| Honorific prefix | The Honourable |
|---|---|
| Office | Canadian Senator from Alberta |
| Appointer | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| Term start | January 29, 1940 |
| Term end | November 10, 1964 |
| Birth date | October 18, 1875 |
| Birth place | Berthier, Quebec, Canada |
| Death date | November 10, 1964 (aged 89) |
| Death place | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | Université Laval (BSc, MD) |
| Occupation | Physician · surgeon · politician |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Unit | Canadian Army Medical Corps |
Aristide Blais (October 18, 1875 – November 10, 1964) was a Canadian physician and politician.
Early life
Blais was born on October 18, 1875, in Berthier, Quebec, to Narcisse Blais and Philomène Buteau.[1] He attended Laval University earning a Bachelor of Science and medical degree in 1899.[1][2] Blais did two years of post-graduate medical studies in Paris.[3] He married Antoinette Bolduc on April 9, 1903, and they had one daughter together. He later married Marie Moriarty and they also had one daughter together.[1] Early in his medical career, Blais partnered with French-Canadian physician and Senator Philippe Roy in practice.[3]
During the World War I Blais served as a captain in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, later promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed in charge of the No. 6 Casualty Clearing Hospital in Saint-Cloud, France.[1] During his time he also served with the 38th Battalion and the 11th Field Ambulance Corps.[3]
Political life
Blais was summoned to the Canadian Senate in 1940 by Prime Minister Mackenzie King.[4] A Liberal, he represented the senatorial division of St. Albert, Alberta. Blais publicly noted his appointment to the Senate was a tribute to French Canadians in Alberta, and a fulfillment of former Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's promise upon Alberta entering Confederation in 1905, that French Canadians in the province would always have a Senate representative.[3]
Blais served until his death on November 10, 1964, at 89 years of age, at Shaughnessy Military Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide". The Canadian Parliamentary Guide = Guide Parlementaire Canadien. Ottawa: Mortimer Company Ltd. 1964. ISBN 9781414401416. ISSN 0315-6168. OCLC 893686591. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ "Aristide Blais". shfa.ca. The Société historique francophone de l'Alberta. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Aristide Blais: Doctor Served As Senator From Alberta". The Globe and Mail. November 12, 1964. p. 10.
- ^ "Edmonton Physician Gets Appointment To Senate". Calgary Herald. 1940-01-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-06. – via Newspapers.com.