Joseph Jean Pierre Benoit (born March 2, 1939) was mayor of Ottawa from 1972 to 1974. He was a lawyer by career but subsequently pursued a variety of interests. Benoit studied law at the University of Ottawa and played Canadian football with the Ottawa Gee-Gees from 1957 to 1961. He then practised law in the Ottawa area. He was mayor during the opening of the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library in 1974. After his term as mayor, he was a columnist for the Ottawa Journal, a French-language radio host {CJRC} and a political commentator on television {CJOH}, all in Ottawa. He later worked with Campeau Corporation in commercial and residential development. Later he served as an executive with VMS Realty Partners in Chicago, Illinois, following which he embarked on a career as a corporate t