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Paul Sauvé (1907-1960)
At the time, an observer remarked that there were three kinds of MLAs in the Union nationale party: those that said "Yes, Mr. Duplessis", those that said "Yes, Maurice" and... Paul Sauvé. He stood apart from the others. Duplessis demanded obedience and submission from his MLAs, but he obtained neither from Sauvé. Worse still, the latter voiced his dissent when he did not share his leader's opinion. On the other hand, Duplessis knew that he could count on the unremitting support of this pillar of the Union nationale.
Like his father, Arthur, who was leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, MP and Conservative Minister in Ottawa, and then Senator, Paul Sauvé spent a good deal of his life in politics. His career began at age 23 as a Conservative MLA following a by-election in 1930. He was re-elected the following year, but defeated in 1935. Sauvé was again elected MLA of the new Union nationale party in 1936. He never lost his seat in subsequent elections. Following the death of Maurice Duplessis in 1959, Union nationale delegates unanimously named him party leader. Thereafter, he became a forerunner of change, initiating milestones of the Quiet Revolution.
