Bartholomew Gugy

ColonelThe Honourable Bartholomew Gugy
Conservative Member of theLegislative Assembly of Lower CanadaforSherbrooke
In office 1831–1837
Preceded by	Benjamin Tremain
Succeeded by	Edward Hale
Conservative Member of theLegislative Assembly of the Province of CanadaforSherbrooke
In office 1848–1852
Preceded by	Edward Hale
Succeeded by	Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
Personal details
Born	(1796-11-06)November 6, 1796 Trois-Rivières,Quebec
Died	June 11, 1876(1876-06-11)(aged 79) Beauport,Quebec
Political party	Conservative

Bartholomew Conrad Augustus Gugy(6 November 1796 – 11 June 1876) representedSherbrookein theLegislative Assembly of Lower Canadaand theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.He played a prominent military role in theLower Canada RebellionasColonelof thecavalryat theBattle of Saint-Charles,afterwards seizing theColumn of Libertyand carrying it in triumph back toMontreal.He was PoliceMagistrateatMontrealandAdjutant-Generalto theMilitiaofLower Canada.He lived between Montreal and his father'smanor houseatBeauport.He was a large landowner having also inherited theSeigneuriesofYamachiche,Rivière-du-Loup,Grandpré, Grosbois, and Dumontier.

Early life

He was born atTrois-Rivièresin 1796, the son of Lt.-Col. The Hon.Louis Gugyand Juliana O'Connor. As aHuguenot,and the son of aRoyalistColonelof theSwiss Guardwho served with theBritish Armytoo, he was admitted to the elitist school of the ReverendJohn StrachaninCornwall,Upper Canada.He was the brother-in-law of Judge Samuel Wentworth Monk, nephew ofSir James Monk,Chief Justice ofLower Canada.

On the outbreak of theWar of 1812,Gugy joined theCanadian Fencibles,becoming alieutenant.He fought alongside his father and distinguished himself at theBattle of the Chateauguay.Afterwards, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1822. He quickly established a numerous and lucrative clientele for himself, but he was better known for his role in politics and the military. In 1831, Gugy was elected to theLegislative Assembly of Lower CanadaforSherbrooke,voting against theNinety-Two Resolutions.He was re-elected up until theLower Canada Rebellionof 1837. As one of the fewTorieswho spoke French, he readily engaged in verbal bouts withLouis-Joseph Papineau.Gugy fought with "supple oratory, using irony, banter, sarcasm, and insolence," exasperating his opponent.

Lower Canadian Rebellion, 1837-38

In 1837, when theRebellion of Lower Canadawas imminent, Gugy immediately volunteered with the Militia. Given the rank ofcolonelhe led thecavalryat theBattle of Saint-Charles,and it is suggested that he personally seized theColumn of Libertybefore carrying it in triumph toMontrealwith twosubalterns.

At theBattle of Saint-Eustachehe again distinguished himself by his enthusiasm. Following the battle, theFrench Canadianrebels falsely accused him of cruelty, and even of walking knee deep in the blood of the rebels, when in fact he had just brought his horse to water at the stoups of the church. Later, having billetted his troops atSaint-Hyacinthe,Gugy stayed at the house ofJean Dessaulles,where the children of his enemyPapineauhad taken refuge. Gugy gave a wax doll to Ezilda Papineau and two picture books to Gustave Papineau.

Subsequent career

Following theRebellion,Gugy held the position of PoliceMagistrateatMontreal,and then from 1841 to 1846, he was appointedAdjutant-Generalto theMilitiaofLower Canada.As Adjutant-General, the party of SirLouis-Hippolyte La Fontainefrequently targeted him for not placing enoughFrench Canadiansin the higher ranks of the militia.

After the Union of 1841, Gugy failed to win the parliamentary seat forSaint-Mauricewhen the supporters of his opponent,Joseph-Édouard Turcotte,seized thepolling booth.He had also been a candidate for his old seat inSherbrookebut was defeated byEdward Hale.In 1848, he was returned toSherbrookeby acclamation.

In the house, Gugy voted regularly against the ministry of SirLouis-Hippolyte La Fontaine,and during the famous debate on theRebellion Losses Bill,Gugy, with SirAllan Napier MacNab,was the principal leader of the opposition. In 1849, his speeches fuelled the tension that finally exploded with theBurning of the Parliament Buildings in Montrealand the subsequent riots. Gugy reacted with his customary spirit on the night of the burning, seizing several of the agitators to stop them from setting upon theSpeaker,Augustin-Norbert Morin.The next day, 26 April, Gugy climbed a lamp-post on theChamp de Marsand for two hours harangued the crowd that had gathered to launch an attack on the homes SirFrancis Hincks,Benjamin Holmesand his old enemy SirLouis-Hippolyte La Fontaine,trying in vain to persuade them to disperse.

Retirement

Bartholomew Conrad Augustus Gugy

After 1850, through fear of theannexationists,Gugy gradually drew away from the Montreal Tories, and did not run for election in 1851. Colonel Gugy was nevertheless appointed one of the Canadian representatives toThe Great ExhibitioninLondon.In 1853, he received another civil post as Inspector andSuperintendent of PoliceatMontreal,but resigned the same year to retire to the estate atBeauportthat he had inherited in 1840 from his father, together with theSeigneuriesofYamachiche,Rivière-du-Loup,Grandpré, Grosbois, and Dumontier. After a stinging defeat in 1854 at the hands of another Tory,James Moir Ferres,in Missisquoi-Est, he retired from politics for good.The Dictionary of Canadian Biographysaid of his character:

Hot-headed, irascible, endowed with a colourful nature, the bulky, loud-voiced colonel was not vindictive, or intolerant, or sectarian. As aseigneur,he collected his rents with regularity, but never resorted to vexatious measures.

Towards, the end of his life Gugy often returned toQuebec,riding erect on horseback despite his 78 years, to ensconce himself in the library of the Palais de Justice and regale the young of all ages with the details of his former litigations and addresses to the court. He does not seem to have had a fanatical temperament. If he was never popular amongFrench Canadians,it is because he too often upheld principles which they rejected.

— Jacques Monet,"Bartholomew Gugy".Dictionary of Canadian Biography(online ed.).University of Toronto Press.1979–2016.

Family

Gugy was married twice, leaving children by his first wife only. In 1828, he married Louise-Sophie (1802-1842), the only daughter to reach adulthood of The Hon.Antoine-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay,by his wife Marie-Louise Fleury de La Gorgendière (1775–1832). Mrs Gugy was a niece of CaptainMichel-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay,the elder sister of The Hon.Elzéar-Henri Juchereau Duchesnayand the sister-in-law of The Hon.Gabriel-Elzéar Taschereau.They were the parents of two daughters:

• Augusta-Louise Gugy (1828-1892). In 1851, she marriedSir Aemilius Irving.They were the parents of eight children.
• Bertha-Louise Gugy (1829–1855). In 1849, she married William Edward Holmes (1822–1861), a youngMontrealbarrister. He was a brother-in-law of Chief Justice SirWilliam Collis Meredithand a grandson ofWilliam Holmesand ColonelJames Johnston.They were the parents of two sons, William and Augustus Holmes.

In 1869, Gugy married secondly Mary McGrath (b. 1824), the daughter of aMichigandoctor who moved toBeauport.Bartholomew Gugy died at his family's seigneurial manor of Darnoc atBeauport,in 1876. He was buried atMount Hermon CemeteryinSillery,on 13 June 1876.

Photographs

• Lt.-Col. Bartholomew C.A. Gugy, cira 1865 at Montreal

References

• "Bartholomew Gugy".Dictionary of Canadian Biography(online ed.).University of Toronto Press.1979–2016.
• "Biography".Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours(in French).National Assembly of Quebec.
• Attestations de six cures, au sujet de la conduite en 1837-38, du Colonel Gugy.s.n. 1980.ISBN978-0-665-02204-3.