Date Published:
April 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Jean Vauquelin

Vauquelin, Jean (1728-1772), sailor, was born at Dieppe, France, in February, 1728, the son of Jean Charles Vauquelin, captain of a merchant vessel. He entered the merchant marine, and by 1750 commanded his own ship. When the Seven Years' War broke out, he was entrusted with the command of the frigate Aréthuse; and he greatly distinguished himself at the siege of Louisburg in 1758. He and his vessel finally escaped from the harbour, by running the British blockade; and in 1759 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the French flotilla in the St. Lawrence. He kept his flotilla intact until May 6, 1760, when he was defeated in an engagement with some British ships immediately above Quebec, and was taken prisoner. He was returned to France ; and after serving for twelve more years in the French navy, he died at Rochefort on November 10, 1772. The statement has been made that he committed suicide; but there is doubt about this. See Fauteux, Jean Vauquelin (Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., 1930).

Source  : W. Stewart Wallace, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. VI, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, p. 232.