and with several errors concerning his birtdate and death :
CI GIT
JACQUES LE RAY DE CHAUMONT
CONSEILLER DU ROI LOUIS XV EN SES CONSEILS
GRAND MAITRE DES EAUX ET FORETS DE
FRANCE
INTENDANT DES INVALIDES
NE LE 1 SEPTEMBRE 1724
MORT LE 18 FEVRIER 1805
EN CETTE COMMUNE
IL FUT L’AMI LE BIENFAITEUR
LE PERE DE SES HABITANTS
SON ACTIVE EXISTENCE FUT CONSACREE
AU BIEN PUBLIC
IL FUT VENERE DE SES ENFANS
AINSI QUE DE SES HABITANS
LEURS REGRETS NE FINIRONT
QU’AVEC LEUR VIE
PASSANTS PRIEZ POUR LUI
The city of Chaumont, the USA and France
Owe him much:
Owe him much:
- For the outstanding help he brought with his own fortune to the birth of the United States, and his historic struggle against England. Without it, the United States would not have existed, and would still be like Canada an English part of commonwealth.
- For the city of Chaumont and its inhabitants that he protected during the revolution, thus avoiding the destruction of the castle, source of activity and cultural wealth that still benefits the city today.
- For France, through his ties with the young American nation, for which he devoted many years of his life, housing in his castle Passy Benjamen Franklin and many other personalities of American history.
- By the ships of his fleet, which he armed for the struggle against the English, which then ruined him, as well as the devaluation of the currency of the young American nation.
- For the many innovations he created, helped or inspired : Invention of the lightning rod by Benjamin Francklin in his castle of Passy, aerial balloons, Sugar factories, porcelain manufacturers, etc ...
- Friend of arts and culture, through his patronage of great artists such as Jean-Baptiste Nini and others.
- Two cities bear its name in the USA: LERAYSVILLE in Pennsylvania and TOWN of LERAY in the state of New York.
1725-1803