Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent (1724 – August 8, 1794) was a merchant and military officer who played a major role in development of the Louisiana Territory
during its era as New France
and New Spain
.
Maxent was born in Longwy
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
, in Lorraine
, France
.
In 1747 he immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana
. He enlisted in the military and in 1749 married the wealthy Elizabeth La Roche and used the dowry to open a building on Conti Street to supply fur traders.
In 1753 he was promoted to colonel and commandant of the Louisiana Regiment by Governor Louis de Billouart Kerlerec. He was to distinguish himself in battles defending Louisiana against incursions by the British
and Chickasaws in the French and Indian War
.
west of the Mississippi River
.
Maxent's most ambitious effort was the formation of Maxent, Laclede and Company in which he gave 25 percent ownership to Pierre Laclède
. In 1763 LaClede selected a site on a bluff above the west side Mississippi just south of the confluences for a settlement that was to be called St. Louis, Missouri
. According to legend, work on clearing the site began on Valentine's Day
1764.
St. Louis was founded before news arrived that in the Treaty of Paris (1763)
that ended the French and Indian War Spain
would take over the Louisiana possessions of France on the west of the Mississippi River and that the British were to take over the east side of the river (officially administering what was to be Native American territories). After news arrived French settlers on the east side of the river moved to the west side at St. Louis.
Maxent was one of the first Frenchmen to pledge his allegiance to the new Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa
and Ulloa was named godfather of one of Maxent's daughters. Maxent entered into contracts to supply Spanish frigates. When the Creole
and German settlers around New Orleans resisted Spanish rule in the Rebellion of 1768
they imprisoned Maxent at his plantantion from October 25-29, 1768 releasing him after Ulloa was forced out of the city to return to Spain. In January 1769 Maxent was to thwart efforts by the plotters to enlist Native Americans to fight any attempt by the Spanish to reclaim New Orleans. In May 1769 the partnership with Laclede was dissolved with Laclede buying the St. Louis facilities for 80,000 livres with the first payment due in June 1771.
In August 1769 Alejandro O'Reilly
restored Spanish authority in New Orleans putting down the rebellion and executing five ringleaders and imprisoning five others. O'Relly abolished the Superior Council which had governed Louisiana replacing it with the Spanish Cabildo
and replaced the French laws with Spanish code.
O'Reilly gave Maxent a new patent for the fur business for the firm St. Maxent and Ranson. The firm which rivaled LaClede's was to contribute to Laclede's declining fortunes in St. Louis.
Maxent's daughter was to marry to the next Spanish governor Luis de Unzaga
.
During this period he was to believed to have been the richest man in the entire territory and built a series of lavish homes.
In the Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
which destroyed most of New Orleans, Maxent was officially commended by the Spanish for opening his home to many refugees from the fire and for selling supplies to the Spanish at the same price as was before the fire.
Spain sided with the French and United States against the British and Maxent was placed in charge of the militia (but not Spanish forces) which were to see action in the Gulf Coast campaigns including the Capture of Fort Bute
, Battle of Baton Rouge (1779)
(which included battles at Fort New Richmond and Fort Panmure near Natchez, Louisiana
, Battle of Mobile (1781)
, and ultimately the Battle of Pensacola (1781)
.
For his actions, he was named Commandant of the Militia of Louisiana, Lt. Governor of the Providence of Louisiana and West Florida, Captain-General of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs of Louisiana and West Florida.
In 1782, he traveled to Spain to get concessions from Carlos III
including doing permission to import slaves with paying duty
. As part of the negotiation, he agreed not to export specie
(gold bars).
While returning to Louisiana in 1782, his two ships and crew were captured by the British and sent to Kingston, Jamaica
where Maxent was held under house arrest and his men in prison. Maxent and his men got lenient treatment through bribes. The revolutionary war ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783)
and Maxent's fortunes quickly soured when his enemies were at peace. One of the British benefactors was arrested in Havana
, Maxent was implicated in a smuggling specie
(gold) and the Spanish revoked all his titles and his property was embargoed.
Adding to his woes his New Orleans wharehouse was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
and in 1789 he was ordered arrested again by Spanish governor Esteban Rodríguez Miró
. Maxent was to eventually clear himself of the charges but the process was to tie him up for the rest of life.
The next Spanish governor Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet
called him back to military duty to help build Fort San Felipe. Carondelet recommended that he be promoted to Brigadier General
but he died in 1794.
Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
during its era as New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
and New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
.
Maxent was born in Longwy
Longwy
Longwy is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Longoviciens.-Economy:Longwy has historically been an industrial center of the Lorraine iron mining district. The town is known for its artistic glazed pottery.-History:Longwy initially...
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
, in Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1747 he immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. He enlisted in the military and in 1749 married the wealthy Elizabeth La Roche and used the dowry to open a building on Conti Street to supply fur traders.
In 1753 he was promoted to colonel and commandant of the Louisiana Regiment by Governor Louis de Billouart Kerlerec. He was to distinguish himself in battles defending Louisiana against incursions by the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and Chickasaws in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
Founding of St. Louis
In 1755 Kerlerec gave Maxent exclusive rights to deal with Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Maxent's most ambitious effort was the formation of Maxent, Laclede and Company in which he gave 25 percent ownership to Pierre Laclède
Pierre Laclède
Pierre Laclède or Pierre Laclède Liguest was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and "stepson" Auguste Chouteau, founded St...
. In 1763 LaClede selected a site on a bluff above the west side Mississippi just south of the confluences for a settlement that was to be called St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. According to legend, work on clearing the site began on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
1764.
St. Louis was founded before news arrived that in the Treaty of Paris (1763)
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
that ended the French and Indian War Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
would take over the Louisiana possessions of France on the west of the Mississippi River and that the British were to take over the east side of the river (officially administering what was to be Native American territories). After news arrived French settlers on the east side of the river moved to the west side at St. Louis.
Rebellion of 1768
Maxent whose fortune was tied to France was to have his loyalties severely tested in the transition from French to Spanish control.Maxent was one of the first Frenchmen to pledge his allegiance to the new Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa
Antonio de Ulloa
Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Girault was a Spanish general, explorer, author, astronomer, colonial administrator and the first Spanish governor of Louisiana.Rebellion of 1768]]....
and Ulloa was named godfather of one of Maxent's daughters. Maxent entered into contracts to supply Spanish frigates. When the Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and German settlers around New Orleans resisted Spanish rule in the Rebellion of 1768
Rebellion of 1768
The Rebellion of 1768 was an unsuccessful attempt by Creole and German settlers around New Orleans, Louisiana to stop the handover of the French Louisiana Territory, as had been stipulated in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, to Spain in 1768....
they imprisoned Maxent at his plantantion from October 25-29, 1768 releasing him after Ulloa was forced out of the city to return to Spain. In January 1769 Maxent was to thwart efforts by the plotters to enlist Native Americans to fight any attempt by the Spanish to reclaim New Orleans. In May 1769 the partnership with Laclede was dissolved with Laclede buying the St. Louis facilities for 80,000 livres with the first payment due in June 1771.
In August 1769 Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly , was a military reformer and Inspector-General of Infantry for the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century...
restored Spanish authority in New Orleans putting down the rebellion and executing five ringleaders and imprisoning five others. O'Relly abolished the Superior Council which had governed Louisiana replacing it with the Spanish Cabildo
Cabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
and replaced the French laws with Spanish code.
O'Reilly gave Maxent a new patent for the fur business for the firm St. Maxent and Ranson. The firm which rivaled LaClede's was to contribute to Laclede's declining fortunes in St. Louis.
Maxent's daughter was to marry to the next Spanish governor Luis de Unzaga
Luis de Unzaga
Luis de Unzaga y Amezaga , also known as Luis Unzaga Y Amezaga, was a Spanish Governor of Louisiana from 1769 to 1777 as well as a captain general of Venezuela and Cuba....
.
During this period he was to believed to have been the richest man in the entire territory and built a series of lavish homes.
In the Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
The Great New Orleans Fire was a fire that destroyed 856 of the 1,100 structures in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21, 1788, spanning the south central French Quarter from Burgundy to Chartres Street, almost to the riverfront buildings....
which destroyed most of New Orleans, Maxent was officially commended by the Spanish for opening his home to many refugees from the fire and for selling supplies to the Spanish at the same price as was before the fire.
American Revolution
During the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
Spain sided with the French and United States against the British and Maxent was placed in charge of the militia (but not Spanish forces) which were to see action in the Gulf Coast campaigns including the Capture of Fort Bute
Capture of Fort Bute
The Capture of Fort Bute signalled the opening of Spanish intervention in the American Revolutionary War on the side of France and the United States. Mustering an ad hoc army of Spanish regulars, Acadian militia, and native levies under Gilbert Antoine de St...
, Battle of Baton Rouge (1779)
Battle of Baton Rouge (1779)
The Battle of Baton Rouge was a brief siege during the American Revolutionary War that was decided on September 21, 1779. Baton Rouge was the second British outpost to fall to Spanish arms during Bernardo de Gálvez's march into British West Florida....
(which included battles at Fort New Richmond and Fort Panmure near Natchez, Louisiana
Natchez, Louisiana
Natchez is a village in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 583 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, Battle of Mobile (1781)
Battle of Mobile (1781)
The Battle of Mobile was a British attempt to recapture the town of Mobile, in the British province of West Florida, from the Spanish during the American War of Independence. The Spanish had previously captured Mobile in March 1780...
, and ultimately the Battle of Pensacola (1781)
Battle of Pensacola (1781)
The Siege of Pensacola was fought in 1781, the culmination of Spain's conquest of the British province West Florida during the American War of Independence.-Background:...
.
For his actions, he was named Commandant of the Militia of Louisiana, Lt. Governor of the Providence of Louisiana and West Florida, Captain-General of the new Bureau of Indian Affairs of Louisiana and West Florida.
In 1782, he traveled to Spain to get concessions from Carlos III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
including doing permission to import slaves with paying duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
. As part of the negotiation, he agreed not to export specie
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
(gold bars).
While returning to Louisiana in 1782, his two ships and crew were captured by the British and sent to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
where Maxent was held under house arrest and his men in prison. Maxent and his men got lenient treatment through bribes. The revolutionary war ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
and Maxent's fortunes quickly soured when his enemies were at peace. One of the British benefactors was arrested in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Maxent was implicated in a smuggling specie
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
(gold) and the Spanish revoked all his titles and his property was embargoed.
Adding to his woes his New Orleans wharehouse was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
The Great New Orleans Fire was a fire that destroyed 856 of the 1,100 structures in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21, 1788, spanning the south central French Quarter from Burgundy to Chartres Street, almost to the riverfront buildings....
and in 1789 he was ordered arrested again by Spanish governor Esteban Rodríguez Miró
Esteban Rodríguez Miró
Esteban Rodriguez Miró y Sabater , also known as Esteban Miro and Estevan Miro, was a Spanish army officer and governor of the Spanish American provinces of Louisiana and Florida....
. Maxent was to eventually clear himself of the charges but the process was to tie him up for the rest of life.
The next Spanish governor Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet
Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet
Francisco Luis Hector, barón de Carondelet was an administrator of Burgundian descent in the employ of the Spanish Empire. He was a Knight of Malta....
called him back to military duty to help build Fort San Felipe. Carondelet recommended that he be promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
but he died in 1794.