Jean-Joseph de Laborde

Jean-Joseph de Laborde was a wealthy French merchant who ended his life under the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Born into a modest family near Jaca in Aragon, as a youth de Laborde joined his uncle who ran a maritime import-export company at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, located east of the Biscay Bay. Following his uncle’s death he inherited the company and through a shrewd business decisions made a considerable fortune. It is known that he owned the sugar plantations on Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and had successful trade relations with American colonies which he supplied with the basic commodities in exchange for financially more interesting products, such as tropical fruits and rare trees.

Thanks to his welfare and prominence, de Laborde was elevated to the noble rank and allowed to acquire several estates, including a splendid castle of Méréville, which made a base of social prestige of the noble class. About his influence testified the fact that he was appointed banker to the court by the Duke of Choiseul, a foreign minister of France at that time.

De Laborde lost his life during the French Revolution under the guillotine on suspicion of having conspired against the dominant party.