Pierre Marcoux (January 2, 1757 – November 20, 1809) was a businessman and militia officer in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. He was born at

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 ...

in 1757, the son of Pierre Marcoux and his first wife, Geneviève Lepage. Marcoux served in the militia during the defence of the town against the

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

in 1775-6. At the end of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, he was placed on half pay and received a grant of land. He married Marie-Anne, the daughter of Quebec merchant

Louis Dunière Louis Dunière (May 7, 1723 – May 31, 1806) was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born at Quebec City in 1723, the son of a merchant born in France. He purchased land, managed the seigneury of Bellechasse and was a ...

, in 1783. In 1785, in partnership with his father-in-law and other Quebec merchants, he organized an expedition to Baie des Esquimaux (

Hamilton Inlet __NOTOC__ Hamilton Inlet is a fjord-like inlet of Groswater Bay on the Labrador coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Together with Lake Melville, it forms its province's largest estuary, extending over inland to Happy V ...

) on the

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

coast to harvest

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

s. Although the first trip was not particularly successful, in 1788, they were able to trade supplies with the local natives for seals, despite a dispute with two other traders active in the area and continued to trade in the area during the 1790s. From 1796 to 1802, he served as a captain in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Regiment. In 1797, Marcoux received a share of the family farm after the death of his father. He sold his share to his father-in-law and settled at

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. He became a member there of the Club des Apôtres, which held monthly gastronomic suppers. In 1809, he was named overseer of highways for Quebec district but he died soon afterwards of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

at Berthier in 1809.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcoux, Pierre 1757 births 1809 deaths Seal hunting Lower Canada people 18th century in Quebec City