Cyrille Duquet

Cyrille Duquet (31 March 1841—1 December 1922) was a Canadian goldsmith, flutist, and inventor in Quebec. Originally working in the field of clocks and watches, he was also a passionate jewelry collector.

On 1 February 1878, Duquet was granted a Canadian patent for a telephone receiver, that was used in some early types of handsets. This patent was for a new transmitter based on a cluster of permanent magnets that improved signal clarity, and a new mouthpiece design. Later, Duquet worked on combining transmitter and receiver in one unit, arranged both on each end of a board. and the original phone is currently stored at Bell Canada. An exact replica of the apparatus manufactured and marketed by Cyrille Duquet in 1878 was made by Bell Canada as a gift to Duquet's granddaughter.

In 1883 Duquet made the black rod, a symbol of authority, today preserved at the National Assembly in Quebec City.

The main clock of the National Assembly of Quebec bears his signature, as does the clock of Saint-Jean-Baptiste library. A government building located on Charest Boulevard in Quebec City was named in his honor, and a Quebec street bears his name.

The flutist Cyrille Duquet was a member of the Haydn Septet, a virtuoso ensemble, some of whom joined the Société symphonique de Québec (now Quebec Symphony Orchestra) in 1903.

Duquet was a municipal councilor in Quebec from 1883 to 1890 and 1900 to 1908. He died in Quebec, on 1 December 1922 at the age of 81 years. He was buried in Notre-Dame-de-Belmont.