Vincent Gaspard Pierre de Rochemore (c. 1726–1763) was a French nobleman from

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

who entered the military as a career. In the mid-18th century, he was appointed as a colonial official in

French Louisiana The term French Louisiana refers to two distinct regions: * first, to colonial French Louisiana, comprising the massive, middle section of North America claimed by France during the 17th and 18th centuries; and, * second, to modern French Louisi ...

, where he served as the Commissary-General of the Marine and

Ordonnateur An ''ordonnateur'' or ''commissaire-ordonnateur'' in the French colonial era was responsible for fiscal matters in a colony, as opposed to the governor, who was responsible for the military. The relationship between the two heads was often tense. ...

of Louisiana. He is chiefly known for his bitter conflict with the Chevalier de Kerlerec, the colonial governor from 1753 to 1763, who ordered him recalled to France. Rochemore was imprisoned for a time, but he was able to get support for his side of their dispute and succeeded in having Kerlerec recalled. The former governor was sent into exile.

Biography

Vincent Gaspard Pierre de Rochemore was born in

, France as the fifth son of Henri de Rochemore (d. 1739), Chevalier de St. Louis and seigneur de la Dévèze, and his wife Marie-Blanche de Ricard. His father was a lieutenant of the ships of the king."Henri de Rochemore"
''Nobility of Languedoc - Volume I,'' p. 434, at GenealogieQuebec.Info website. As a younger son, Vincent would not inherit the title or estate. He entered the French military, becoming an officer. He married Marie-Madeleine de Gaston in 1748 at

Rochefort-du-Gard Rochefort-du-Gard is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in southern France. Population Culture Rochefort-du-Gard is integrated into Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie but naturally rooted in Pr ...

, and they had two sons, Francois (b. 1751) and Louis (b. 1755). De Rochemore was appointed to serve as the Commissary-General of the Marine and Ordonnateur of Louisiana, and reached New Orleans in 1758. In this position, Rochemore was responsible for the administration of justice in the colony, as well as the regulation of commerce, finances, and policing. He came into almost instant conflict with governor Kerlerec. Rochemore refused to authorize payment to the Swiss mercenaries serving in the colony, whom Kerlerec had hired as he believed they maintained much-needed discipline. The two accused each other of corruption. At one point, the governor had Rochemore's secretary dragged from his bed at three in the morning by a detachment of soldiers, to be removed from the colony by ship. Kerlerec arranged for Rochemore to be recalled to France to answer charges, along with two other of the governor's political enemies,

Antoine Philippe de Marigny Antoine Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville (17 July 1721 – 6 November 1779), Chevalier de St. Louis, was a French geographer and explorer. Born in Mobile in 1722, he was part of the Creole elite of French Louisiana. Biography Antoine Phi ...

and Royal Treasurer

Jean Baptiste d'Estrehan Jean-Baptiste d'Estrehan de Beaupré (surname often written as Destrehan; died 26 February 1765, New Orleans, Louisiana) was a high-ranking French official in colonial Louisiana and the founder of the Destrehan family there. A native of France, he ...

. Rochemore used his influence in France to discredit Kerlerec. The governor was removed from his position as governor and recalled to France; then Kerlerec was exiled. Rochemore died in France in 1763, survived by his widow and two sons. His younger son, Louis, died in battle in 1778 while commanding one of the ships in the fleet of Admiral de Suffren. The older son, François, was a career French military officer. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, he was among French nobles who were imprisoned. He was later executed on charges of conspiracy during his imprisonment. Wallon, Henri Alexandre
''Histoire de Tribunal revolutionnaire de Paris''
pg. 440

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochemore, Vincent de People of Louisiana (New France) 1763 deaths Year of birth unknown