biography
| name: |
Lafayette, Marie Joseph (Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier), marquis de
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1757–1834)
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| biography:
| US statesman and soldier, born in Chavaniac, Auvergne, France. Scion of a wealthy, aristocratic family who's father was killed in the Seven Years' War against England, he entered the French army (1771) and resigned (1776) in order to join the Revolutionary forces in America, where he was commissioned a major-general and joined the staff of George Washington. He took part in several battles and was wounded at Brandywine. He served as a liaison officer when the French and Americans became allies (1778), and on his return to France (1779) was treated as a hero. He then returned to fight with the American forces (1780), playing a crucial role in the final victory at Yorktown (1781). Back in France (from 1782), he would often work to promote America's interests, and revisited the USA in 1784 and made a triumphal final tour in 1824, while remaining active in French political life. |
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