Jean Chrétien Born in Shawinigan, Quebec, as the 18th of 19 children (a number of whom did not survive infancy), Jean Chrétien studied law at Université Laval. Chrétien would later make light of his humble origins, calling himself "le petit gars de Shawinigan," or the "little guy from Shawinigan". In his youth, he suffered an attack of Bell's palsy, leaving the left side of his face permanently paralyzed. Chrétien used this in his first Liberal leadership campaign, saying that he was "One politician who didn't talk out of both sides of his mouth."
Chretien attended Université Laval and earned his law degree. On September 10, 1957, he married Aline Chainé. They have two sons (Hubert and Michel) and one daughter (France).
