Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau was born on February 17, 1820, in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Quebec.

He was a Roman Catholic priest, educator, archbishop, cardinal, and author. In 1836, he graduated from the Petit Séminaire de Québec with prizes and honours. He spent one year travelling in Europe (the British Isles, the Netherlands, France, and Italy). While in Rome, he received the tonsure in 1837, and his friendship with Dom Prosper Guéranger, a French priest and Benedictine monk, led him to consider joining the Benedictines. Instead, he continued his studies at the Grand Séminaire de Québec and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Quebec in 1842. He helped found the Université Laval in 1852 and served as its second Rector (1860–1866, 1869–1871). He served as a teacher, director (1851–1852), prefect of studies (1849-1854), and Superior at the Grand Séminaire de Québec. In 1856, Taschereau obtained a doctorate in Canon law in Rome and became director of the Petit Séminaire (1856–1859), director of the Grand Séminaire and second assistant superior (1859–1860). He served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1871 until his death in 1898. The first Canadian cardinal, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.
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He died on April 12, 1898, in Quebec City, Quebec.