Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac

Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac (/ˈkædɪlæk/, French: [kadijak]; March 5, 1658 – October 16, 1730), born Antoine Laumet, was a French explorer, military officer, and colonial administrator in New France.

Born in Gascony, Cadillac arrived in Acadia in 1683 at age 25. He was the commander of Fort de Buade in St. Ignace and founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit in 1701. Cadillac envisioned Detroit as a major settlement in the Pays d'en Haut, which he referred to as the "Paris de la Nouvelle-France," (Paris of New France) and he planned its early development. In 1710, Cadillac was appointed colonial governor of French Louisiana. King Louis XIV awarded him the Order of Saint Louis.

Cadillac’s bold personality and to a lesser extent his Franciscan affiliation earned him many enemies, including the Jesuits in Quebec, who accused him of various crimes. This led to his detention in 1704, although he cleared his name the following year. In 1717, Cadillac was removed from his colonial office and was briefly imprisoned twice during a power struggle with financier Antoine Crozat. Later, Cadillac held the mayoral office of Castelsarrasin, where he died in 1730.

In contrast to many French aristocrats and officials of his time, Cadillac, despite holding various high-ranking positions both in the colonies and in France, has no surviving authentic portrait. The images that do exist are primarily artistic sketches created long after his death. Historians suggest that the absence of an authenticated portrait of Cadillac is likely a damnatio memoriae instigated by his numerous enemies. Nevertheless, Cadillac's name is commemorated by an automobile company established in 1902 by William Murphy and Henry M. Leland. Western culture has historically idealized him as a hero, with numerous places named after him. However, contemporary liberal scholars often critique his colonial activities.