Honoré Beaugrand

Born in Saint-Joseph-de-Lanoraie, Quebec, in 1848, Honoré Beaugrand led an unusually wide-ranging life. As a young man he spent time in Mexico, later worked in the United States, and became a journalist and newspaper owner before returning to Canada. His experiences gave his writing an outward-looking, energetic quality that stood out in his time.

Beaugrand became an important public figure in Montreal, serving as mayor from 1885 to 1887. He is also closely tied to the newspaper La Patrie, which he founded and used as a platform for his strong liberal views. Contemporary accounts describe him as a forceful, independent-minded figure in Quebec public life.

Today, many readers know him best as the author associated with La Chasse-galerie: légendes canadiennes, which helped bring French-Canadian oral traditions into print for a wide audience. His mix of journalism, politics, and storytelling makes him a vivid bridge between everyday folklore and the fast-changing modern world of late 19th-century Quebec.