Sévère Rivard

Who was Sévère Rivard?

Sévère-Dominique Rivard was a Canadian lawyer and politician, the Mayor of Montreal, Quebec between 1879 and 1881.

After an education at the Séminaire de Nicolet, Rivard apprenticed in law under Rodolphe Laflamme and Edmund Barnard, formally becoming a lawyer in 1859.

In 1870, Rivard was elected to city council at the Saint-Jacques ward and was re-elected to council in 1873. Between 1870 and 1877 he also served as a member of the city's Roman Catholic Board of School Commissioners. Rivard campaigned for mayor in 1879, defeating the allegedly undefeatable incumbent Jean-Louis Beaudry by a 290 vote margin. He ran unopposed in the 1880 election and enjoyed a second term as Mayor.

He was a member of the Legislative Council of Quebec from 1886 until his death.

Rivard died on 4 February 1888 after sustaining a case of "paralysis".