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La Rochefoucauld, François, duc de

(Encyclopedia)La Rochefoucauld, François, duc de fräNswäˈ, dük də lä rôshfo͞okōˈ [key], 1613–80, French writer. As head of an ancient family (in his youth he bore the title prince de Marcillac) he oppo...

La Condamine, Charles Marie de

(Encyclopedia)La Condamine, Charles Marie de shärl märēˈ də lä kôNdämēnˈ [key], 1701–74, French traveler and mathematical geographer. He was one of a group sent to Peru in 1735 to measure the length of ...

La Harpe, Frédéric César de

(Encyclopedia)La Harpe, Frédéric César de frādārēkˈ sāzärˈ də lä ärp [key], 1754–1838, Swiss statesman. He went (1782) to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he became the tutor of the future Czar Alexande...

La Tour, Maurice Quentin de

(Encyclopedia)La Tour, Maurice Quentin de də lä to͞or [key], 1704–88, French portraitist working in pastel. From 1737 to 1773 he exhibited at the Salon portraits of considerable technical virtuosity and psych...

La Mettrie, Julien Offray de

(Encyclopedia)La Mettrie, Julien Offray de zhülyăNˈ ôfrāˈ də lä mĕtrēˈ [key], 1709–51, French physician and philosopher. On the basis of personal observation he claimed that psychical activity is purel...

Pantoja de la Cruz, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Pantoja de la Cruz, Juan hwän päntōˈhä ᵺā lä kro͞oth [key], 1553–1608, Spanish portrait painter, court painter to Philip II and Philip III; pupil and follower of Alonzo Sánchez Coello. Th...

Cadillac, Antoine de la Mothe

(Encyclopedia)Cadillac, Antoine de la Mothe Fr. äNtwänˈ də lä môt kädēyäkˈ [key], c.1658–1730, French colonial governor in North America, founder of Detroit. Of the minor Gascon nobility, he came to Ame...

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro

(Encyclopedia)Calderón de la Barca, Pedro pāˈᵺrō käldārōnˈ dā lä bärˈkä [key], 1600–1681, Spanish dramatist, last important figure of the Spanish Golden Age, b. Madrid. Educated at a Jesuit school ...

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

(Encyclopedia)Santa Cruz de la Sierra ᵺā lä sēĕrˈä [key], city (1992 pop. 697,278), capital of Santa Cruz dept., central Bolivia, on the Piray River. A trade and processing center for sugar, rice, cotton, f...

Vidal de la Blache, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Vidal de la Blache, Paul pōl vēdälˈ də lä bläsh [key], French geographer, 1845–1918, the father of French human geography. He was educated at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and had an...

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