Valentin Landry (1844-1919)

Son of Auguste Landry and Olive Robichaud, Valentin Landry fought for the Acadian cause for many years. Born in Pokemouche in the Acadian Peninsula, he had a long career in the school system, but it's in journalism that his role in strengthening the Acadian identity became most significant. In 1887, he embarked on an adventure that would become his life's work when he founded the newspaper L'Évangéline with the motto "Religion, Langue, Patrie" (Religion, Language, Nation). In 1889, the newspaper was moved from Digby, Nova Scotia, its birthplace, to Weymouth, Nova Scotia. In 1905, the newspaper settled definitively in Moncton where it remained until it ceased publication in 1982. L'Évangéline could not have arrived at a better time for Acadians. They were in a period of renewing their identity, notably with the 1881 and 1884 Acadian National Conventions. Acadians welcomed the arrival of this newspaper that defended them each time the occasion presented itself.