Biographical profile of Dorimène Desjardins, co-founder of the caisses populaires

Wife and loyal collaborator of Alphonse Desjardins, Dorimène was born to Joseph Roy-Desjardins and Rosalie Mailhot in Sorel on September 17, 1858¹. Although her family was strongly affected by illness, she received a good education, in Lévis, thanks to the support of an aunt and uncle who took her in in 1861. It was in this city that she met Alphonse Desjardins whom she married on September 2, 1879. Their union, with its share of joy and sorrow, yielded 10 children. Their lives were closely connected to the caisses populaires project. In fact, Dorimène Desjardins's contribution to this project was so great that she is now considered co-founder of Desjardins Group.

To mark Dorimène Desjardins's 150th birthday, Desjardins Group has published the book Dorimène Desjardins (1858-1932), cofondatrice des caisses populaires Desjardins. Written by historian Guy Bélanger, this 104-page biography sells for $15. To order this book: write us at Éditions Dorimène.

Sharing her husband's cooperative ideal and being gifted in management and accounting – Alphonse Desjardins called her his "minister of finance" – she rapidly got involved in the Caisse populaire de Lévis's daily activities, which was founded on December 6, 1900. In addition to being a careful manager and good listener to the members she often welcomed in the family residence, she showed great vigilance at a time when the newly founded institution enjoyed no legal recognition. Her concrete involvement and ongoing interest in the development of the Desjardins caisses made Dorimène Desjardins a recognized and powerful interlocutor with caisse managers after Alphonse Desjardins's death in 1920. She was, among other things, at the heart of the discussions regarding the creation of a central caisse. She also took care of preserving and passing on her husband's personal papers on which part of Desjardins Group's history is written.

Dorimène Desjardins's exemplary devotion was an inspiration to several other women who found themselves at the head of a caisse at a time when finances were restricted to men. Dorimène Desjardins led the way for many other women who worked in the shadow, replacing their husbands as managers. What these women contributed to Desjardins Group's development is both distinctive and remarkable.

The administrators of the Caisse populaire de Lévis expressed their appreciation of the remarkable intelligence, discerning and relentless skill and eagerness Dorimène Desjardins showed in carrying out her managerial duties². Her discrete yet determined contribution was recognized publicly during her lifetime when, in 1914, a publication issued by the federal Department of Agriculture in Ottawa described her as "highly competent". In 1923, she was also appointed honorary member of the Union régionale des caisses populaires Desjardins de Québec. However, she was honoured only after her death on June 14, 1932 when a Quebec City newspaper stated that all French Canada mourned the loss of this woman who was unarguably one of the most knowledgeable women about economic issues considered from a social standpoint. They added that without Dorimène, there probably wouldn't be any Desjardins caisses³.

There was further recognition of her work. In their book Histoire des femmes au Québec, authors Micheline Dumont, Michèle Jean, Marie Lavigne and Jennifer Stoddart describe Dorimène Desjardins as a successful entrepreneur whose life reveals that she truly was the co-founder of Desjardins Group⁴. Dorimène Desjardins was honoured as part of Desjardins Group's 50^th anniversary, and was even more so at the 100^th anniversary in 2000. Also the Canadian Government issued a stamp depicting Dorimène and her husband and, in Lévis, the memorial "Au seuil d'un siècle" was erected and a street bears her name. In 2000, Alphonse and Dorimène Desjardins were chosen Grands Québécois du siècle during a contest organized by the Board of Trade and Industry of the Metropolitan Quebec and the National Capital Commission. Afterward, a bronze bust of Dorimène Desjardins was revealed in Sorel-Tracy and various exhibits in Montreal and Victoriaville highlighted her contribution.

1. La Revue Desjardins has published texts that highlight Dorimène Desjardins's background and contribution to the expansion of Desjardins caisses. Among these articles are the following: Guy Bélanger, "Alphonse, Dorimène et leurs ancêtres", La Revue Desjardins, 70, 1 (2004); Guy Bélanger, "Dorimène Adrienne, Albertine et les autres", La Revue Desjardins, 56, 6 (1990); Guy Bélanger, "Le rôle de Dorimène Desjardins dans la fondation des caisses populaires", La Revue Desjardins, 52, 2 (1986). As for her involvement in the management of the Caisse populaire de Lévis's daily activities and her influence following her husband's death, see: Guy Bélanger in collaboration with Claude Genest, La Caisse populaire de Lévis' 1900-2000. Là où tout a commencé, Lévis and Sainte-Foy, Les Éditions Dorimène and Éditions MultiMondes, 2000, 322p.

2. Caisse populaire de Lévis, Procès-verbaux du conseil d'administration, September 25, 1904.

3. L'Action catholique, June 14, 1932, p. 10.

4. Micheline Dumont, Michèle Jean, Marie Lavigne et Jennifer Stoddart, L'histoire des femmes au Québec depuis quatre siècles. Montréal, Le Jour Éditeur, 1992, p. 327