Who was Camillien Houde?
Camillien Houde was born in 1889 in Montréal, in the working-class neighbourhood of Saint-Henri. His father died when he was only 10 years old. His mother did not have much money but she wanted her son to study. He took the business course given by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. At age 16, he got a job as a clerk at the Hochelaga bank. Advancing from promotion to promotion, he eventually became a branch manager.
In 1913, he married Bertha-Andréa Bourgie, who gave birth to two girls. He remarried in 1919, following the death of his first wife. This marriage, to Georgette Falardeau, gave him a third daughter. His next job was as representative for a cookie factory. Soon his career branched out in a new direction: he entered politics. He was first elected as a member of the provincial legislative assembly in 1923, but he became known first and foremost as mayor of Montréal. He died in 1958.
