Pierre de Sales Laterrière (1743 or 1747 – 14 June 1815), was an adventurer who left

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 ...

in 1766. He was inspector and director of the ironworking

Forges du Saint-Maurice The Forges du Saint-Maurice ''("St. Maurice Ironworks")'' was the first successful ironworking industry in New France. At the time of the initial formation of the forges in 1730, the Saint Maurice region near Trois-Rivières had long been known fo ...

and

seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

of the municipality

Les Éboulements Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. Its population centres include Les Éboulements (located along Route 362 on the plateau overlooking the Saint Lawrence River), Éboulements-Est (at the feet ...

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 ...

(Canada). Sales Laterrière was born near

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig� ...

, (perhaps) the son of a French count, Jean Pierre De Sales. He was employed as a clerk by

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

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 1769, he left Quebec City to practice medicine with a doctor at Montmagny. Though he said he had studied medicine in Paris, Laterrière probably began practicing medicine with no formal medical training, not uncommon at that time. In 1771, he was employed as an agent for the Saint-Maurice ironworks at Quebec City. In 1775, Laterrière was hired as inspector for the ironworks and he moved to

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

. In 1776, the director of the ironworks, Christophe Pélissier (businessman), was arrested by the

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for supplying weapons and ammunition to the American army that was advancing towards Quebec. Laterrière was given the post of director after Pélissier fled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He also began living with Pélissier's wife, Marie-Catherine Delezenne. Despite public opinion and criticism from the clergy, this free thinker, defender of midwives and

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

lived unmarried with Marie-Catherine until they finally married in 1799, after the death of her first husband. Imprisoned by the British Governor

Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. From 1778 to 1786, he serve ...

on the day following the American Invasion, he was then exiled in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

from 1782 to 1783, following a (probably) false charge of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. He returned to Quebec and settled on a farm at Baie-du-Febvre (later Baieville) where he resumed the practice of medicine. In 1788, following the passing of "''An Act or Ordinance to prevent persons practising physic and surgery within the Province of Quebec,or Midwifery in the towns of Quebec or Montreal, without Licence''" the province of Quebec began to insist on doctors producing their credentials or passing an examination. As Laterrière could not produce a medical degree and failed to pass the oral examination he went to study medicine at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

where a medical school had recently opened and qualified to practice medicine one year later, in 1789. He was Harvard Medical School's first foreign graduate. He returned to Quebec to practice medicine and in 1799, he moved his medical practice to Quebec City. His income from practicing medicine and investments allowed him to purchase the seigneury of Les Éboulements in 1810. He died at Quebec City in 1815. His sons Marc Pascal and Pierre-Jean both became doctors and important figures in the province.

References

External links

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

''La famille de Sales Laterrière'', H-R Casgrain (1870) (french)
* Crawford, David S. Theses in the Osler Library including that of Pierre de Sales Laterriere.
Osler Library Newsletter No. 111, 2009
* Andres, Bernard. L'enigme de Sales Laterriere. Montreal, Quebec Amerique, 2000. * Les mémoires de Pierre de Sales Laterrière ; suivi de correspondances / �dité parBernard Andrès. Montreal, Triptyque 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sales Laterriere, Pierre De 1740s births 1815 deaths People of New France 18th-century French people 19th-century French people Harvard Medical School alumni