Dr.
François-Xavier Bender, ca. 1808, by Gerritt Schipper (1775-1830)
François-Xavier
Bender (1750-1830) played a leading role in establishing a qualified medical profession in
Quebec as a member of the first Commission of Medical Examiners in the Montreal district.
Dr. Bender arrived
in Quebec in 1777 as surgeon-major with the Hesse-Hannau Chasseurs, a German regiment
fighting with the British Army in the American War of Independence. Bender, like many
fellow soldiers, chose to remain in Canada. He married Marguerite Benoit in 1780, settled
in Montreal and fathered a long line of professional sons and grandsons.
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