Born January 31, 1735
Caen, France
Died November 12, 1813
Sarcelles, France

Map maker, surveyor, farmer, writer, soldier, government official

"[In America] individuals of all races are melted into a new race of man, whose labors and [descendants] will one day cause great changes in the world."
Portrait: Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur. Reproduced by permission of the Corbis Corporation.

Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, a Frenchman known in America as Hector St. John, experienced both the American Revolution (1775–83) and the French Revolution (1789–99). He traveled throughout America and Europe as a soldier, writer, and government official. His books describing life in the American colonies during the time of the American Revolution became popular in both France and the United States.

Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur (pronounced Mee-SHELL ghee-OHM JHON deh KREV-ker; his original name) was...