Early Life and Artistic Beginnings Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (Montreal, October 18, 1919 – Montreal, September 28, 2000) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Born into a prominent Montreal family descended from Étienne Truteau, a carpenter from La Rochelle, France, who arrived in New France in 1659, Trudeau’s father, Charlie, was a successful businessman and lawyer who instilled in his sons a passion for education. Grace Elliott, Trudeau's mother, came from a wealthy Montreal family with roots tr…