Born 7 May 1787, in Montréal, Lower Canada, Jacques Viger, would become not only an antiquarian, a militia officer and archaeologist but also the first Mayor of the Canadian city, Montréal.
Jacques was named for his father, also Jacques Viger, who represented Kent in the 2nd Parliament of Lower Canada. On 17 November 1808, he wed Marie Marguerite La Corne, who was the daughter of Luc de la Corne and widow of Major the Honorable John Lennox. Jacques and Marie would have three children, but sadly, all three would die in infancy.
Jacques worked briefly as an editor of the newspaper Le Canadien and he served as a captain with the Canadian Voltigeurs during the War of 1812.
Montréal was not yet a city, in 1813, when Viger started his career as surveyor of bridges, streets, lanes and highways. He kept this position, even while serving as Mayor, until 1840. In 1825, he scrupulously conducted a city-wide census. He assisted in the redistribution of the electoral map in 1828 and made sure that the poll tax was low enough to increase the number of voters among small owners, mainly French Canadians.
In 1833, greatly due to his previous work on behalf of the city, Viger was elected as the first Mayor of Montréal and went to work improving the city's sanitary conditions. Jacques served as Mayor until 1836. He was universally renowned as an archaeologist and in 1857, founded the Historical Society of Montréal. Pope Pius IX honored him with knighthood in the Order of St. Gregory the Great.
Jacques Viger died 12 December 1858 and is buried at Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Church. The Viger Square and Jacques Viger Building in Montreal are named in his honour.
The sixth son of his parents to be called Jacques of 14 children, he was the only Jacques Viger to survive childhood.
Viger, a historian & archivist, coined the city's motto 'Concordia Salus' and created its coat of arms, fivided between the emblems of France, England, Scotland & Ireland, with the beaver as its unifying smbol.
1858 Founder & President of the Montreal Historical Society
Place Viger named after Jacques Viger
Died without issue
Memorial: Find a Grave (has image) Find A Grave: Memorial #198792691 (accessed 10 November 2022) Memorial page for Jacques Viger Famous memorial (7 May 1787-12 Dec 1858), citing Eglise Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Montreal Region, Quebec, Canada; Maintained by Find a Grave.