Date Published:
March 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Augustin Cuvillier

Cuvillier, Augustin (1779-1849), merchant and banker, was born in Quebec on August 21, 1779, the eldest son of Augustin Cuvillier. He was educated at the College of Montreal, and went into business in Montreal. He was one of the pioneers of Canadian banking, and was closely associated in 1817 with the founding of the Bank of Montreal. In 1814 he was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Huntingdon; and he represented this constituency continuously until 1830. He then sat for four years for Laprairie. During this time he supported Papineau and the patriote party; but he broke with Papineau over the Ninety-Two Resolutions of 1834, and in the elections of that year was defeated. He thereupon retired from political life, and devoted himself for a time to business. After then union of 1841 he was, however, again elected to the Assembly for Huntingdon; and he was chosen the first speaker of the Legislative Assembly of united Canada. In 1844 his support of Sir Charles Metcalfe once again cost him his seat; and on this occasion he retired finally to private life. He died at Montreal on July 11, 1849. In 1802 he married a daughter of Joseph Marie Perrault, of Montreal. See A. Shortt, Founders of Canadian banking (Journal of the Canadian Bankers' Association, April 1923), and F. J. Audet, Augustin Cuvillier (Bull. rech, hist., 1922 and 1927).

Source  : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 411p., p. 170.