| Carlos de Grand Pré | |
| Term Start: | 1799 |
| Term End: | 1808 |
| Successor: | Carlos de Hault de Lassus |
| Birth Date: | 1746 |
| Birth Place: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Death Date: | 1809 |
| Death Place: | Havana, Cuba |
| Profession: | Administrator and Military personnel |
Carlos Louis Boucher De Grand Pré (October 25, 1745 – 1809) was Spanish governor of the Baton Rouge district (1799–1808), as well as brevet colonel in the Spanish Army. He also served as lieutenant governor of Red River District and of the Natchez District.
Grand Pré was born in New Orleans, and was baptized Charles Louis Grand Pré on 25 October 1745, at the parish church of St. Louis in New Orleans. His parents were the Canadian nobleman Louis Antoine Boucher de Grand Pré, a captain of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and commandant of the Arkansas Post and Fort Tombecbe, and his Louisiana creole wife Thérèse Gallard.[1] In Spanish records after 1769, his first name is usually given as "Carlos."
He participated in the expansion of Baton Rouge under Elias Beauregard, although its original authorization had not been compiled. Ownership of Louisiana changed several times during this time period.[2]
This was illustrated by taking the British military posts of Thompson's Creek and Amite River, under the command of Governor Bernardo de Gálvez, and the campaign for Fort Manchac and Fort New Richmond, in 1779. He served as commander of Pointe Coupée[2] and as lieutenant governor of the Red River District, stationed at Avoyelles, under the Spanish regime.[3]
Grand Pré was also commandant of Natchez District between 1786 and 1792.[4] During this period, Grand Pré built two parishes here in an attempt to convert inhabitants to Catholicism; however, the venture was unsuccessful.[5] In 1789, he established the "Concord" mansion in Natchez.[4] In a letter dated March 2, 1790, Carlos de Grand Pré created a list of tobacco farmers in the Natchez District, mainly from Kentucky and Virginia, that outlined production quantities and origination of each farm between the years of 1788 and 1790.[2] After leaving Natchez, he received land around the Avoyelles Post.[2]
In 1799, Grand Pré was appointed governor of the Baton Rouge.[6] In 1805, the governor proposed that Isleño settlers from the Canary Islands[7] relocate from Galvez Town to the new settlement of Spanish Town in the Baton Rouge District. Grand Pré drew up the layout of an area east of the fort "out of cannon shot" for the settlement.
Ever since the Sale of Louisiana by the French to the United States, there had been rumblings against the Spaniards in West Florida. In August 1804, a group of Americans under the leadership of Reuben Kemper published a declaration of independence, captured the Spanish commander and his alcalde at Bayou Sara, and set out to capture Gov. Grand Pré at Baton Rouge. They had hoped to surprise the Spanish official, but Grand Pré was well-warned and the Americans withdrew after a little desultory shooting. The Kempers retired to Pinckneyville, just over the line in the Mississippi Territory, from where they kept up a running battle with the Spanish.[8]
An ultimate result of the activity of the Kempers and when Napoleon was attempting to install his brother on the Spanish throne was the recall of Grand Pré to Havana by the captain-general for questioning over his mild policies against the inhabitants. Grand Pré died in Cuba in 1809 while awaiting trial. According to his friend Pedro Favrot, he was executed for "pro-French" activities.[8] Carlos de Hault de Lassus, who succeeded Grand Pré as governor of the district, was much criticized for accused corruption[8] and taken prisoner during the West Florida revolt in 1810.