Benjamin Sulte was born in
September of
1841 and died in
August of
1923. In contrast to the times before his birth and after his death, he was very active; he held such posts as
poet,
journalist,
historian, and
social critic. He was born in
Trois-Rivières,
Québec and in his youth, he was fond of
literature, and well known for his
songs. He created a literary circle which gained
government attention (in a good way). He lost his father at age six and left school four years later to better help his mother raise the family, working in a number of clerk positions. He got positions in different newspapers, and after his military service, moved to
Ottawa,
Ontario where he became an
editor for the government of
Canada and a
translator for the
House of Commons, then chief of the
Militia. He retired in
1903.
This man wrote heaps of books in both English and French, the list of which can be found in the Memoirs of the Royal Society of Canada, an organisation in which he one of their most remarkable members. His greatest work is considered to be his "Histoire des Canadiens-Français" (History of French Canadians) written in 1882.
The art pavillion at my school has been named after him.