View source for Pascal Poirier

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1852–1933)}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name             = Pascal Poirier
| honorific-suffix = 
| image            = Portrait Pascal Poirier 2.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| office           = [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for L'Acadie, New Brunswick
| term_start       = March 9, 1885
| term_end         = September 25, 1933
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1852|02|15}}
| birth_place      = [[Shediac]], [[New Brunswick]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1933|09|25|1852|02|15}}
| death_place      = 
| nationality      = 
| spouse           = 
| party            = [[Liberal-Conservative Party|Liberal-Conservative]]
| relations        = 
| children         = 
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = 
| profession       = 
| religion         = 
}}
'''Pascal Poirier''' (February 15, 1852 &ndash; September 25, 1933) was a Canadian author, lawyer, and the all-time longest-serving [[Senate of Canada|Senator]].

Born in [[Shediac]], [[New Brunswick]], in a big family, he attended College Saint Joseph in [[Memramcook, New Brunswick]]. At an early age he wrote a book on the Origin of [[Acadian]]s, a history that contradicted myths of the time. He also wrote multiple articles and a glossary of the [[Acadian French]] language. After finishing school at the [[University of St. Joseph's College|College Saint-Joseph]] in [[Memramcook, New Brunswick|Memramcook]] during 1872, Poirier was appointed Postmaster of the Dominion Parliament at age 20.<ref>Nicolas Landry, Nicole Lang, ''Histoire de l'Acadie''. Quebec Septentrion, 2014</ref>  He held that position until he was appointed to the Senate thirteen years later.<ref name=CRHP/>

Poirier was the first Acadian appointed to the Senate of Canada. He was appointed in 1885 and served for 48 years, 6 months, and 17&nbsp;days until his death in 1933. The [[Constitution of Canada]] requires new senators to be at least 30 years old, and senators appointed since 1965 are required to retire from the Senate at age 75.<ref>[https://sencanada.ca/media/93509/spip-psep-full-complet-e.pdf Senate of Canada:  ''Senate Procedure and Practice'', June 2015, p. 9.]</ref> This means that current Senate rules impose an eligibility limit of 45 years so that Poirier's record can not be exceeded.

The Pascal Poirier House (built c. 1820–30) was designated a Provincial Historic Site under the ''Historic Sites Protection Act''.<ref name=CRHP>{{CRHP|1249|Pascal-Poirier House}}</ref>  The home he was born in has been preserved as a museum and as an important and rare example of early-19th-century Acadian residential construction.<ref>[http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/hday_pop06.htm Pascal Poirier House, Shediac, New Brunswick<!-- bot-generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020034416/http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/hday_pop06.htm |date=2007-10-20 }} at www.heritagecanada.org</ref>  The {{frac|1|1|2}}-storey gabled house, which features a hand-hewn structure, is believed to be the oldest building in Shediac.

He was honored as a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by [[France]] in 1902.

In 1954 he was declared a [[Persons of National Historic Significance|Person of National Historic Significance]] as part of the [[Men of Letters (Acadia)|Acadian Men of Letters]]. Their plaque is located in Shediac.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Men of Letters National Historic Persons |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1018 |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref>

== Selected bibliography  ==
* ''Le Glossaire acadien''
* ''L'Origine des Acadiens'' (1874)
* ''Les Acadiens de Philadelphie'' (1875)
* ''Le Père Lefebvre et l'Acadie'' (1898)
* ''Le Parler franco-acadien et ses origines'' (1928)

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050114060619/http://www2.umoncton.ca/cfdocs/cea/livres/doc.cfm?livre=glossaire Le Glossaire acadien] by Pascal Poirier

== External links ==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=4658}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poirier, Pascal}}
[[Category:1852 births]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:St. Joseph's College alumni]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators]]
[[Category:Politicians of Acadian descent]]
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:People from Shediac]]
[[Category:Writers from New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Historians from New Brunswick]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]