Pierre Boucher

Who was Pierre Boucher?

Pierre Boucher and later Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, born and baptized 1 August 1622 in Mortagne-au-Perche, died 19 April 1717 at the age of 95 at Boucherville, came to Canada from France in 1635 with his father. At the age of 18, he entered the services of the Jesuits and spent 4 years with the Huron missions at Georgian Bay.

In 1641, Governor Huault de Montmagny took him into his service as a soldier in the garrison of Quebec city, but especially as an interpreter and agent to the Indian tribes due to his familiarity with the Huron dialects. In this capacity he took part in all the parleys of the authorities with the Indians.

In 1645 Boucher was appointed official interpreter of Indian languages at Trois-Rivières. He was appointed commissary-general of the trading post in 1648 and elected captain of the militia in 1651. While in this capacity he distinguished himself against an attack by the Iroquois in 1653 and concluded a peace treaty with them on favorable terms. The next year, owing to this success he was named governor of the settlement. In 1661 he was sent to France to represent the colonies. He returned with soldiers, supplies, additional settlers and a commitment of support to the New France colony by the French Monarch, Louis XIV. Re-appointed governor in 1662 he continued this position until his resignation in 1667. His "L'histoire veritable et naturelle des moeurs et productions du pays de la Nouvelle-France, vulgairement dite le Canada", a description of the flora, fauna and native societies in the region was published in Paris in 1664. He was succeeded in the governorship by his son-in-law, René Gaultier de Varennes.