Paul Gérin-Lajoie was born on 23 February 1920 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was married to Andrée Papineau. He died on 25 June 2018 in province of Québec, Canada.
First minister of education of Québec in 1964, he later had an illustrious career as a public administrator. A foundation and a university building bear his name. His great-grandfather Antoine was also an author.