Bienville: Father of Louisiana

Father of Louisiana by Philomena Hauck Like the Mississippi River, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville's career had many unexpected twists and turns. He came to Louisiana as Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville's faithful lieutenant, adventurous and resourceful to be sure, but a lieutenant nonetheless, whose function it was to carry out the policies of his older brother. Iberville's untimely illness and eventual death changed everything. Catapulted into a leadership role at the age of 22, Bienville performed prodigies to state off attacks and avert the total collapse of the infant colony. Year in year out, he held off the encroaching English, kept a wary eye on his jealous Spanish neighbors, patched and repatched his network of Indian alliances, borrowed food from Pensacola in times of hunger, and juggled funds around to make ends meet. Yet instead of receiving the rewards he believed to be his due, he incurred the wrath of the home government. With the appointment of Governor de Muy, he was