Arthur Beauchesne
Arthur Beauchesne, CMG, QC, FRSC (1876–1959), was appointed Clerk Assistant of the House of Commons in 1916, following the death of Jean-Baptiste Plante in the fire that destroyed the original Parliament Building. He later served as Clerk of the House of Commons from 1925 to 1949, becoming the first French Canadian to hold the position since Confederation.
Born in Carleton, Bonaventure County, Quebec, Beauchesne earned a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's College in Memramcook, New Brunswick. He then pursued studies in literature and law in Montreal, receiving a degree in literature in 1897. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1904. Before beginning his legal career, he worked as a journalist and as private secretary to both the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.
Beauchesne maintained a strong interest in politics throughout his life. He ran unsuccessfully in the federal elections of 1908 and 1953, as well as in the 1912 Quebec provincial election.
From 1939 to 1945, during the Second World War, he served as Acting Sergeant-at-Arms while the incumbent, Brigadier Milton Fowler Gregg, VC, PC, OC, CBE, MC and Bar, ED, CD, re-enlisted for military service. Beauchesne retired from the House of Commons in 1949.
He is best known as the author of the procedural manual Rules and Forms of the House of Commons of Canada, commonly referred to as “Beauchesne’s Rules.”
In 2003, Parks Canada designated Arthur Beauchesne a National Historic Person in recognition of his national reputation as a specialist in parliamentary procedure.