Charles Aubert de La Chesnaye (12 February 1632 - 20 September 1702) was a French businessman active in Canada. The richest financier and businessman in

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...

, he played an important part in the colony's economic life (such as its trade, finance, fur trade, fishing and agriculture), owned several seigneuries and was a member of the

Sovereign Council of New France The Sovereign Council (french: Conseil souverain) was a governing body in New France. It served as both Supreme Court for the colony of New France, as well as a policy-making body, though this latter role diminished over time. The council, though ...

. In 1682 he founded the (largely unsuccessful) ''Compagnie du Nord'' to compete with the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

. He has been called "the principal businessman and the greatest landowner of the colony".City of Quebec - biography
Several places in the

Quebec province Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

and

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

are named after him and in 1971 he was made one of Canada's

Persons of National Historic Significance Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the re ...

. His descendants include the writer Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé.

References

People of New France Canadian fur traders History of Quebec City French financiers 1632 births 1702 deaths {{NewFrance-stub