- Pierre Boucher
Pierre Boucher, born and
baptized 1 August 1622 in Mortagne, died19 April 1717 at the age of 95 atBoucherville , came to Canada fromFrance in 1635 with his father. At the age of 18, he entered the services of theJesuits and spent 4 years with theHuron missions atGeorgian Bay .In 1641, Governor Huault de Montmagny took him into his service as a soldier in the garrison of
Quebec city , but especially as an interpreter and agent to the Indian tribes due to his familiarity with the Huron dialects. In this capacity he took part in all the parleys of the authorities with the Indians.In 1645 Boucher was appointed official interpreter of Indian languages at Trois-Rivières. He was appointed commissary-general of the trading post in 1648 and elected captain of the militia in 1651. While in this capacity he distinguished himself against an attack by the
Iroquois in 1653 and concluded a peace treaty with them on favorable terms. The next year, owing to this success he was named governor of the settlement. In 1661 he was sent to France to represent the colonies. He returned with soldiers, supplies, additional settlers and a commitment of support to theNew France colony by the French Monarch,Louis XIV . Re-appointed governor in 1662 he continued this position until his resignation in 1667. He was succeeded in the governorship by his son-in-law,René Gaultier de Varennes .He withdrew from public office to establish his seignorial parish at
Boucherville on the south shore of theSt Lawrence River nearMontreal .Pierre Boucher was the first Canadian settler to be ennobled by King
Louis XIV . He died at hisseignory atBoucherville .External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=658 Biography at "the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02710b.htm the "Catholic Encyclopedia"]
has a town named after him called boucher ville
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