Jean de Lauzon

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Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson (1583 – 16 February 1666) was the French Governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the colony.

Lauzon was a prominent lawyer in France and was appointed a counsellor in the Parlement in 1613. He served in several government positions, including president of the Grand Conseil, intendant of Provence, then of Guyenne, and of Dauphiné.

He had also been developing interests in the colony of New France, including being a founding member and the director of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés. Lauzon used his influence within the company to obtain land for him and his sons. By 1640, the Lauzons had become the biggest landowners in the colony. Their properties included the Island of Montreal and Île d'Orléans.

Lauzon was appointed Governor in 1651. He moved with his three sons -- including Francois, the eldest, who was a member of Parlement for Bordeaux -- to the colony. His wife had apparently died previously in France. All three sons were married into the founding families of the colony after having been set up with various lands and positions within the area. The establishment of his family in the colony was probably intended to inspire a confidence amongst the settlers and encourage agriculture in addition to the fur trade. He was the first governor to to pursue this type of policy.

Lauzon negotiated a peace treaty with the Mohawks in 1653 which ended their attacks and reduced the threat to the colony for some years. Afterwards, he accorded to himself the monopoly on the fur trade, a move that caused the settlers to petition King Louis XIII. The king responded and the fur trade was re-opened to all colonists. Lauzon returned to France where he continued his business and political career until his death, age 83, in Paris in 1666.

One of his descendents, Marie-Catherine-Antoinette de Lauson, married future Governor Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière (1747-1749).

[edit] References

• Jean de Lauson. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, retrieved on May 27, 2007
• the Catholic Encyclopedia
• Jean de Lauzon, L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia, Marianopolis College, retrieved on May 27, 2007

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