Jean Talon
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Jean Talon, Comte d'Orsainville (1625, baptised 8 January 1626 – November 1694) was a French colonial administrator who was the first and most highly regarded Intendant of New France under King Louis XIV.
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[edit] Life
He was born at Châlons-sur-Marne, to Philippe Talon and Anne de Bury in 1625. He was very entrepreneurial and as Intendant during 1665–1672, he attempted to diversify the colony's economy by encouraging agriculture, fishing, lumbering, and industry as well as the traditional fur trade. He approved Robert La Salle's plan to mount expeditions to seek a western passage to China[1]. As the first intendant to arrive in New France, his mission was to boost the growth and prosperity of the remote colony by making it self-sufficient. The most innovative idea instituted by Talon was bringing around 700-900 filles du roi to New France. The filles du roi would emigrate to New France between 1663 and 1673, marry quickly, and bear children. Agents were hired to find ideal young women. Thirty livres was given for a wardrobe of two sets of clothes and 60 livres for their transport. Jean Talon's plan, with les filles du roi, tripled the population of New France within 15 years. In 1666, he conducted the first census in North America, counting 3,215 of its residents. While he succeeded in settling some 2,000 people in the colony, many of the industries that he had initiated failed when he returned to France.
Talon worked closely with lieutenant-general Prouville de Trace to achieve the surrender of the Iroquois in 1667, thereby ending the threat that had hung over the colony for 20 years. Although Talon did not join the troops in the field, at Tracy's request, he had a very large share in the success of the French arms through his constant and meticulous care in placing at the disposition of the army everything that was necessary for the war, despite the poverty of the colony, the lack of roads, and the distances.
He died in France in 1694. He was a highly respected man and loved by many[citation needed], yet he was never married. Jean studied at the Jesuit college of Clermont in Paris,[2] so his knowledge was much appreciated by King Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who were to help in the colonization of New France.
[edit] Honours
Several sites and landmarks were named to honour Jean Talon. They include:
- Rue Jean-Talon (Jean Talon Street), located in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada;
- The Jean Talon Building (Building 5) in Tunney's Pasture,Ottawa, Ontario;
- The provincial electoral district of Jean-Talon, Quebec;
- Metro Jean-Talon (Jean Talon subway station), the intersection of the orange and the blue subway lines in Montreal, Canada;
- Rue Jean-Talon (Jean Talon Street), an important street of 14,01 kilometers (8,71 miles) going East-West in the city of Montreal;
- Marché Jean-Talon, a farmer's market in Montreal.
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Full text of The Great Intendant : A Chronicle of Jean Talon in Canada 1665-1672 from Project Gutenberg
[edit] References
- ^ Francis Parkman, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, France and England in North America 3 Williamstown, MA: Corner House Publishers, 1980), 15.
- ^ Jean Talon - Catholic Encyclopedia article
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