Sir
George-Étienne Cartier (1814-1873)
Banished early in his political career for participating in
the Rebellion in Lower Canada in 1837, Sir George-Étienne
Cartier would go on to be created a baronet for the integral
role he played in Canadian Confederation. Cartier formed a joint
ministry for a United Canada from 1857 to 1862 with long-time
friend Sir John A. Macdonald, thus serving as joint Prime Minister.
Cartier died in 1873 at the age of 58.
Deeply affected by Cartier's death, Macdonald proposed that
he be given both a state funeral and commemorative monument.
As the first monument to be erected on Parliament Hill, the
competition attracted entries from Canada, the United States
of America, Great Britain, and Italy. The winner was Quebec
sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert. This would prove to be
the first of four monuments he would create for Parliament Hill.
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