French soldier and diplomat
Anne-Cesar de La Luzerne
(15 July 1741 ? 14 September 1791) was an 18th-century French soldier and
diplomat
who had an influential role to the Continental Congress and new government of the United States of America after it gained independence from Great Britain. Descended from an illustrious Normandy family, as a
Knight of Malta
and the
Order of Saint Louis
he was
styled
Chevalier before
King Louis XVI
created him a
Marquis
in 1785.
Biography
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Born on 15 July 1741 in
Paris
, his father was Cesar Antoine de la Luzerne, comte de Beuzeville (died 1755), a
Marechal de camp
in the king's army, and his mother was Marie-Elisabeth de Lamoignon de Blancmesnil
[1]
(1716?1758), the daughter of
Lord Chancellor Lamoignon
and the sister of the
Secretary of State
Malesherbes
. Anne-Cesar's brothers were
Cesar Henri, comte de La Luzerne
,
Naval Minister
and
Cardinal La Luzerne
.
Anne-Cesar de La Luzerne joined the
French Royal Army
in 1754 and served with distinction during the
Seven Years' War
. He commanded the
Grenadiers royaux de France
, reaching the rank of
Major-General
in 1762.
He entered diplomatic service as French Minister Plenipotentiary, first to
Bavaria
(1777?1778), and then in the
United States
.
Minister to the United States
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In 1779 La Luzerne succeeded
Conrad Alexandre Gerard de Rayneval
as the French
Minister
to the United States and later served as the official
Ambassador
of France until 1784.
[1]
During his time in
Philadelphia
, established as a base for the Continental Congress, when the British occupied New York City, he never failed to show his sympathy for the young Republic. He guaranteed a personal loan to buy food for the troops in 1780. In return he obtained, in 1782, the agreement that the American
Continental Congress
should not ratify any peace treaty with Great Britain until agreement was reached between France and Britain. He arranged for a requiem Mass after the death of
Juan de Miralles
(a Spanish representative to the Continental Congress), at
St. Mary's Church
in Philadelphia on 8 May 1780. That same year, he was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society
based in the same city.
[2]
La Luzerne was a major proponent of ratification of the
Articles of Confederation
; he felt that this new form of government would help strengthen the American state.
Maryland
persisted as the only state to block ratification of the Articles; they held out because some states had not yet given up claims to land west of the
Appalachian Mountains
. When Maryland requested France to provide naval forces in the
Chesapeake Bay
for protection from the British (who were conducting raids in the lower part of the bay), he indicated that French Admiral
Destouches
would do what he could, but La Luzerne also "sharply pressed" Maryland to ratify the Articles, thus suggesting the two issues were related. Maryland ratified the Articles in February 1781.
[3]
La Luzerne also suggested that the Confederation government appoint ministers of war, finance, and foreign affairs. He was assisted by General and Congressman
John Sullivan
[4]
La Luzerne returned to Europe in 1784, his reputation as an
envoy
much enhanced. In 1789,
Thomas Jefferson
, the first
U.S. Secretary of State
, sent La Luzerne a letter of thanks on behalf of
President George Washington
. In 1788 La Luzerne was posted as
Ambassador
to the
Court of St. James's
in
London
, and died on 14 September 1791 at
Southampton
.
Legacy and honors
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See also
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Notes
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References
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External links
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