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A quiet beginning

Broadcast Date: Dec. 16, 1973

The man Canadians would later call "Uncle Louis" was born, in 1882, to a mother of Irish descent and a francophone father in Compton, Que. His bilingual upbringing would later provide the backdrop for his strong sense of nationalism. He once commented, "I didn't know until I was 10 years old that all fathers didn't speak French and all mothers, English." St-Laurent becomes one of Quebec's most distinguished and successful lawyers. And, as this retrospective illustrates, at this point his aspirations don't verge beyond the courtroom.

A quiet beginning

• Louis St-Laurent was originally on the path to priesthood but later decided his passion lay in the practice of law. Unlike others who entered the legal profession with the intent of an eventual career in politics, his pursuit was inspired by a love for learning. A degree, he once said, is the "recognition that one is capable of continuing to learn and should do so."

• Upon graduating in 1905 – at the top of his class at Laval University's law school – St-Laurent was offered a Rhodes Scholarship. Always practically minded, he turned it down, deciding to start his law career immediately. He joined a Quebec City law firm and began the first of what would be 35 years of practice before politics beckoned.

• His bilingualism would serve St-Laurent well as he found himself representing Quebec clients in Ottawa, Great Britain and the U.S — a rare occurrence for a Quebec-based lawyer. St-Laurent's legal proficiency also saw him travel occasionally to London to argue cases at the Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for Canada at the time. But Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent would eventually give the Supreme Court of Canada that honour in 1949.

• In 1908, St-Laurent married Jeanne Renault and together they had two sons and three daughters, Marthe, Renault, Jean-Paul, Therese and Madeleine. In 1914, he became professor of law at Laval University in Quebec City.

A quiet beginning

Medium: Television

Program: The Days Before Yesterday

Broadcast Date: Dec. 16, 1973

Narrator: Bruce Hutchison

Duration: 2:25

Writer: Brian Nolan

Last updated:
March 15, 2006