Pierre Beaubien

Pierre Beaubien (August 13, 1796 – January 9, 1881) was a medical doctor and political figure in Canada East, Province of Canada (now Quebec). Trained in medicine in France, he practised and taught medicine in Montreal. He was involved in real estate development in Montreal, contributing to the creation of Outremont. He served two partial terms in the Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, as a member of the French-Canadian Group under the leadership of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine.

Family and early life Beaubien was born in Baie-du-Febvre, Lower Canada (now Quebec) in 1796. His parents were a farm couple, Jean-Louis Beaubien and Marie-Jeanne Manseau. He studied at the Séminaire de Nicolet and the Petit Séminaire de Montréal. One of his teachers in Montreal, Abbé Jacques-Guillaume Roque, encouraged him to study in France, which he was able to do thanks to funding from his father and also from some of his relatives. In France, he completed a classical education at the Académie de Paris in 1819, and then studied medicine, qualifying as a doctor in 1822. He practised medicine in France for five years, and travelled in Europe.

Medical practice Beaubien returned to Lower Canada in 1827 and received his licence to practise medicine there the following year. His former teacher, Abbé Roque, was able to get him appointed as doctor to the Sulpicians and the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. Abbé Roque also obtained appointments for him at the Montreal General Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.

Beaubien stood for re-election in the 1844 elections, and spoke at a major reform meeting in Montreal. However, he and the other Montreal member, Lewis Thomas Drummond, were defeated by Moffat and Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury. In 1848, Beaubien again stood for election, this time in the Chambly riding, and was elected. He again was a member of the French-Canadian group, and again participated in a major vote, in favour of the Rebellion Losses Bill, introduced by the LaFontaine-Baldwin ministry. Its purpose was to compensate individuals in Lower Canada who had suffered property losses in the Rebellion, but attracted intense opposition from the English-aligned Tories. When the bill passed and Governor General Lord Elgin gave royal assent, Tories in Montreal rioted and burnt the Parliament buildings. After the 1849 session ended, Beaubien resigned his seat to take the position of medical superintendent at the Montreal prison, ending his political career.

Beaubien was a long-time member of the Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal. He was elected its president in 1859.

Marriage and later life

In 1829, Beaubien married Marie-Justine Casgrain, the daughter of Pierre Casgrain. She was a widow, having previously been married to a naval surgeon. The marriage took place in the chapel of the General Hospital of Quebec. Her brother, Charles-Eusèbe Casgrain, was a lawyer who had been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada prior to the Lower Canada Rebellion.

The couple had eleven children, but six of them died in infancy. One son, Louis Beaubien, also went into politics, sitting at various times in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and the House of Commons of Canada. Two of their sons went into the priesthood, and their only surviving daughter became a nun.

Beaubien continued practising and teaching medicine until shortly before his death. He died in Outremont in 1881.

Beaubien Street and Beaubien Metro Station are named after him.