
Pierre de Sales Laterrière (; 1743 or 1747 – 14 June 1815), was an adventurer who left
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1766. He was inspector and director of the ironworking
Forges du Saint-Maurice and
seigneur
A seigneur () or lord 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. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...
of the municipality
Les Éboulements in
New France
New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, 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 Kingdom of Great Br ...
(Canada).
Sales Laterrière was born near
Albi
Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...
, (perhaps) the son of a French count, Jean Pierre De Sales. He was employed as a clerk by
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright.
His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
at
Quebec City
Quebec City 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 Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
. 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 (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located 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
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. 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 (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
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 on the day following the American Invasion, he was then exiled in
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
from 1782 to 1783, following a (probably) false charge of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
. 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
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
*
*
* 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