Jean-Louis Lévesque

Jean-Louis Lévesque

Jean-Louis Lévesque, financier (b at Nouvelle, Qué 13 Apr 1911; d at Montréal 28 Dec 1994). After graduating from St Dunstan's U in PEI, and Laval, Lévesque worked for the Banque provinciale du Canada in Moncton, NB. In 1937 he became a salesman for a securities firm and in 1941 founded Crédit Interprovincial Ltée. Lévesque then began buying, reorganizing and selling companies, including Fashion-Craft Manufacturers 1945, Slater Shoe 1951 and Dupuis Frères 1952. Later he merged his securities firm with L.G. Beaubien et Cie to form Lévesque, Beaubien Inc, the largest francophone brokerage house in Canada, specializing in government bonds.

A former director of the Banque provinciale du Canada and General Trust of Canada, he sat on the boards of several companies, including L'Équitable, Compagnie d'Assurances générales and Hilton Canada. In 1978-79 he sold the companies he controlled and retired. In the 1950s Lévesque became involved in THOROUGHBRED RACING and breeding; his most successful racehorse, L'Enjoleur, won the QUEEN'S PLATE in 1975. In 1952 he received an honorary doctorate from UNB. He received many other honours, including the Order of Canada.