Maurice Duplessis

Maurice Duplessis was born in Trois-Rivières, the son of a Conservative judge, and studied law at Laval University. In 1935, he united dissident Liberals and Conservatives to found the Union Nationale party, sweeping to power in 1936 to end nearly four decades of uninterrupted Liberal rule.

Known as 'Le Chef', Duplessis dominated Quebec politics with an iron will during the era termed the Grande Noirceur (Great Darkness). While reviled by intellectuals for his authoritarian Padlock Law and anti-labor stance, he fiercely defended provincial autonomy against Ottawa centralism, created Quebec's provincial income tax, and in 1948 adopted the Fleurdelisé as the official flag of Quebec.