Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
| Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Vaudreuil by Donat Nonnotte
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| Governor General of New France | |
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In office 1755–1760 |
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| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | Marquis Du Quesne |
| Succeeded by | Province of Quebec |
| Governor of Louisiana | |
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In office 1743–1753 |
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| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne |
| Succeeded by | Louis Billouart |
| Governor of Trois-Rivières | |
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In office 1733–1742 |
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| Monarch | Louis XV |
| Preceded by | Josué Dubois Berthelot de Beaucours |
| Succeeded by | Claude-Michel Bégon de la Cour |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 November 1698 Quebec, New France |
| Died | 4 August 1778 (aged 79) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil (22 November 1698 – 4 August 1778) was a Canadian-born colonial governor of Canada (New France) in North America. He was governor of French Louisiana (1743–1753) and in 1755 became the last Governor-General of New France. In 1759 and 1760 the British conquered the colony in the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War).
He was born to the Governor-General of New France, Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil and his wife Louise-Élisabeth, daughter of Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson, in Quebec. He was the uncle of Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil.
Vaudreuil-Cavagnial rose quickly through the New France military and civil service, in part owing to his father's patronage but also due to his own innate ability. Commissioned an officer of the French army while still a youth, in 1733 he was appointed governor of Trois-Rivières, and in 1742 of French Louisiana, serving there from to May 10, 1743 to February 9, 1753 and proving himself a skilled officer and capable administrator. He moved to France in 1753 before being appointed by King Louis XV as governor of New France in 1755.
The first governor of New France to be born in Canada, his leadership was questioned and some of his orders were ignored by officials of the French army such as Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, who judged him to be "too Canadian". Although Vaudreuil-Cavagnial held supreme civil authority in Canada and was technically commander-in-chief of all French forces there, he clashed often with Montcalm, the military commander in the field, who resented his oversight role. The two men grew to detest one another, much to the detriment of the French war effort. Vaudreuil-Cavagnal had excellent relations with the Canadian militia and with the Native-Canadian tribes allied with France; Montcalm looked down on both, preferring to rely upon French regular troops and making poor use of irregular Canadian and pro-French Native-Canadian forces.
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