L’Enfant, Pierre Charles, << lahn FAHN, pyair shahrl >> (1754-1825), a French engineer and architect, became the first modern city planner in the United States. In 1791, he was commissioned to prepare a plan for the new U.S. capital city in the District of Columbia. His plan envisioned a city of parks, public buildings, and wide, radiating streets. His headstrong temperament led him into a disagreement with President George Washington, and L’Enfant was dismissed as engineer-in-charge in 1792. But his plan formed the basis for the development of Washington, D.C. See Washington, D.C.
L’Enfant was born on Aug. 2, 1754, and educated in Paris. He came to America in 1777, and served as an engineering officer in the Revolutionary War. He designed Federal Hall in New York City (see Federal Hall). He spent the later years of his life trying to obtain greater compensation for his work at Washington, D.C. L’Enfant died on June 14, 1825. In 1909, Congress erected a monument to him in Arlington National Cemetery, where he is buried.
