Antoine Olivier Berthelet was born in
Montreal on May 25, 1798, the son of Marguerite Viger and Pierre Berthelet,
medical doctor. After having finished his studies at Montreal College, he
launched into a business career. He bought a lot of properties in East
Montreal, which he later sold at a profit.
A rich man, he was generous and gave large sums to educational and charitable institutions. A friend of Father Léonard, in 1842, he gave the Oblates one of his houses in Longueuil. As a mark of appreciation, Bishop de Mazenod wrote him a letter granting him a share in the privileges and merits of the sacrifices, prayers and good works of the Oblates.
Mr. Berthelet was the elected representative for Montreal-East for the period 1832-1834. He died on September 25, 1872. His remains were laid to rest in the cemetery of the mother house of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal.
Yvon Beaudoin, o.m.i.
Sources and Bibliography
Oblate
Writings I, Vol. I, 1978, No. 13, p. 26-27: letter from Bishop de Mazenod to Mr.
and Mrs. Oliver Berthelet, September 25, 1842.
Massicotte, E. Z., “Un philanthrope canadien-français, A. O.
Berthelet”, in Bulletin des recherches historiques, XXII
(1916), pp. 183-185.
Pouliot, Léon, “Antoine Olivier Berthelet”, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
University of Toronto/Université Laval, Vol. X, from
1871 to 1880, 1972.
