at court according to the maxims of politics and morality"), and Madeleine Potier de Courey. François de Callières, the eldest son, was elected to the French Academy in 1689 and also served with distinction in Louis XIV's diplomatic corps. In 1701, thanks to his ability to imitate the royal handwriting and to his mastery of the French language, succeeded Toussaint Rose as the secretary "who held the pen." His duties, designed to save the monarch time and fatigue, consisted of writing in a hand and style similar to those of the king letters and memoirs to dignitaries and foreign heads of state and of signing them with the royal name. Such a position of trust gave Callières great power which he frequently used to further the career of Louis-Hector in Canada. External links Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) References 1648 births 1703 deaths 17th-century French people 18th-century French people People from Manche Governors of New France Burials at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec Governors of Montreal Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 17th-century Canadian politicians