Louis riel brief biography examples

A Biography of Louis Riel
Louis Riel, the puzzling Messianic figure of Canadian history, was born into a devout Catholic family in St. Boniface, Red River Settlement (present day Winnipeg) on October 22 or 23, 1844.  Although of seven-eighths white ancestry, Riel always described himself as a Metis (a person of mixed European and Aboriginal ancestry, who generally hunted buffalo and traded furs).  His complexion was sallow, his eyes and hair brown.  His most striking feature were his deep-set brown eyes that often appeared intensely focused.

Riel left home for the first time at age fourteen when he traveled to Montreal to study for the priesthood.  Riel proved himself a serious and gifted student, and Archbishop Tache of St. Boniface found a generous patron willing to fund his education in Quebec.  Observers described Riel's disposition at the seminary as somber or taciturn--even by the standards of an institution rarely known for its cheerfulness.