Pauline Marois
A political trailblazer who became Quebec's first female premier after decades of navigating the turbulent waters of sovereignty.
Born 1949 (age 77)·Premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014·Birthday: March 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Pauline Marois entered Quebec's National Assembly in 1981, beginning a political career that would span over three decades within the Parti Québécois. She served in numerous high-profile cabinet positions, including education and finance, where she developed a reputation for sharp intellect and formidable resolve. Her leadership of the PQ, which began in 2007, was marked by a strategic, if sometimes cautious, approach to the party's independence ambitions. In 2012, she made history by leading her party to a minority government, shattering a longstanding barrier as Quebec's first female premier. Her tenure, though brief, was defined by navigating a contentious political landscape and championing a controversial secularism charter, before her government was defeated in 2014. Marois's legacy is that of a pathfinder in Quebec politics, a figure whose career mirrored the province's complex identity debates.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Pauline was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pauline Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Pauline's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman to serve as Premier of Quebec in 2012.
- Served as leader of the Parti Québécois from 2007 to 2014.
- Held multiple senior cabinet portfolios, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Education.
- Elected to the National Assembly of Quebec for the first time in 1981, representing the riding of Taillon.
Did You Know?
She survived an assassination attempt in 2012 when a gunman shot and killed a stagehand at her victory rally.
Before politics, she worked as a social worker.
She and her husband, Claude Blanchet, founded a successful chain of daycare centers.
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