Henriette Dessaulles
Henriette Dessaulles (February 6, 1860 – November 17, 1946), also known by the pen name Fadette, was a Canadian journalist and diarist from Quebec. An important pioneer of women's writing in Quebec, she is best known for her longtime column in Le Devoir and for her childhood diaries which were posthumously published in 1971.
Henriette Dessaulles | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1860 Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada East |
| Died | November 17, 1946 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Diarist, columnist, journalist |
| Notable works | Hopes and Dreams, The Diary of Henriette Dessaulles 1874-1881 |
She was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec to Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, at the time the town's mayor and later a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and the Senate of Canada, and Émilie Mondelet. Jean Dessaulles was her paternal grandfather, Dominique Mondelet was her maternal grandfather, and Louis-Joseph Papineau was her godfather.
Beginning at age 14, Dessaules began writing a diary in 1874 while being educated at convent school. She continued until 1881, when she married Maurice St-Jacques. She had seven children with St-Jacques before his death in 1897. At the time of St-Jacques' death, he was a Quebec Liberal Party candidate for the electoral district of Saint-Hyacinthe in the 1897 provincial election; Dessaulles' father was nominated in his place, and won the seat.