Claude de Saint-Étienne de la Tour ( 1570 – after 1636) was born in the province of Champagne, France and came to

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

in 1610 after suffering heavy losses as a ship's captain. Claude arrived in Acadia to assist

Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just (Jean Biencourt, Baron of Poutrincourt and Saint-Just) (1557–1615) was a member of the French nobility best remembered as a commander of the French colonial empire, one of those responsible for ...

in establishing a permanent colony at Port-Royal, N.S. He was accompanied by his son,

Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour (1593–1666) was a Huguenot French colonist and fur trader who served as Governor of Acadia from 1631–1642 and again from 1653–1657. Early life Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour was born in France i ...

, and they were initially occupied with the construction of buildings and planting crops. After the initial colonization effort, it is known that Claude engaged in fur-trading activities in the

Penobscot Bay Penobscot Bay () is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean in south central Maine, a stretch known as Midcoast Maine, in a broader Atlantic region known as Down East. The bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River, ...

area. It is believed that

Fort Pentagouet Fort Pentagouët (Fort Pentagoet, Fort Castine, Fort Penobscot, Fort Saint-Pierre) was a French fort established in present-day Castine, Maine, which was the capital of Acadia (1670–1674). It is the oldest permanent settlement in New England. ...

, a combined trading post and fishing station which he built, was the first permanent settlement in present-day New England. We know that about 1626, Claude de La Tour had to abandon the area to the

Plymouth colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

. Claude returned to France and upon returning to his son's fort at Cap de Sable in the spring of 1628, the ships were captured by the British, under the command of Sir

David Kirke Sir David Kirke ( – ) was an English privateer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1638 to 1651. He is best known for capturing Québec from the French in 1629 during the Anglo-French War. A favourite o ...

, and he was sent as a prisoner to England. He returned to Acadia in 1630 with an English wife and briefly switched allegiance to the British. There was a siege of Fort la Tour by Claude with his son resisting and winning. Claude was eventually convinced by his son Charles to return to Cap de Sable and French allegiance. He lived his remaining years in that area. He was in receipt of a large land grant and Fort Pentagouët itself by the French Crown although it does not appear that he took residential possession of it.

Family

He married Marie Amador de Salazar, a descendant of

Georges de La Trémoille Georges de la Trémoille (c. 1382 –6 May 1446) was Count of Guînes from 1398 to 1446 and Grand Chamberlain of France to King Charles VII of France. He sought reconciliation between Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Charles VII during their ...

, the

Grand Chamberlain of France The Grand Chamberlain of France () was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household"), and one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the Ancien Régime. It is similar in name ...

to King

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

. She gave him a son,

Notes and references

Fur traders from New France 1570s births 1636 deaths People from Champagne (province) {{Business-bio-stub