Joseph-Rémi Vallières de Saint-Réal

Who was Joseph-Rémi Vallières de Saint-Réal?

Joseph-Rémi Vallières de Saint-Réal was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada.

He was born Joseph-Rémi Vallières in Carleton in 1787, the son of a blacksmith, and moved to Windham Township in Upper Canada with his family in 1799. After the death of his father, he moved to Quebec City, where he was tutored by Monsignor Joseph-Octave Plessis, and then studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He studied law with Charles Thomas and then with Edward Bowen and qualified to practice in 1812. He served as a lieutenant in the militia during the War of 1812. He married Louise, the daughter of seigneur Pierre-Melchior Pezard de Champlain in 1812. He acquired property at Quebec, was the main shareholder in a toll bridge over the Etchemin River, was a part-owner in a lumber business and owned a gristmill that he rented out in exchange for a large portion of its flour production. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Saint-Maurice in 1814, then represented the Upper Town of Quebec from 1820 to 1829. Vallières de Saint-Réal was a moderate member of the parti canadien.