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This is the first detailed study account of the life and career of Chaumont whose chief claim to fame was the fact that from 1777 to 1785 Benjamin Franklin lived in his home in the Parisian suburb of Passy. Basing his work on documents from two dozen archives in the United States and France, Schaeper demonstrates that Chaumont was far more than merely a landlord. Prior to the American Revolution he had become one of the most powerful and respected businessmen of the Old Regime. For personal as well as patriotic reasons he aided the American insurgents and worked with a wide array of persons. In addition to Franklin, these included John Adams, Silas Deane, Caron de Beaumarchais, the marquis de Lafayette and the comte de Vergennes. Chaumont performed an astounding range of services - acting as intermediary, an adviser, and a supplier of arms and clothing. His most dramatic contribution to the American cause involved John Paul Jones. It was Chaumont who obtained the famous Bonhomme Richard for the commodore. Through looking at the activities of this intriguing individual the author is able to offer many new insights into both American and French history. Lively and well written this biography will appeal to both the historian and the general reader.
“Specialists will welcome his judicious treatment of controversies surrounding Chaumont's relationships with Franklin and Jones, and his description of life on Chaumont's estate in Passy, where landlord and tenant maintained independent households. Generalists will profit from the book as a window on the complementary nature of business and diplomacy in the late 18th century.” · Choice
"... a well-written and thoroughly researched biography of a 'forgotten Frenchman' ... Schaeper wades masterfully through the conflicting evidence and interpretations and produces an admirable synthesis of recent scholarship on the French-American alliance ... also presents excellent background on the many aspects of the prewar French economy ..." · William and Mary Quarterly
Preface
Chapter 1. Chaumont's First Fifty Years
Chapter 2. France and the Coming of the American Revolution
Chapter 3. Chaumont Enters the Picture
Chapter 4. Benjamin Franklin's Landlord
Chapter 5. Chaumont as Friend, Associate, and Enemy
Chapter 6. Congressional Supplies
Chapter 7. Private Trade with America
Chapter 8. John Paul Jones: Friend
Chapter 9. John Paul Jones: Enemy
Chapter 10. Financial Ruin
Chapter 11. Twilight Years
Appendix: Eighteenth Century Currencies
Bibliography
Index