Paul de Chomedey Maisonneuve, sieur de

Maisonneuve, Paul de Chomedey, sieur de (pōl də shômdāˈ syör də māzôNnövˈ) [key], 1612–76, founder and first governor of Montreal, b. France. A soldier, he fought in European wars before being sent by the Société de Notre Dame de Montréal to take possession of their grant in the new world. He landed (1642) on Montreal island, where he established the city of Ville Marie, later Montreal, and administered the colony for 22 years (1642–63). He returned (1665) to France and died in obscurity in Paris.