Denis-Benjamin Viger

Denis-Benjamin Viger
Denis-Benjamin Viger by Théophile Hamel
Joint Premier of the Province of Canada (Canada East)
In office December 12, 1843 – June 17, 1846 Serving with William Henry Draper
Monarch	Queen Victoria
Governors General	Sir Charles Metcalfe Earl Cathcart
Preceded by	Dominick Daly (acting)
Succeeded by	Denis-Benjamin Papineau
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
In office 1808 – 1829 (three different electoral districts, nine elections; for details, see succession box at end of article)
Member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada
In office 1829–1838
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Richelieu
In office 1841–1844
Preceded by	New position
Succeeded by	Wolfred Nelson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Three-Rivers
In office 1845–1847
Preceded by	Edward Greive
Succeeded by	Antoine Polette
Member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
In office February 17, 1848 – March 17, 1858
Succeeded by	None; constitution suspended
Personal details
Born	(1774-08-19)August 19, 1774 Montreal, Old Province of Quebec
Died	February 13, 1861(1861-02-13) (aged 86) Montreal, Canada East, Province of Canada
Political party	Lower Canada: Parti canadien / Parti patriote (1808–1838) Province of Canada: French-Canadian Group (1841–1843) "British" Tory (1843–1847)
Spouse	Marie-Amable Foretier (d. July 22, 1854)
Relations	Denis Viger (father) Jacques Viger (uncle)   ∟Jacques Viger fils (cousin) Joseph Viger (uncle) Louis-Michel Viger (cousin) François-Pierre Cherrier (maternal grandfather)    ∟ Benjamin-Hyacinthe-Martin Cherrier (uncle)    ∟ Séraphin Cherrier (uncle)   ∟ Côme-Séraphin Cherrier (cousin) Joseph Papineau (uncle by marriage)    ∟ Louis-Joseph Papineau (cousin)    ∟ Denis-Benjamin Papineau (cousin) Pierre Foretier (father-in-law) Louis-Michel Viger (cousin) Jean-Jacques Lartigue (cousin)
Education	Collège Saint-Raphaël
Occupation	Journalist, landowner
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
Nickname	Le Vénérable
Military service
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch/service	Lower Canada militia
Years of service	1803–1824
Rank	Lieutenant (1803) Captain (1812) Major (1824)
Battles/wars	War of 1812

Denis-Benjamin Viger (French pronunciation: [dəni bɛ̃ʒamɛ̃ viʒe]; August 19, 1774 – February 13, 1861) was a 19th-century politician, lawyer, and newspaper publisher in Lower Canada, who served as joint premier of the Province of Canada for over two years. A leader in the Patriote movement, he was a strong French-Canadian nationalist, but a social conservative in terms of the seigneurial system and the position of the Catholic church in Lower Canada.

Viger came from a well-connected middle class family. Trained as a lawyer, he invested in land and gradually became one of Montreal’s largest landowners. He held public office for most of his adult life, often working alongside his cousin, Louis-Joseph Papineau, a fiery nationalist. From 1808 to 1829, he was a member of the elected Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, then from 1829 to 1838 he was a member of the appointed Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Lower Canada.

Imprisoned during the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1838, he was subsequently elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1841. From 1843 to 1846, he served as a joint-premier of the province, which triggered criticism from his former party colleagues. He was later appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, serving from 1848 to 1858.

In his later years, Viger lived quietly in Montreal, surrounded by his well-stocked library. He remained fond of entertaining, and his wine-cellar was said to be one of the best in Montreal. He died in 1861, at the age of 86.