Fonds
This fonds
documents the history of three related families, several members of which had a
significant impact on the political, social and economic life of Quebec in the
19th and 20th centuries. The biographies of the most famous members are
summarized below.
Born in
Montreal, MARIE-THÉRÈSE FORGET CASGRAIN (1896-1981) was the daughter of
Rodolphe Forget and Blanche MacDonald. She married lawyer and politician
Pierre-François Casgrain in 1916.
A memorable
figure in 20th-century Quebec history, this feminist activist and politician
was involved in numerous social and political causes throughout her life. Named
president of the League for Women's Rights in 1928, she played an active role
in various campaigns for social and legal reforms, notably the suffrage bill that
gave Quebec women the right to vote. She headed the Quebec wing of the
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (which later became the Social Democratic
Party of Quebec, and then the New Democratic Party) from 1951 to 1957, becoming
the first woman to head a political party in Quebec (and Canada).
During the
second half of the 20th century, Thérèse Casgrain helped found the Fédération
des femmes du Québec (1966) and the League for Human Rights (1960), which she
served as president from 1966 to 1970. In 1970, she sat as an Independent
senator for nine months, until she reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.
PIERRE-FRANÇOIS
CASGRAIN, fils, (1886-1950) was a lawyer in Montreal, a federal Liberal MP as
of 1917, Speaker of the House, and Secretary of State under Mackenzie King. He
was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in 1941.
Born in
Terrebonne, RODOLPHE FORGET (1861-1919) was an influential and controversial
financier, who served as president and director of several major commercial and
industrial firms. For example, he became a controlling shareholder in the Royal
Electric Company in 1898, was vice-president of the Montreal, Light, Heat and
Power Company and, from 1908 to 1911, chaired the board of the Montreal Stock
Exchange. Serving as a Conservative MP in the House of Commons from 1904 to
1917, he was also a major philanthropist.
Businessman
and Conservative politician LOUIS-JOSEPH FORGET (1853-1911) founded (in 1876)
and ran major brokerage company L. J. Forget, in addition to being active in
numerous financial and industrial companies. He was appointed to the Senate in
1896.
A notary
who practised in Saint-Eustache, JOSEPH-AMABLE BERTHELOT, père, (1776-1860) was
active in the Patriot movement. He was charged with high treason and imprisoned
from December 1837 to July 1838.
A judge and
lawyer, JOSEPH-AMABLE BERTHELOT, fils, (1815-1897) practised with
Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and George-Étienne Cartier. He was also
active in the Patriot movement.
Scope and Content
The fonds
documents the genealogy, personal and family lives, as well as the social and
professional activities of members of the Casgrain, Forget and Berthelot
families.
Records
from the Casgrain family focus primarily on the life and work of Thérèse
Casgrain. Her personal and professional relationships, involvement in various
social causes and political career are chronicled in biographical texts,
voluminous correspondence, published articles and conference proceedings,
parliamentary publications, press clippings and numerous tributes. Biographical
documents, financial records, newspaper clippings and correspondence also
recount the personal life and professional activities of Pierre-François Casgrain,
fils.
Documents
from the Forget family deal primarily with the life, professional activities
and estate of Rodolphe Forget, as recorded in scrapbooks, newspaper clippings,
correspondence and notarial acts.
Berthelot family archives are comprised mostly of genealogical documents, wills
and photocopies of correspondence.
The fonds
also contains photographs (primarily portraits), many of which are collected in
albums.
Classification Scheme
P683
Casgrain, Forget et Berthelot Families
P683/A Documentation and genealogy
P683/B Berthelot Family
P683/C Forget Family
P683/C,1 Documentation about Rodolphe
Forget
P683/C,2
Succession of Rodolphe Forget
P683/C,3
Professional life of Rodolphe Forget
P683/C,4
Blanche Forget
P683/D Casgrain Family
P683/D1
Pierre-François Casgrain
P683/D2 Thérèse
Forget Casgrain
P683/D2.1
Biographical information
P683/D2.2
Financial records
P683/D2.3
Social and political commitment
P683/D2.3,1
Women's rights
P683/D2.3,2
Senate
P683/D2.3,3 Status of Indigenous women
P683/D2.3,4
Bilingualism
P683/D2.3,5
Fédération des femmes du Québec
P683/D2.3,6
Status of senior citizens
P683/D2.3,7
Pension for widows of judges
P683/D2.3,8
Foundation of UQÀM
P683/D2.3,9
Quebec sovereignty and referendum movement of 1980
P683/D2.4
Official correspondence
P683/D2.5 Personal correspondence
P683/D2.6
Invitations
P683/D2.7
Speeches, texts and publications
P683/D2.8
Tributes, testimonials and accolades
P683/D2.9
Death notices, condolences and sympathy cards
P683/D2.10
Other documents
P683/E Other Related Families
P683/F Audio-Visual Materials
P683/G Photographs
Source
of title proper: Title
based on the creators of the fonds.
Language: The majority of the documents
are in French, but some are in English.
Restrictions
on access: Some
records have been photocopied so that the originals, which are very fragile and
brittle, are not handled. There is also limited access to scrapbooks that show
traces of mildew.
Last update: February 26, 2019
Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.Information about rights and reproductions is available here.
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.