October 16

Born in 1658 in Gascony, France, Cadillac began his career as a cavalry officer before venturing to New France in 1698. He founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit (modern-day Detroit) in 1701 to secure French influence in the Great Lakes region. In 1710, he was appointed the third French Governor of Louisiana, where he negotiated with Native American tribes and developed colonial administration. Cadillac’s governorship faced controversy over trade disputes and governance, leading to his recall in 1716. He returned to France and died in 1730, remembered as an ambitious pioneer of North American settlement.