Henri Desrivières

Henri Desrivières (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʁi deʁivjɛʁ]; c. 1805 – November 12, 1865) was a seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada (now Quebec).

When François's father died young, his mother married James McGill, an extremely wealthy businessman who had begun in the fur trade and established himself in a number of other enterprises.

[1][2] At some point, Henri Desrivières married Marie-Angélique Hay, who kept an extensive diary of their family life in the mid-19th century.

In exchange for giving the seller a life annuity, the two partners acquired the other four lots in the seigneury: three for Bruneau, and one for Desrivières, whose share of the purchase price was £650.

[1][4] From 1836 to 1840, Desrivières served as judge in the court of special sessions of the peace for the Montreal district.

[1] Following the Lower Canada rebellion, and the similar rebellion in 1837 in Upper Canada (now Ontario), the British government decided to merge the two provinces into a single province, as recommended by Lord Durham in the Durham Report.

One of the leaders of the French-Canadian Group, John Neilson, introduced a motion condemning the way the union had been imposed on Lower Canada.

For the rest of the session, Desrivières was a consistent opponent of the Governor General, Lord Sydenham.