About: Jacques Cartier (businessman)

Jacques Cartier (April 10, 1750 – March 22, 1814) was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born in the town of Quebec in 1750, the son of a Quebec merchant. He studied at Longue-Pointe (later Montreal) and became a merchant at Quebec. Around 1772, he moved to Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, where he became a grain merchant. He served in the local militia during the American invasion of Quebec in 1775-6 and continued in the militia afterwards, becoming lieutenant-colonel in 1808. Cartier built a gristmill so he could produce flour. He also lent money, sometimes taking property as repayment. Cartier established a postal service in the Richelieu valley in 1800. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Surrey in 1804 and was reelected in 1808.