Joseph Lemay
Joseph Octave Lemay (18 March 1829 – 12 December 1892[1]) was a businessman and political figure in Manitoba and Minnesota. He represented St. Norbert North from 1871 to 1874 and St. Vital from 1874 to 1878 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
He was born in Saint-Louis-de-Lotbiniere, Lower Canada the son of Joseph Isaie Lemay. The younger Lemay became an American citizen[1] and was elected to the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives for District 2 in 1854 as a Democrat. He also served as a justice of the peace for Minnesota.[2] In 1855, Lemay married Marie Julie Camille Auger. He was put in charge of U.S. Customs for the town of Pembina, North Dakota. After an attack by the Sioux, Lemay moved to Upper Fort Garry and then St. Norbert, where he had a house built that eventually became the Asile Ritchot church building.[3] He owned a steam mill and speculated on the value of land. Lemay was heavyset and was said to require two chairs when he sat in the assembly. He was a founding member of the Winnipeg Board of Trade in 1873.[1]
After his death, Lemay's property in St. Norbert was donated to the local Catholic church and was later used as an orphanage.[1] The Ritchot Orphanage (in French, Asile Ritchot), named after Father Joseph-Noël Ritchot, is now a Manitoba historical site.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Joseph Octave Lemay (1829-1892)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ "LeMay, Joseph". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. State of Minnesota. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ "Asile Ritchot". Winnipeg Building Index. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017.
- ^ "Asile Ritchot, St. Norbert". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- 1829 births
- 1892 deaths
- 19th-century American legislators
- 19th-century Canadian politicians
- 19th-century Canadian businesspeople
- People from Rupert's Land
- American emigrants to Canada
- American people of French-Canadian descent
- American justices of the peace
- Businesspeople from Manitoba
- Businesspeople from Minnesota
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
- Members of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature
- Minnesota Democrats
- People from Chaudière-Appalaches
- Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota
- United States Customs Service personnel
- 19th-century Minnesota politicians