Monsignor Alexandre Vachon (1885–1953) National Historic Person

Monsignor Alexandre Vachon was designated as a national historic person in 2023.

Historical importance: faculty dean and university president at Université Laval, Archbishop of Ottawa, strong advocate of scientific education and of the promotion of sciences for French-speaking Canadians and the rights of Franco-Ontarians.

Commemorative plaque: no plaque installed^{Footnote 1}

Monsignor Alexandre Vachon (1885–1953)

Monsignor Alexandre Vachon was a strong advocate of scientific education and the promotion of sciences for French-speaking Canadians, particularly in Quebec. He established scientific institutions, chaired scientific associations, and represented Canada on the international stage at numerous scientific events. After serving as faculty dean and university president at Université Laval, he became Archbishop of Ottawa and devoted himself to defending the rights of Franco-Ontarians with respect to separate schools, insisting on the need for education for French Canadians. He also planned and organized the Marian Congress in Ottawa, a large religious conference of international importance.

Alexandre Vachon was born on 16 August 1885 at Chute-Panet, near Saint-Raymond de Portneuf, Quebec. His parents were Alexandre Vachon, a farmer, and Mary Davidson. Alexandre was the 13th and youngest child of the Vachon family. At home, he received an education in both French and English. He appears to have been extremely proficient in English, but he always strongly identified with his French Canadian heritage. In 1897, at age 12, Vachon began to study at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He entered the Grand Séminaire in 1906, graduating with degrees in canon law, philosophy, and theology. As a young man of 24, he was ordained by Cardinal Louis-Nazaire Bégin on 22 May 1910. Vachon’s keen interest in science, particularly chemistry, led him to study at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.

An accomplished instructor, Vachon taught chemistry, mineralogy, and geology at the Petit Séminaire and Université Laval. In 1916, he published a celebrated treatise on chemistry. In addition to directing the university’s École supérieure de chimie (1926–1936), he became dean of the Faculty of Science in 1938. He developed the field of marine biology and played an active role in founding the Station biologique de Trois-Pistoles in 1931, serving as its first director. Abbé Vachon helped establish a professional association of chemists in Quebec. He chaired the Association canadienne-française pour l’avancement des sciences (ACFAS), ran the local chapter of a Canadian chemistry institution, and represented Université Laval on the Biological Survey of Canada from 1929 to 1940. The Government of Canada appointed Vachon as its official delegate to various international conferences, including the 10th International Congress of Chemistry in Rome in 1938.

Vachon’s various roles grew over time, from student chaplain at the Séminaire to spiritual director and then director of the Maison de famille des étudiants. In 1939, he was made superior general of the Séminaire de Québec and rector of Université Laval. A dignitary of the Catholic Church, Vachon became Archbishop of Ottawa (ecclesiastical province of Ottawa) in December 1939, a position he held for the rest of his life. During this time, his major accomplishments included organizing and hosting the 1947 Marian Congress in Ottawa, which drew more attendees than any other event in the city up to that point, and defending the cultural and educational interests of Franco-Ontarians. Alexandre Vachon died in 1953 while travelling in Dallas, Texas.

“Humble by nature, Alexandre Vachon did not promote his accomplishments, and they have remained largely in the shadows since his death. His designation as a national historic person goes a long way toward correcting this situation by drawing attention to the importance of his work, particularly in terms of the advancement of science at all academic levels and the establishment of friendlier relations between English- and French-speaking Canadians."

This press backgrounder was prepared at the time of the Ministerial announcement in 2025.

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