Gilles Hocquart was born in 1694, in Sainte-Croix, Mortagne-au-Perche to Jean-Hyacinthe Hocquart. From September, 1729 to August, 1748, Hocquart served as Intendant of New France.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 20. Hocquart put his faith in the Canadian bourgeoisie as the main player in the development of a profitable economy for the colony. Although his ideas were grand, he did not recognize the flaws that were already impeding the economy at a smaller scale. After a few rentable years, New France's fragile economy began to crumble, and by the end of his contract, Hocquart was held responsible for too many extraordinary expenses. He was called home and replaced by Francois Bigot. Nonetheless, the years between 1737 and 1741 were among the most prosperous in the history of New France.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 194.
Early life There is an unfortunate lack of materials regarding Hocquart's personal history. What little sources remain are mostly professional exchanges between various officials, making it difficult to understand the man behind the intendant.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 21.
We do know that Hocquart's family came from the provincial nobility.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 22-23. Gilles Hocquart was born in the parish of Sainte-Croix, Mortagne, Perche in 1694.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 28. His official date of birth remains a mystery. His young adult years were spent in school, preparing for his ultimate goal: to follow in his father Jean-Hyacinthe's footsteps.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 27-29. In 1723, at 29 years old, Hocquart arrived at the Marine commissariat at Rochefort, where he remained until his appointment to New France in 1729. In 1725, now aged 31, Hocquart took on the position of Port controller permanently, which made him a financial officer with broad responsibilities including finances and material resources at Rochefort. These responsibilities were of the utmost importance. So much so, in fact, that by 1728, he was "second in authority to Beauharnois."Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 29. Therefore, Hocquart found himself in a very favorable place for a promotion to a colonial intendancy.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 30.
At the time, Jean Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas, was the State Secretary of Navy in charge of colonial intendants. In the case of New France, Maurepas wanted "a more obedient, down-to-earth and efficient man with whom to replace Claude-Thomas Dupuy," the intendant from 1725 to 1728.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 40. On March 8, 1729, Maurepas formally commissioned Hocquart to perform the functions of Intendant in remote New France as commissaire-ordonnateur, a rank below that of Intendant.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 30, 39, 41. This measure was adopted to give Hocquart a trial period of two years. Indeed, two years later, Hocquart would be promoted to the full rank of Intendant in March 1731.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 120.
Formation During his long stay at Rochefort, Hocquart received a lengthy training which prepared him to handle most of the bureaucratic functions of a colonial Intendant.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 31. However, he possessed only a "rudimentary grasp of the kind of productive economic infrastructure that was needed to spawn commercial prosperity" in New France.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 32. This lack of understanding led Hocquart to believe that "the commercial bourgeois' capital was the key to both the expansion of trade and to the diversification of commercial enterprise."Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 33-34. This belief would prove costly; although some industries like fishery and private shipbuilding were greatly enhanced by Hocquart's' financial support, most of the economy suffered from a lack of organization.
That is not to say that Hocquart failed completely. In other sectors of administration, Hocquart proved very effective. According to Horton, Hocquart was a practical individual who acted in accordance with views distilled from observation and experience.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 36. Many of his contemporaries in Canada considered him level-headed and cooperative. Maurepas noted that Hocquart, unlike several of his predecessors, made "virtually no suggestions for constitutional reforms designed to redistribute government power in his favour."Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 38. Moreover, it was found that, though "flexible in his methods, Hocquart possessed the sort of narrow, dogged intelligence that is often better suited to carrying out policies than to formulating them." His attitude was as easy-going as could be. The long period of administrative harmony that prevailed between him and Governor Beauharnois during the 1730s is proof that Hocquart was eager to cooperate, rather than stir up animosity.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 39.
Hocquart, like many intendants before him, saw "Canadian intendancy as a stepping stone to greater position and wealth."Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 121. As such, he always expected to go home to France once his service was over. In other words, although he invested quite a lot in New France, Hocquart never considered it his home.
Intendant in New France As intendant, Hocquart served as president of the highest court in Canada, the Superior Council.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 74. Naturally, he was responsible for the maintenance of public order. However, Hocquart had a different way to go about it. Horton notes that Hocquart was more practical than his predecessor, therefore also more reluctant to propose changes before familiarizing himself on a first-hand basis with Canadian conditions.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 86. Hocquart was also given authority to investigate the conduct of all the financial officials in New France.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 73. Although he held many powers, Hocquart tried to remain on amiable terms with his contemporaries, notably Governor Beauharnois, by respecting both their boundaries. This attitude helped both men to share a long and positive relation. But, over time, Hocquart's interests led him to interfere in the affairs of Beauharnois. By the late 1730s, relations between Hocquart and Beauharnois began to crumble.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 225.
Land Distribution and Agriculture Hoquart's immediate predecessors, Michel Bégon and Claude-Thomas Dupuy, had failed miserably at convincing the habitants to clear new concessions and the seigneurs to settle new tenants.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 67. This procedure was essential for the development of agriculture. Hocquart was initially very successful in this venture, as dispatches to the Minister show that from 1731 to 1732, reunion of concessions doubled; in only one year, the number of concessions went from 200 to 400.Munro, W.B. Documents Relating to the Seigniorial Tenure in Canada, 1598 -1854. Toronto: Champlain Society, 1908. pp 174-177. But numerous concessions meant nothing if they could not be settled by enough families to work the land. Plus, it was "much harder for seigneurs whose fiefs were far from the towns to attract tenants."Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 112. In 1731, to encourage settlement and to tie all of New France's agricultural regions more closely to the town markets, Hocquart initiated a major road-building program.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 169. Completed in 1737, the road between Quebec and Montreal reduced travel time from as much as a month by river barge, to just four-and-a-half days.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 170.
Still, agriculture was not picking up. The habitants, even those in the well developed areas, seldom cleared more than a third of their land and most were satisfied with raising enough grain and vegetables for their families alone.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 112. So, Hocquart issued other ordinances which were aimed at regulating the habitant's life more closely in the hope of making him a more productive farmer.Donald James Horton. Gilles Hocquart, intendant of New France, 1729-1748. Montreal: McGill University, 1974. p 114.
Hocquart was also responsible for new settlements projects along with Governor Beauharnois. Together, they prepared Proposals, in which they argued whether certain projects could be deemed advantageous for both the King and the growth of the colony.Munro, W.B. Documents Relating to the Seigniorial Tenure in Canada, 1598 -1854. Toronto: Champlain Society, 1908. p 181.
Economy