Joseph Lafontaine was a merchant and political figure in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. He represented Mégantic—Frontenac

Mégantic—Frontenac

Mégantic—Frontenac was a federal electoral district in the province of Quebec., Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1949.This riding was created in 1933 from Mégantic and Richmond—Wolfe ridings...

 and then Mégantic

Mégantic (electoral district)

Mégantic was a federal electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935, and from 1949 to 1968.-History:It was created by the British North America Act of 1867...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 member from 1940 to 1958.

He was born in St-Calixte de Somerset, Quebec

Saint-Calixte, Quebec

Saint-Calixte is a municipality and town in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Montcalm Regional County Municipality.-History:...

, the son of Grégoire Lafontaine and Aurélie Tourigny, and was educated in Arthabaska. In 1906, he married Marie-Louise Boisvert. Lafontaine was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the Quebec assembly in 1935. He lived in Thetford Mines.