Born in
Bonaventure,
Quebec, the son of Joseph-Georges Arsenault and Marcelline Gauthier, he studied at
Université Laval and
University of Connecticut. In the
1931 Quebec provincial elections, he ran unsuccessfully in the riding of
Bonaventure and lost again in
1935 in the riding of
Gaspé-Sud. Switching to the federal scene, in
1940, he ran as a
National Government candidate in the Quebec riding of
Bonaventure and was defeated. He was elected as an Independent candidate in the
1945 election. And was re-elected in
1949 and
1953, as a
Liberal candidate. He was defeated in
1957. Turning back to provincial politics, he was elected in
1960 as a
Liberal in the riding of
Matapédia. He was re-elected in
1962,
1966,
1970, and
1973. He was defeated in
1976. He was also a cabinet minister hold various posts in the
Jean Lesage government, and he wrote the book
Histoire et généalogie des Acadiens. In 1980, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada. His grandson, by marriage, is NHL hall of fame player and coach
Patrick Roy. ==References==