Firmin Monestime

Saint-Firmin (S. F.) Monestime (December 16, 1909 – October 27, 1977) was a Haitian-Canadian politician and medical doctor, who was the first Black Canadian elected mayor of a Canadian municipality.

Background Born in Cap-Haïtien in 1909, Monestime was one of seven children. His father was a successful tanner. whom he met in Ottawa in 1953. Together, they had four children.

Medical career Monestime studied rural medicine and wrote three books on the subject. He graduated from University of Haiti with a medical degree.

Monestime practiced medicine in Mattawa until 1964, when he became mayor.

He was active with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and served as its national director. He considered running federally for the party, and in 1971 he ran and lost in a bid for the presidency of the party. A Red Tory, Monestime was attracted to the party because of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's Bill of Rights.

In 1970, he became director of The Progressive Conservative Party and tried his hand at running for the President of Progressive Conservative Party for Nipissing, but was unsuccessful. Monestime treated three others wounded during the incident. and TVOntario.

Where Rivers Meet: The Story of Dr. S. F. Monestime, Canada's First Black Mayor, a biography by historian Doug Mackey, was published in 2009.

A permanent exhibit related to Monestime was put on display at the Mattawa Museum.

In 2014, Frantz Liautaud, the current ambassador of Haiti to Canada, visited Mattawa for a gala celebration of the 50th anniversary of Monestime's first election as mayor.