Jean Lefebvre (1714–1760) was a French

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

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 ...

. He came to Quebec City in 1732 to be the assistant of François Havy, at the trading company Dugard et Cie. Havy and LeFebvre formed a partnership and two became highly successful merchants in their own right. Lefebvre and Havy's business grew steadily, as they personally handled cargos and eventually came to own a small ship of their own, the Parfaite Union. They experienced a setback when they invested in a sealing station in Labrador with Louis Bazil and

Louis Fornel Louis Fornel (August 20, 1698 – May 30, 1745) was a Canadian merchant, explorer, and seigneur in New France. Involved in maritime trade and both born and married into prominent Quebec families, Louis Fornel was among the partners Louis Bazil co ...

, and retained their interest in it until the 1745 capture of

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

by Anglo-Americans cut them off from it. They lost about a third of their original 100,000 livre investment. In 1756, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, Havy returned to France to oversee the transfer of as much of the business as possible there and Lefebvre joined with another cousin, François Levesque, as a partner to conclude what business remained. When the British captured Quebec in 1759 much of their assets in New France—in mortgages, Canadian paper money, and bills of exachange—were declared worthless by the new government. Leveque carried on as a merchant in British Canada for some time. In 1760 he finally set to return to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, but died in an accident at sea aboard the ''Trident''.

References

* * People of New France 1714 births 1760 deaths Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople French merchants 18th-century Canadian businesspeople {{Canada-business-bio-stub, Lefebvre, Jean