Charles Casaux, Marquis of ( 1727 - 1796 )

Birth: Angoulême, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, Europe or Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, North and Central America ( September 1727) Death: London (1796) Profession: Soldier; plantation and slave owner Research field: Economics; politics; agriculture Career: Dragoon, Surgères regiment (1745-1752); settled in Grenada in the parish of Sauteurs where he became wealthy through cultivation of sugar cane on plantations which used enslaved people for labour (1757); supported the English invasion of Grenada and bceame a naturalised British citizen (1759) though his citizenship fluctuated between British and French over subsequent decades including when the French reclaimed Grenada in 1780; representative of the French planters in the island of Grenada, in which capacity he was briefly imprisoned for showing disrespect to the Council; justice of the peace, Grenada; returned to Europe (1777) but continued to maintain his property in Grenada and travel back there; was involved in a court case opposing the emancipation of his enslaved valet Jean-Alexandre James whom he mistreated and later tried to kidnap aftter the French courts had granted him his freedom and financial damages, possibly prompting Casaux to change his name (1779); published 'Account of a New Method of Cultivating the Sugar Cane' in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol 69 (1779); wrote essays on political economy, including advocating for free trade; liberal monarchist who supported modelling the French political system on the British constitution; assisted the Count of Mirabeau, an early leader of the French Revolution, with speech writing; member of the The Society of Friends of the Constitution known as the 'Jacobin Club'; moved to London after the fall of the French monarchy (1792); co-author with Arthur Young and translator into French of 'Voyages en France: during the years 1787, 88, 89 and 90' (1794); Memberships: Academy of Agriculture of Florence Membership: Fellow Election Date: 13/04/1780.