Adélard Godbout
A progressive Quebec premier who, against fierce opposition, gave women the vote and championed compulsory education, reshaping the province's social contract.
1892–1956 (age 64)·Premier of Quebec in 1936 and from 1939 to 1944·Birthday: September 24·The Lost Generation
Biography
Adélard Godbout was an agronomist turned politician whose brief tenures as Premier of Quebec left an indelible mark. Governing during the turbulent years of World War II, he was a liberal reformer in a province dominated by conservative nationalism. His government faced the powerful, traditionalist Union Nationale opposition and the towering figure of Maurice Duplessis. Yet, Godbout pushed through transformative legislation, most notably granting Quebec women the right to vote in provincial elections in 1940. He believed in the modernizing power of the state, making education compulsory for children and nationalizing Montreal's scandal-plagued electricity utility, a move that laid groundwork for Hydro-Québec. Though his party was swept from power in 1944, his reforms endured, setting the stage for Quebec's Quiet Revolution two decades later.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Adélard was born in 1892, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adélard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1892
Adélard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1892Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Started school
President: William McKinley
1905Became a teenager
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could drive
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Could vote
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Turned 21
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Turned 30
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 40
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 50
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 60
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1956Died at 64
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
Key Achievements
- Granted Quebec women the right to vote and stand in provincial elections in 1940.
- Made school attendance compulsory for children aged 6 to 14 in 1943.
- Initiated the nationalization of the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Company, a precursor to Hydro-Québec.
- Served as the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party for 13 years, from 1936 until 1949.
Did You Know?
He was a trained agronomist and taught at the Agricultural Institute of Oka.
He served as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army during World War I.
After his political career, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1949.
His 1939-1944 government was the first in Quebec to include a woman, journalist Éva Circé-Côté, in an official advisory role.
“We will give the vote to women and free education to our children.”
