Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (1890-1959)

Premier of Quebec (1936-1939 and 1944-1959)

After graduating from Collège Notre-Dame, Maurice Duplessis enrolled at the Faculty in 1910 and received his Bachelor of Laws three years later (LL.B. 1913). One of his biographer, Conrad Black, stated that Duplessis was one of the stars of the model parliament organized by the university where he sat in the opposition. After founding the Union nationale during the Great Depression, he served as Quebec Premier for over 18 years with his first mandate spanning from August 26, 1936 to November 8, 1939, and his second, from August 30, 1944 until his death on September 7, 1959. In addition, he set a precedent with the Roncarelli v. Duplessis judgement.