Jean-Baptiste Rolland

Jean-Baptiste Rolland was a prominent figure in Canadian history, known for his multifaceted career as a printer, bookseller, businessman, and politician. Born on January second, eighteen fifteen, in Verchères, Lower Canada, he was the son of Pierre Rolland and Euphrasine Donay. In eighteen twenty-eight, his family relocated to Saint-Hyacinthe, where his journey in the world of printing began.

In eighteen thirty-two, Rolland moved to Montreal to pursue an apprenticeship as a typographer. By eighteen thirty-six, he had advanced to the role of journeyman at a local newspaper. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found the printing firm Rolland and Thompson, and in eighteen forty-three, he opened a bookshop in Montreal, where he also engaged in printing and binding books.

In eighteen fifty-nine, Rolland partnered with his eldest son, Jean-Damien, to establish J.-B. Rolland et Fils, a family business that would eventually include his other sons. The firm expanded its operations in eighteen eighty-one by launching the Rolland Paper Company, a paper mill that is now part of Cascades Inc.

Rolland's political career began in eighteen sixty-one when he was elected to the Montreal City Council for the East Ward, serving until eighteen sixty-seven. He was re-elected in eighteen seventy-one and continued to serve until eighteen seventy-five. His political journey culminated in eighteen eighty-seven when he was appointed to the Senate of Canada for the Mille Isles division, following the recommendation of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. A member of the Conservative Party, Rolland's tenure in the Senate was brief, lasting only five months until his passing in eighteen eighty-eight.