Thérèse Lavasseur
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Thérèse Lavasseur, also known as Thérèse Le Vasseur, was the wife of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
She was illiterate seamstress who bore him five children, all of whom were given away to Enfants-Trouvés foundling home, the first in 1746.
They met in March 1745, at the hotel where he was staying, and she was employed as a chambermaid, and she remained his companion until his death. They married at Bourgoin on August 29, 1768. Therese provided Rousseau with support and care, and when he died, she became the sole heiress of his belongings, including manuscripts and royalties.
After Rousseau's death in 1778, she married valet Jean-Henri Bally in November 1779. They lived together in Plessis-Belleville until her death in 1801.
Mount Lavasseur, Alaska, is named after her, for its proximity to Rousseau Peak.
References
- [Therese Levasseur, Rousseau's companion for 33 years]
- [Jean-Jaques Rousseau and informal education]
- [Mount Lavasseur]
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