Jean Lafitte
French-American privateer and smuggler who operated in the Gulf of Mexico from his base at Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Lafitte ran a highly organised smuggling and privateering network that supplied New Orleans with goods and enslaved people. Despite being a wanted criminal, he and his men fought alongside Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans (January 1815), receiving a presidential pardon in return. He continued privateering in the Caribbean under various flags until his death around 1823. Lafitte is the last major figure of the Atlantic privateer tradition that began with Drake and Morgan.
- Lived: 1780 CE – 1823 CE
- Nationality: French-American
- Roles: Privateer, Pirate, Smuggler
