No. 8696 · dated by century
Pierre Chauvin de la Pierre
Pierre Chauvin was a Huguenot merchant and sea captain, temporary commandant at Quebec in 1609–10.
A bourgeois of Dieppe, Chauvin’s activities were recorded at Honfleur where he lived before he sailed for Canada in 1603 with François Gravé Du Pont and Samuel Champlain aboard the Bonne Renommée.
He visited Canada once again in 1608 as “king’s captain in the navy” aboard a small vessel the Levrette, which he bought in partnership with another captain Tuvache. During Champlain’s absence in the autumn 1609 Chavin, who was described as “worthy man…”, was left in command of Quebec.
De la Pierre returned to France in 1610, but already the next year he returned to Canada to trade in furs. In 1612 De La Pierre decided to undertake a journey to Brazil, after which all the traces of him were lost in historical sources.
