A.A. Dorion

Antoine-Aimé Dorion
The Honourable Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion December 1873; Topley Studio, Library and Archives Canada
Born	(1818-01-17)January 17, 1818 Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Lower Canada
Died	May 31, 1891(1891-05-31) (aged 73) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	French Canadian Leader of le Parti Rouge (reformers) Opposed to Confederation.

French Canadian Leader of le Parti Rouge (reformers)

Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, PC (January 17, 1818 – May 31, 1891) was a French Canadian politician and jurist.

Dorion was born in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade into a family with liberal values that had been sympathetic to the Patriotes in 1837-1838. His father, merchant Pierre-Antoine Dorion, was a representative of the Patriote party in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1830 to 1838.

After studies at the Nicolet seminary from 1830 to 1837. In his twenty-second year went to Montreal to read law with Côme-Séraphin Cherrier, an eminent lawyer for whom he retained a lasting friendship. On the 6th of January 1842 he was admitted to the bar of the province, became the partner of M. Cherrier, and in the course of a few years attained the highest rank in his profession.

Dorion descended from a Liberal family which from early days had supported the Reform party in Canada. In addition to his father, his maternal grandfather represented the county of Saint Maurice in the Legislative Assembly from 1819 to 1830. At the time that Dorion commenced the study of law, Canada was entering a struggle between Lower Canada and Upper Canada for a balance of representation. Although a decisive political victory had been gained, and a responsible government formed, by Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin in 1848, they did not press for an immediate overthrow of existing institutions, and in 1851, the administration was handed over to Francis Hincks and Augustin-Norbert Morin.