Le Moyne, Charles, Sieur de Longueuil et de Châteauguay << luh mwan, shahrl, syur duh lawn gee ay duh shah toh gay >> (1626-1685), was a Canadian colonist and the first of a large family of French-Canadian heroes. The city of Longueuil, Quebec, is named after him.
Le Moyne left France in 1641. In Canada, he lived first at a Jesuit mission with the Huron, where he learned several indigenous (native) dialects. Later, he became a fur trader and soldier and one of the richest people in Montreal.
The French government honored Le Moyne with many titles, including that of Sieur de Longueuil et de Châteauguay, and gave him large grants of land. Le Moyne encouraged many French settlers to live on these lands and helped them during their pioneer years. He was born on Aug. 2, 1626, in Dieppe, France, and died in February 1685. He married Catherine Thierry-Primot.
Seven of Le Moyne’s sons won fame fighting for France. Two of his sons—Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville and Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville—explored the gulf regions of the Mississippi River and the river mouth. They claimed the land for France. Pierre served as governor general of the region and, upon his death, Jean Baptiste succeeded him. Jean Baptiste founded the city of New Orleans in 1718.
