Valcour Aime

François-Gabriel "Valcour" Aimé (1798–1867) was a sugar planter, philanthropist, and pioneer in the large-scale refining of sugar. Known as the "Louis XIV of Louisiana," he was reputedly the wealthiest person in the South.

Aimé owned a plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, called the St. James Refinery Plantation, but during the 20th century it became known as Le Petite Versailles due to its opulence. (It burned down about 1920.)

Biography

François-Gabriel was born in 1798 in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, to François-Gabriel Aimé II (1768-1799) and Marie Felicité Julie Fortier (1778-1806). He was called Valcour by his nurse as a baby and was known by that name for the rest of his life. His father died when he was two years old and his mother six years later. Aimé was placed in the charge of his maternal grandfather, Michel Fortier (1750-1819), who raised him.

In 1795, Étienne de Boré had succeeded in granulating sugar and making sugar cane a profitable commodity. Aimé inherited a plantation in St. Charles Parish, and a fortune of $100,000 in 1818; but he sold his portion of the plantation and bought several other plantations in St. James Parish, where he began the cultivation of sugar cane. By the 1830s, his plantation had grown to 10,000 acres and was the leading sugar producer in the world. Valcour Aimé kept a plantation diary from 1823 to 1854 documenting temperature, farming techniques, and various experiments with new varieties of cane and equipment. He is credited with perfecting the vacuum-pan method and was one of the only planters who refined sugar directly from cane juice on site. His innovative technique gave him a competitive edge, made him the richest man in Louisiana, and earned him the title "father of white sugar." His sugar was deemed as best in the world at the 1853 World's Fair in New York.

Aime

Aime is a former commune in the Savoie département in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Aime-la-Plagne. In 1972, the former communes of Longefoy, Tessens and Villette were merged with Aime.

Geography

The commune lies in the Tarentaise Valley, partly overlapping the ski resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs.

Transportation

The town is served by the Aime-la-Plagne railway station.

See also

References

Avant que l'ombre...

Avant que l'ombre... is the sixth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on April 4, 2005. Mainly composed of acoustic ballads, this album produced five singles which were all top ten hits in France, including "Fuck Them All" and "L'amour n'est rien..."

Background and release

"Avant que l'ombre" marked Farmer's longest break between studio albums, following "Innamoramento" by exactly six years. As such, the album was, perhaps, the most anticipated of her career. Rumours of the disc began circulating in 2003 when it was revealed that Universal was planning a new release of Farmer for the fourth quarter; however the project turned out to be Farmer's second remix album. By the end of 2004, Universal's President Pascal Nègre confirmed that Farmer would release an album in the following months, stating then that it would be a double album. Persistent rumours continued to circulate including the possibility of duets with artists such as Benjamin Biolay, Diam's and Lara Fabian.

AIME

AIME may refer to:

See also