Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Philippe, 1643 - 1725

Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was the son of Jean-Louis Rigaud and Marie de Chateauverdun of Dreuihe, France.  He entered military service in 1672 as a musketeer in Flanders.  Imperial authorities sent Vaudreuil to command a force of marines in New France in 1687.  That same year, he was appointed acting governor of Montreal.  As a military officer, he led several expeditions against the Iroquois, especially during the campaign of 1696, and successfully defended Quebec against the English.  Vaudreuil became governor general of New France in 1703.  His policies towards the Five Nations and the Wabenaki sought to maintain the stability that came from the 1701 peace treaty.  Despite attempts by the English to lure the First Nations to their interests, Vaudreuil was successful in maintaining a French-Native alliance.  His administration was marked by two military conflicts, Queen Anne's War and the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War (Father Rale's War).  He was influential in ransoming English war captives and adopted one, Esther Wheelwright, into his family.  DCB.  Image courtesy of the Library and Archives Canada.