Rodolphe Beaudet was the second president of the UCFO, a position he held from 1930 to 1935. It was a huge responsibility as the organization remained precarious after only one year of existence, facing the grim reality of the economic crisis that took a toll on farmers in the 1930’s. Under his leadership, a memorandum was addressed to the Bank Commission responsible for investigating the practices of Canadian banks in the midst of the numerous land fore-closures and the high debt of farmers during the global recession. Furthermore, he called on the provincial government to establish a French-language regional domestic science school and a tannery, and to provide help for flax cultivation, training courses on co-operation and services in French.
A vegetable grower from Cyrville with a stand at Ottawa’s ByWard Market, Beaudet established a commercial space leasing system in 1925 to prevent altercations. Actively involved in his community, he circulated petitions for the construction of a school and a church in Notre-Dame-des-Champs. He was a member of the Institut canadien-français and an activist in the Russel County’s Liberal party. He was also dedicated to several parish and regional causes.