Esioff-Léon Patenaude

Esioff-Léon Patenaude, PC, QC, often called E.L. Patenaude (February 12, 1875 – February 7, 1963) was a Canadian statesman who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Born in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, in 1875, he studied law at the University of Montreal and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1899. He established a successful law practice, was soon drawn to politics, and served as a chief organizer for the Conservative Party of Canada in Montreal.

The Honourable Esioff-Léon Patenaude PC, KC
17th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
In office April 29, 1934 – December 30, 1939
Monarchs	George V Edward VIII George VI
Governors General	The Earl of Bessborough The Lord Tweedsmuir
Premier	Louis-Alexandre Taschereau Adélard Godbout Maurice Duplessis
Preceded by	Henry George Carroll
Succeeded by	Eugène Fiset
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Hochelaga
In office October 15, 1915 – December 17, 1917
Preceded by	Louis Coderre
Succeeded by	Joseph Edmond Lesage
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Laprairie
In office June 8, 1908 – October 15, 1915
Preceded by	Côme-Séraphin Cherrier
Succeeded by	Wilfrid Cédilot
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Jacques-Cartier
In office February 5, 1923 – October 8, 1925
Preceded by	Joseph-Séraphin-Aimé Ashby
Succeeded by	Victor Marchand
Personal details
Born	(1875-02-12)February 12, 1875 Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Died	February 7, 1963(1963-02-07) (aged 87) Montreal, Quebec
Resting place	Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Conservative Party of Quebec
Spouse	Georgiana Deniger dit Poupart
Cabinet	Minister of Inland Revenue Secretary of State of Canada Minister of Mines Minister of Marine and Fisheries (Acting) Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

He was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly as a Conservative in La Prairie in the 1908 provincial election and was re-elected in the 1912 election. In 1915, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election and joined the government of Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden as Minister of Inland Revenue. He served in that position until early 1917, when he was appointed as Secretary of State and Minister of Mines. In July, however, Patenaude resigned from the Canadian Cabinet in protest of the government's decision to implement conscription. He chose not to seek re-election in the 1917 federal election. When Arthur Meighen became Prime Minister in 1920, he offered Patenaude a seat in cabinet, who declined.

Esioff-Léon Patenaude at Saint Helen's Island, 1938

Returning to provincial politics, Patenaude was re-elected to the Quebec National Assembly in Jacques-Cartier in 1923. In 1925, however, Meighen persuaded Patenaude to return to federal politics as his Quebec lieutenant. He was given almost exclusive authority over the Conservative Party's campaign in Quebec during the 1925 federal election as Meighen's Quebec lieutenant. Patenaude proved, however, to be little match for Ernest Lapointe and the Liberal Party of Canada, and secured only 4 seats in the province. Patenaude, who had resigned his seat in the Quebec National Assembly to contest the election, was himself defeated.

Despite the setback, Patenaude continued to enjoy the favour of Meighen. When Meighen formed a second government in 1926, he appointed Patenaude as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Patenaude led the Conservative Party in Quebec for a second time during the 1926 federal election but again fared poorly and was himself defeated.

In 1934, the Governor General of Canada, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett, appointed Patenaude as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, a position in which he served until his retirement from public life in 1939. In his later years, he experienced a successful career as a banker (became President of the Provincial Bank of Canada in 1946) and businessman (as director of McColl Frontenac, Crown Life Insurance and board of Texaco Canada).