Le Moyne, Jean Baptiste, Sieur de Bienville, << luh mwan, zhahn bah teest, syur duh byan veel >> (1680-1768), a French-Canadian explorer and administrator, played a leading role in the European settlement of Louisiana. He served as governor of Louisiana from 1701 to 1712 and from 1732 to 1743. He was acting governor of the colony from 1716 to 1717. As leader of the French colony, Bienville displayed considerable skill in maintaining good relations with neighboring Indians. He provided the leadership that turned Louisiana from an isolated outpost into an established colony.
Bienville was born on Feb. 23, 1680, in Montreal. His given and family name was Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne. He received the title Sieur de Bienville in 1691. In 1699, he and his brother Iberville explored the region around the mouth of the Mississippi River. Bienville founded Mobile, Alabama, in 1702, and New Orleans in 1718. He died on March 7, 1768.
