Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc

Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc (January 21st, 1871 in Quebec with Saint-Hugues, Quebec - October 30th, 1947 in Quebec with Laterrière, Quebec) was a businessman and politicking Canadian.

Especially recognized for his considerable role in the development of the Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi as a managing director and like representative with the House of Commons for counted of Chicoutimi, Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc helped largely with the development of the area of the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean on the economic plan and industrialist.

Biography

Youth and formation

Oldest son of the five children of the merchant of Sherbrooke Joseph-Alfred Dubuc and Marie-Rose-of-Lima Blanchard, the young J. - E. - has. Dubuc, originating in the Canton of Bagot in the Cantons of the East, will leave the rural city of Saint-Hugues for Sherbrooke with his family at the 3 years age. Later, at the 9 years age, this last will undertake bilingual commercial studies with the Séminaire of Sherbrooke (also called Séminaire St-Charles-Borromée) where it will finish at the 15 years age in 1886. Raise obtaining excellent results at the time of the court commercial, it received several distinctions for its excellent end results.

Few before the end of its studies, Dubuc will be engaged as made with the National Banque Sherbrooke in 1985, at the 14 years age. During the seven years which follow, it climbing quickly the levels and passes from simple clerk to accountant in 1890. It is this year there that it is grafted with several organizations like the commercial Union and the club of raquetteurs Tuques Rouges where he becomes secretary and assistant-secretaries of the two organizations. With the Spring 1892, it is promoted head clerk to Sherbrooke and sits, at 21 years, on the board of directors of the commercial Union at the sides of the general manager of the National Banque with Quebec, of the mayor of Sherbrooke, the representatives of Eastern Township Bank and some ones of his/her colleagues. The September 21st 1892, it receives an official statement which summons it to meet the directors of the National Banque. They propose to him the station of director-manager of the very new branch of Chicoutimi, place left vacant by Napoleon Vézina, who was with the direction only four months. The September 27th 1892, Dubuc leaves Sherbrooke for Chicoutimi.

Arrival in Saguenay

Only 21 years old on its arrival in Saguenay in 1892, Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc is implied in the economic development of its new medium while investing in the milk industry and the export of the food products such as the Fromage and the Beurre out of the area of the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean. This last also invests in the exploitation of mines of Mica of Tadoussac.

June 21st, 1893 in Quebec, it Marie with Anne-Marie Palardy, a friend of childhood of her native village. They will settle their first house with River-of-Mill, in the east of Chicoutimi. They will have a first child in 1896 which will be followed of 14 other children of which only 5 will survive (Antoine, Vincent, Marie, Marthe and Esther).

Until 1895, its implication in the medium of the businesses enable him to obtain bonds with foreign investors and its station in importance with the National Banque brings this last closer to the municipal life of the young town of Chicoutimi. Dubuc will be also one of the founders of the Water-company and the electricity of Chicoutimi at that time. This company will become owner of the future site of the Pulperie de Chicoutimi. Its station privileged in the medium of the banks will enable him to grant a financing to the debts of the local institutions such as the Hospital and the Séminaire of Chicoutimi.

Director of the Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi (1896 - 1924)

The arrival of the train with Chicoutimi in 1893 comes to give a new breath to the city. Dubuc, with the assistance of the journalist Joseph-Dominique Guay, who will become mayor of the city in 1895, takes account of the immense potential of the new transportation routes and the forest resources downstream from the Chicoutimi river and founds the Compagnie of Pulp of Chicoutimi (C.P.C.). For lack of investors interested in the project of the two men, Dubuc and Guay pile up themselves the capital necessary to launch the company. Julien-Edouard-Alfred leaves the National Banque and becomes director-manager of the Compagnie of Pulp of Chicoutimi in 1896. During the first years of expansion of Pulperie, Dubuc buys the system public of telephone of Chicoutimi and re-elects it Telco Saguenay-Quebec . Following the purchase in 1898, it will extend the network until Quebec.

In 1900, the Compagnie of Pulp of Chicoutimi receives the gold medal with the World Fairs of Paris for the quality of the production. Pulperie de Chicoutimi takes expansion and involves the city in a growth continuous. Chicoutimi is soon called “ world Capitale of Pulp ” and Dubuc acquires the title of “ King of pulp ”. Implied in the community, Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc was an exemplary owner. In 1907, it support the creation of the first catholic trade union of North America and pay its silver workman. This same year, it becomes purchaser of the Progress of Saguenay, saving the company of Joseph-Dominique Guay of the bankruptcy. Its devotion for the social causes and the emancipation of Canadian-French are worth to him the cross of Knight about Saint-Gregoire-The-Large who will be given to him by the pope Pie X. The welfare benefits that offers Pulperie de Chicoutimi do not like inevitably William Price, her principal competitor established on the River-with-Sands with Kénogami, which pays its employees with goods of purchases.

In 1904, J. - E. - has. Dubuc buys several grounds on banks of the Lake Kénogami and built there a second home to which it gives the name of Villa-Marie in the honor of his wife (Anne-Marie Palardy). The request for newspaper is done increasingly important in France and in England and, to increase the production, Dubuc decides to acquire the water capacity of the Rivière Chicoutimi. It there will build a dam and a mill and will buy forest concessions upstream of the Chicoutimi rivers and Mill. Dubuc becomes very influential in the regional economy and chairs the chamber of commerce of Chicoutimi in addition to establishing several infrastructures such as the water supply, electricity, the fire-protection, the telephone, the Roberval-Saguenay railroad, the harbor installations and a working district in the town of Chicoutimi.

In 1909, the Compagnie of Pulp of Chicoutimi absorbs the Compagnie of Pulp of Ouiatchouan of Valley-Jalbert which becomes a subsidiary company. Dubuc also decides to concentrate energies of the company only on the production of paper pulp, because the production of paper proves too expensive and risky, according to him one needed far too much investment to make such a project in a distant area. Dubuc undertakes a voyage in France at the winter 1909 - 1910, he is then owner of the most important company of mechanical paste of Canada.

An eminent problem starts to worry Dubuc in 1914. In spite of the flowering company that it directs, it envisages a fall of the request for wood pulp at the beginning of the Années 1920. Deciding to leave to research new capital, J. - E. - has. Dubuc leaves for Europe and finds there investors English. Those are interested in the creation of a chemical factory of paste with Port-Alfred. The project will be pushed back by the First World War which will burst in Europe this year there. Groups of financial American approaches Dubuc for the creation of a regrouping with an aim of starting again the chemical factory of paste of Chandler in Gaspésie. The North American Pulp and Paper Companies (N.A.P.P.) is founded and Dubuc there annexes the C.P.C. and becomes president of this consortium of companies which becomes the most powerful organization of paste and paper of North America. J. - E. - has. Dubuc settles with Chandler to launch the factory which will become a success in the field of the productivity.

Dubuc becomes, at that time, an important personality of the North-American business world. One organizes receptions in his honor in American cities like Philadelphia (March 1916) and the national newspapers describe it as being the perfect example of the contractor Canadian-French.

In 1917, Dubuc founds using English investor, ha! Ha! Bay Sulphite, close to Bagotville (today district the Bay) in Saguenay, machines which manufactures a new chemical paste. At the same time, it founds the town of Port-Alfred (district the Bay), which bears its name, in order to place the workmen near the installations today.

The fall of the Dubuc empire

The beginning of the Années 1920 will be last times of prosperity of the trust of Dubuc. Since 1922, the company knows a fall of its production. This one will change name this same year the causes of this fall resident in the increase in the competition on behalf of sir Herbert Holt and in the country Scandinaves as well as refusal of the investors to resolve funds for the modernization of the installations in order to produce paper.

Dubuc, in a last attempt to save the company, emit for 3 million dollars of actions of the company. The principal purchaser is the rival of J. - E. - has. Dubuc, William Price, which manages the Price Brothers & Company, enters to the board of directors of the Compagnie of Pulp and being able of water of Saguenay in 1924. The same year, Dubuc resigns of its station of director-manager pretexting of the health reasons. This last leaves Saguenay for the Europe (France and England) during some time. The C.P.C. will liquidate its assets in 1924. The Pulperie de Chicoutimi will close in 1930.

However, Dubuc does not lose all. Always owner of telcos, electricity (which it manages with his son Antoine Dubuc), and of many ground in Saguenay, in Gaspésie and in Montreal by the Chicoutimi Freehold Estates limited , he becomes director of the stores Côté and Boivin like owner of the Progrès of Saguenay during the Années 1920. He will be president of the electric company of Saguenay until in 1939

Political career (1925-1945)

Federal policy

It is at the assembly of liberal nomination of Chicoutimi, in 1925, that Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc presents himself to become candidate. Not gaining the support of the members of the party, it loses preceded by the merchant Louis-Joseph Levesque of Bagotville which receives the support of the liberal organization . Refusing the decision, it makes countryside against the liberal candidate official and is presented independent. Even if this last does not obtain majorities in the towns of Jonquière, Kénogami, Port-Alfred, Bagotville and Large-Bay, its popularity in Chicoutimi are enough for him to gain taken into account nearly 2500 votes in advance. It is thus in October 1925 that it succeeds Edmond Savard, while becoming liberal representative - independent of the district of Chicoutimi. Dubuc becomes, following its election, official candidate of the party and gains again at the time of the poll of the September 14th 1926.

For the election of 1930, certain liberals to which the attitude independent of Dubuc displeases decide to present an adversary of size to him. After having asked J. - Augustin Tremblay, former mayor of Chicoutimi, to the colonel J.H. Price, president of the Price Brother and company which refused, they turn to Gustave Delisle, former deputy provincial who comes to support his opponent; Joseph-Adam Lavergne. Even if Dubuc receives the support of the Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, it is not elected that with a weak advance.

In all, this last will be with the room of the representatives for the district of Chicoutimi during 25 years (1925 - 1945).

On the personal level, this period of the life of Dubuc will be obscures by the death of his wife, Anne-Marie Palardy, in 1928. This last will not be remariera.

The Dubuc deputy was recognized as a quiet politician who often did not speak. Being expressed especially against the Conscription at the time of the beginning of the Second world war, it contributed to the starting of building sites of reflections for certain roads Régionales as well as the construction of the port of Chicoutimi.

Dubuc will be succeeded, in 1945, by the independent candidate Paul-Edmond Gagnon.

Municipal policy

J. - E. - has. Dubuc will be also mayor of the town of Chicoutimi, at the time of the Grande Depression, of 1932 - 1936. To start again the economy of the city, Dubuc issues the starting of large building work such as the drain of the River-with-Rats, the construction of the Pont St-Anne and the current Town hall as well as the installation of the walk of River-of-Mill to the access of the Saguenay. Dubuc will be succeeded by Henri-L. Duhaime in 1936.

End-of-life

Julien-Edouard-Alfred Dubuc withdraws public life in 1945. Deceased in October 1947 in Quebec at the 76 years age in its field rebuilt with Bearing-of the Rocks, Laterrière, Quebec.

Heritage

Place name in homage to J. - E. - has. Dubuc

See too

Sources

  • Jean-François Hebert, pulpery of Chicoutimi: One century of history , Pulperie de Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, 1998,100 p.

  • Russel Bouchard and Normand Perron, Chicoutimi: formation of the regional metropolis , historical Company of Saguenay, Chicoutimi, 1988,78 p.

External bonds

  • Official site of Pulperie de Chicoutimi
  • Site on the industrial towns: Three pages on Port Alfred. Photographs of Alfred Dubuc

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