Marquis de Vaudreuil
Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Pierre de, Marquis de Vaudreuil was born on November 22, 1698 to the governor of Montreal, and by 1715 he would be a captain in the French army. In 1725 his father died and he received the burden of managing his familial affairs in Canada. Later he would be appointed to the post of adjutant of the colonial troops, and then a local governor in Quebec. On July 1, 1742 Vaudreuil would gain the governorship of Lousiana and marry Mme Le Verrier in 1746. His greatest success as governor of Louisiana would be to expand the colony's economy and hold the Indian nation to the French alliance. Finally Vaudreuil gained the title of governor-general of New France in 1755 and later the rank of major in the French troupes de la marine. As governor-general his military tactis would lead to early success against the British, where he supplied Canadian Indian allies and gave them free rein to attack on the British fronteir. His strategies would be later ctiticized by Marquis de Montcalm who fueded with Vaudreuil during his entire career. in 1759 Quebec was taken by the French and Vaudreil was forced to capulate to Major General Jeffrey Amherst. Afterwards he returned to Britain and retired to his estates where he died on August 4, 1778.