Thérèse de Couagne (19 January 1697 – 26 February 1764) was a

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

and slave owner who played an active role in the economy of

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 ...

. Thérèse de Couagne was born on 19 January 1697 in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, New France. She was the daughter of Charles de Couagne, a merchant trader, and Marie Gaudé She died on 26 February 1764 at the

Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (; founded in 1645) was the first hospital established in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ''Hôtel-Dieu'', literally translated in English as ''Hotel of God'', is an archaic French term for hospital, referring to the ori ...

. She was married to

François Poulin de Francheville François Poulin de Francheville, Seigneur de Saint-Maurice (7 October 1692 – November 1733) was a Montreal merchant who was granted permission by the King of France to mine the iron ore deposits on his seigneury in 1730. In 1730, Francheville fo ...

on 27 November 1718 and became a widow on 28 November 1733. She became interested in business after her husband died. She also inherited ownership of the

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

Marie-Joseph Angélique Marie-Josèphe dite Angélique (died June 21, 1734) was the name given to a Portuguese-born black slave in New France by her last owners. She was tried and convicted of setting fire to her owner's home, burning much of what is now referred to as ...

, who was convicted of setting de Couagne's house on alight, starting the fire of Montreal in 1734. Though Angélique was executed, contemporary historians are unsure of who set the fire.

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People of New France 1697 births 1764 deaths Pre-Confederation Quebec people Canadian women in business Canadian slave owners 18th-century Canadian businesspeople Women slave owners 18th-century Canadian businesswomen {{Canada-business-bio-stub, Couagne, Thérèse de