Duplessis, Maurice Le Noblet [key], 1890–1959, Canadian lawyer and political leader. Elected in 1927 to the Quebec legislature, he was leader (1933–35) of the provincial Conservative party. A founder of the Union Nationale, a French Canadian nationalist party, Duplessis became premier and attorney general of the province of Quebec in 1936, when the party was victorious in the elections. He was defeated in 1939 on the issue of Canadian conscription for World War II but was reelected in 1944. He remained in office, as both premier and attorney general of Quebec, until his death.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Canadian History: Biographies
