Antoine Laumet
Antoine Laumet (born March 5, 1658 at Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave , † October 15, 1730 in Castelsarrasin ), called Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac , was a French officer and adventurer who founded Detroit and was governor of Louisiana was.
Antoine Laumet was born on March 5, 1658 on an estate called "Les Laumets" near the village of Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave in what is now the Tarn-et-Garonne department . Little is known about his youth. Although he later tried to give himself a semblance of noble ancestry, his father Jean Laumet and his mother Jeanne Pechagut were simple farmers. As far as one knows and can assess, he received a good education, because his "extensive American correspondence [was] well written and full of esprit".
He is known as the adventurer he showed himself to be in the French interventions in the United States and Acadien (Canada). Sent to America by the French king, he embarked for the Canadian provinces in 1683. Four years later, in 1687, at his wedding to Marie-Thérèse Guyon, a 17-year-old niece of the corsair Denis Guyon, he signed a law (civil act) with the name Antoine de Lamothe, Sieur de Cadillac . He described himself as "the son of Jean, councilor in the Parliament of Toulouse, and Jeanne de Malenfant". Hardly anything else was read about him, except that he came from Cadillac on the Gironde .
In 1692 Laumet-Cadillac wrote his memoirs, which were published by Dr. Ganong were translated into English and found in collections no. 13 of the national history society (?) From 1930 ("... et que l'on peut retrouver dans les collections de la NB Hist. Soc, no. 13, 1930." )
On July 24, 1701 he founded the Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit , from which the city of Detroit developed, the capital of the automotive industry in the USA. The brand Cadillac from General Motors also bears the name of the founder of Detroit, as a sign of remembrance ( reconnaissance ).
He was named governor of Louisiana in 1710 . He also gave his name to Cadillac on Lake Michigan.
Back in France and after a tumultuous life that also brought him to the dungeon of the Bastille for five months , he became mayor of Castelsarrasin in the Tarn-et-Garonne department on February 11, 1723 . He died a few years later on October 15, 1730.
You can visit the house where he was born in St. Nicolas-de-la-Grave, where he spent the last years of his life. In Castelsarrasin, celebrations take place every two years with the title “Rencontres Cadillac” (Cadillac meeting), which attract lovers of the elaborate American automobile brand from all over Europe.
His former home in Montréal now bears a plaque commemorating his name. It was converted into a McDonald’s restaurant .
Lamothe-Cadillac had a coat of arms befitting its status , its blazon reads: “Square, in 1 and 4 in blue a black bar, accompanied at the top by two and at the bottom by a mutilated silver blackbird , in two and three, 1 and 4 red, in two and three in silver, three blue bars. "
Web links
- Yves F. Zoltvany: Antoine Laumet . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
- Laumet in the Musée canadien de l'histoire , detailed CV, animated map of two expeditions, to Michilimackinac (also: Michillimakinac) and to Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit ; optional English or French
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Laumet, Antoine |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French officer and adventurer, Governor of Louisiana |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 5, 1658 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | at Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 15, 1730 |
| Place of death | Castelsarrasin |