Pierre Boucher

Pierre Boucher and later Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, born and baptized 1 August 1622 in Mortagne-au-Perche, died 19 April 1717 at the age of 95 at Boucherville, was a French settler, soldier, official and governor in New France (in what is now Canada).

He emigrated from France to New France in 1634 with his father, Gaspard Boucher. At the age of 18, he entered the services of the Jesuits and spent four years with the Huron missions at Georgian Bay (see Sainte-Marie among the Hurons).

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 the colony of New France by the French king, Louis XIV. Pierre Boucher was the first Canadian settler to be ennobled by King Louis XIV.

Re-appointed governor in 1662, a position he held until his resignation in 1667. His L'histoire veritable et naturelle des moeurs et productions du pays de la Nouvelle-France, vulgairement dite le Canada, a description of the flora, fauna and native societies in the region (and a significant, pioneering documentation of North American natural history) was published in Paris in 1664. He was succeeded in the governorship by his son-in-law, René Gaultier de Varennes. He withdrew from public office to establish his seigneurial parish at Boucherville on the south shore of the St Lawrence River near Montreal. He died at his seigneury at Boucherville, which was named in his honour.

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