Lucien Lamoureux
1920–1998 (age 78)
Biography
Lucien Lamoureux (French pronunciation: [lysjɛ̃ lamuʁø]; August 3, 1920 – July 16, 1998) was a Canadian politician and the 27th speaker of the House of Commons from 1966 to 1974. He is the second longest-serving occupant of that office.
Lamoureux was born and raised in Ottawa to Prime and Graziella (née Madore) Lamoureux.
After graduating with a law degree from Osgoode Hall in 1945, Lamoureux worked as a political aide to Lionel Chevrier, a Canadian Cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. In 1954, he left Chevrier's office to establish a law practice in Cornwall, Ontario.
Lamoureux was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 election as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). In 1963, he became deputy speaker of the House of Commons and decided to stop attending meetings of the Liberal caucus in order to maintain impartiality. Following the 1965 election, prime minister Lester Pearson nominated him to the position of speaker of the House of Commons.
Lamoureux served as speaker during two minority governments, 1965–1968 and 1972–1974, experiences that required him to maintain authority and neutrality in a situation where no party had control of the House.
In the 1968 election, he decided to follow the custom of the speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and stand for election as an independent. Both the Liberal Party and the Progressive Conservative Party agreed not to run candidates against him. The New Democratic Party, however, declined to withdraw their candidate. Lamoureux was re-elected and continued to serve as speaker.