Gallery 1 - History of Hôtel-Dieu in Saint-Basile, New Brunswick (1873-1935)
1. Saint Basile, Madawaska : geographic and social milieu
John Costigan (1835-1916) (ph_3604)
Of Irish descent, Costigan was born in Saint-Nicholas near Quebec and studied at the College of
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière from 1850 to1852. In 1855, he came to live in Grand Falls, New Brunswick
and married Harriet Ryan. Perfectly bilingual and gifted speaker, Costigan was a member of
parliament almost all his life. In 1861, he was elected to represent Victoria County (Madawaska
included) in the Legislative assembly of New Brunswick. From the beginning of Confederation, he was
elected to the Federal Parliament, a position he will keep without interruption from 1868 to 1907,
the year that he became a Senator. Nicknamed honest John, Costigan was an ardent defender of
minorities specially the French schools of New Brunswick and Manitoba. He often came to visit his
niece Sister Ellen Hartt at Hôtel-Dieu in Saint-Basile and talked to the sisters about the debates
in the Legislative Assembly. He died in Ottawa and was buried in Grand Falls.
