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| Fonds/Collection Number: | F0303 |
| Title: | Maurice Duplessis fonds |
| Dates: | 1928-1959 |
| Extent: | 5 microfilm reels ; 156 m in length 1 microfilm reel : positive and negative ; 47 m in length 3 microfilm reels ; 16 mm, 80 m in length |
| Biographical Sketch/ Administrative History: | Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis (1890-1959) was twice premier and attorney general of Quebec, in the period 1936-1939 and again in 1944-1959. A Conservative member of the provincial legislature, he rose to take over that party in 1931, attracted dissident Liberals and nationalists and introduced the Unione Nationale Party for the 1935 election. The following year the Liberal government was defeated and Duplessis became premier as head of the UN. Although he lost the next election, Duplessis was returned to power in 1944 and was re-elected in three ensuing elections. Duplessis was known in Quebec as an ardent nationalist who frustrated federal government plans to enact a more centralist national government in the 1940s and 1950s while at the same time passing social legislation and building a public infrastructure (schools, roads, hospitals) on an unprecedented scale in Quebec. He died in office in 1959. |
| Scope and Content: |
The fonds consists of correspondence and papers (1928-1959), arranged chronologically, receipts for monies received from Maurice Duplessis and others, including receipts from organizations, associations and student awards. There are also the proceedings of the meetings of the Public Accounts Committee Inquiry (1936), through which Duplessis exposed the corruption of the Liberal government of the day. The fonds also contains scrapbooks of newspaper clippings relating to political and social developments in Quebec (1929-1949) with concentration on the period, 1934-1936, as well as newspaper clippings relating to the death and funeral of Duplessis. In addition, there is correspondence with and/or concerning several prominent Quebecois including Daniel Johnson, Thibaudeau Rinfret, Msgr. Ferdinand Vandry, Georges Vanier, and companies located in the province (Dominion Textiles, Noranda Mines), and related subjects. |
| Custodial History: | The material on these nine microfilm reels was collected by Conrad Black in the course of writing his biography of Duplessis and consists of original material, photocopied material and microfilmed material. |
| Location of originals: | Originals of some of the microfilmed material are held in the University of Windsor Archives. This is true of material on reels 1-5, which Conrad Black collected as original material. Reels 6-9 were microfilmed by Black, and these reels of microfilmed material were copied by the York University Archives in 1980. |
| Restrictions on Access and Use: | No restrictions on access. |
| Finding Aid: | Reel list available. |
| URL of Finding Aid: | http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000303.pdf |
| Accruals: | The fonds comprises the following accession: 1980-008. Further accruals are expected. |
| Associated Material: | See Maurice Duplessis Papers at the University of Windsor Archives, Leddy Library. |
| Provenance Access Points: | Duplessis, Maurice, 1890-1959 |
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Date of creation: 2002/04/04 Date of last revision: 2003/04/16 |
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