant of one of Quebec’s oldest families which had settled in Quebec in 1667. Born in St. Gervais, he was educated at Nicolet College. He entered Laval University to study law and was called to the Bar of Lower Canada in 1863. He worked with the firm of Henri-Elzeard Taschereau. He was defeated in his first try at politics losing the Beauce seat in the federal election of 1872. In 1872-73, he was a partner in the firm of Blanchet & Pentland. He was created a Q.C. by the government of Quebec in 1876 and had the same honour conferred on him by the Canadian government in 1880. He was later a partner in the firm of Blanchet, Amyot & Pelletier and then with Blanchet, Drouin & Dionne. He was elected batonnier of the Quebec section of the Bar in 1889 and batonnier-general of the province in 1891.

He represented the riding of Beauce from 1881 to 1892. He held the office of Provincial Secretary in both the Mousseau and Ross administrations.He served as Conservative leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1890 to 1891.He became leader of the Opposition after Conservative leader Louis-Olivier Taillon failed to win a seat in losing the 1890 Quebec election. He took part in all the important debates, including the provincial autonomy question, the exercise of the veto power and the Riel affair. He was one of the commissioners selected in 1887 to revise the statute law of the province. He resigned his seat and the post of leader of the Opposition when he was appointed a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench on September 19, 1891. He received the honorary degree of LL.B from Laval University in 1891.