Thérèse Levasseur
Encyclopedia
Thérèse Levasseur, also known as Thérèse Le Vasseur and Thérèse Lavasseur, was the domestic partner of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau
.
She was a barely-literate seamstress who may have borne him as many as five children, all of whom were given away to Enfants-Trouvés foundling home, the first in 1746 and the others in 1747, 1748, 1751, and 1752.
They met in March 1745, at the hotel where he was staying, and she was employed as a chambermaid, and, although they never married, she remained his companion until his death.
They went through a legally invalid marriage ceremony at Bourgoin on August 29, 1768. Therese provided Rousseau with support and care, and when he died, she became the sole heiress of his belongings, including manuscripts and royalties.
After Rousseau's death in 1778, she married valet Jean-Henri Bally in November 1779. They lived together in Le Plessis-Belleville
until her death in 1801.
Mount Lavasseur, Alaska
, is named after her, for its proximity to Rousseau Peak.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
.
She was a barely-literate seamstress who may have borne him as many as five children, all of whom were given away to Enfants-Trouvés foundling home, the first in 1746 and the others in 1747, 1748, 1751, and 1752.
They met in March 1745, at the hotel where he was staying, and she was employed as a chambermaid, and, although they never married, she remained his companion until his death.
They went through a legally invalid marriage ceremony at Bourgoin on August 29, 1768. Therese provided Rousseau with support and care, and when he died, she became the sole heiress of his belongings, including manuscripts and royalties.
After Rousseau's death in 1778, she married valet Jean-Henri Bally in November 1779. They lived together in Le Plessis-Belleville
Le Plessis-Belleville
Le Plessis-Belleville is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-See also:*Communes of the Oise department*Communes of the Picardie region ,http://www.lescommunes.com/regions/fr/picardie...
until her death in 1801.
Mount Lavasseur, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, is named after her, for its proximity to Rousseau Peak.