Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau

The Honourable Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
Chauveau in 1862
1st Premier of Quebec
In office July 15, 1867 – February 25, 1873
Monarch	Victoria
Lieutenant Governor	Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau René-Édouard Caron
Preceded by	None (new position)
Succeeded by	Gédéon Ouimet
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Quebec County
In office 1844–1855
Preceded by	John Neilson
Succeeded by	François Évanturel
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Québec-Comté
In office September 1, 1867 – February 25, 1873
Succeeded by	Pierre Garneau
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Quebec County
In office September 20, 1867 – January 22, 1874
Succeeded by	Adolphe-Philippe Caron
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
In office February 20, 1873 – January 8, 1874
Preceded by	Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Succeeded by	Pierre Baillargeon
Speaker of the Senate of Canada
In office February 21, 1873 – January 8, 1874
Preceded by	Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Succeeded by	David Christie
Personal details
Born	(1820-05-30)May 30, 1820 Charlesbourg, Lower Canada
Died	April 4, 1890(1890-04-04) (aged 69) Quebec City, Quebec
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Marie-Louise-Flore Masse
Signature

Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ ʒozɛf ɔlivje ʃovo]; May 30, 1820 – April 4, 1890) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Chauveau was the first premier of Quebec, following the establishment of Canada in 1867. Appointed to the office in 1867 as the leader of the Conservative Party, he won the provincial elections of 1867 and 1871. He resigned as premier and his seat in the provincial Legislative Assembly in 1873.

Chauveau was also active in federal politics, being member of the House of Commons from 1867 to 1873, and then a member of the Senate for a year. After only a year in the Senate he sought re-election to the Commons in the general election of 1874, but was defeated. He then retired from politics.

Chauveau had a life-long interest in literature and public affairs. He was the author of a novel and many short columns and letters on the political situation in Lower Canada. As a young man, he opposed the union of the Lower Canada and Upper Canada into the single Province of Canada, which he saw as primarily benefitting the financial sector, which was largely dominated by those of British stock. However, he gradually came to support Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, who argued that the union gave an opportunity for French-Canadians to acquire political power, through the establishment of responsible government.

Chauveau also had a strong interest in education. From 1855 to 1867, he was the Superintendent of the Bureau of Education for Canada East (as Lower Canada was known in the Province of Canada), and was responsible for a number of innovations in education. Following his retirement from politics, he held several different positions, including dean of the faculty of law at the Université Laval.