Jean Baptiste Baudreau II

Conflicts with the French authorities and execution in New Orleans During the course of his life, he had problems with French authorities and was imprisoned several times. Despite his warm relations with Bienville, he was regarded with suspicion by some French authorities, because of his unique relationship with the local Native American population, due in large part because of his half Indian heritage. At the same time, he was a vital part of the French colonial operation, as he was often the one who was sent on trading excursions into Creek territory.

In the 1740s, he was imprisoned by French authorities on kidnapping charges related to an excursion he took to Havana, Cuba. He broke out of prison and took refuge in Native American villages north of Mobile. The Native Americans refused to engage in any further trade with the French until he was pardoned. Governor Vandrieul petitioned for King Louis XV to drop the charges, which he did.

In the 1750s, Baudreau was imprisoned at the French prison on modern day Cat Island, Mississippi for charges of illegally salvaging wrecked ships. In 1757, soldiers stationed at the prison staged a mutiny and killed the commanding officer. They took Baudreau hostage and forced him to be their guide, as they went into the hinterlands away from the colony. The mutineers provided Baudreau with a signed certificate saying he had not been a party to the mutiny.

Despite this, Governor Kerlerec had him court martialed and he was sentenced to death. He was executed by breaking wheel in front of the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 7, 1757. The French authorities mutilated what were left of his remains and deposited them in the Mississippi River. A marker commemorating his life and brutal execution stands near the site.

Legacy Urbain Baudreau Dit Graveline Park in Montreal, Quebec was named for Baudreau's grandfather, who was an important figure in the history of Quebec. Graveline Bay, which borders southern Mississippi and southern Alabama, is named for his father.

Baudreau's affair with Marie Henriette Huet served as the basis for the book "The Passion of the Princes" by author Eloise Genest.

Baudreau was the 6th great-grandfather of singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, the 6th great-grandfather of actress Diane Ladd, 7th great-grandfather of actress Laura Dern, and the 5th great-grandfather of Mobile, Alabama cook, socialite, and television personality Connie Bea Hope.

Memorial march and historical marker In June 2007, a memorial funeral march and celebration for Baudrau was held in New Orleans, 250 years after his execution. Descendants gathered to honor his life and symbolically lay his soul to rest. A documentary of the event was created by Nelson and Guy Hague of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Fourteen years later, descendants, including members of the Vancleave Live Oak Choctaw, later gathered to erect a historical marker in his honor. In February 2022, after raising funds for research, casting, and installation, the marker was erected and dedicated by the Live Oak Choctaw near Jackson Square in New Orleans, commemorating Jean Baptiste Baudrau II’s life and execution.