Talon, Jean Baptiste, << tah LOHN, zhahn bah TEEST >> (1625-1694), a French official, served from 1665 to 1672 as intendant (administrative head) of justice and finance in Canada, then called New France. Talon set up royal administration in the French colony. He oversaw the settlement of some 2,000 colonists, mainly soldiers and Frenchwomen. Talon conducted the first Canadian census in 1666. He put the economy on a sound basis and established a royal shipyard in Quebec City. Talon was born on Jan. 8, 1625, in Chalons-sur-Marne, France. He died on Nov. 24, 1694.
