Introduction

Biography

Routhier was the son of Charles Rou­thi­er and An­gé­lique La­fleur, and hus­band of Clo­rinde Mon­de­let.

He is best re­mem­bered for writ­ing the orig­in­al French ver­sion of the Ca­na­di­an na­tion­al an­them, O Ca­na­da.

Routhier stu­died law at Uni­ver­si­té La­val. He gra­du­at­ed and was called to the Que­bec bar in 1861. He was ap­point­ed to the Que­bec Su­per­ior Court in 1873 (as Chief Jus­tice 1904–06) and Ad­mi­ral­ty of the Ex­che­quer Court of Ca­na­da (1897–1906).

Routhier was in­volved in se­ver­al fed­er­al elect­ions as a Con­ser­va­tive can­di­date, but was ne­ver elect­ed.

In June 1914, he was one of the three judg­es ap­point­ed to con­duct the Com­mis­sion of In­qui­ry into the sink­ing of the Brit­ish steam­ship Em­press of Ire­land, which had re­sult­ed in the loss of 1,012 lives.