Pierre-Auguste Le Taillandier, one of the seven friends who founded the Society of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Paris on April 23, 1833, was born on January 28, 1811, in Rouen, France. He only had one younger brother, Charles. His father came from a family of merchants and his mother was from a noble family. Le Taillandier moved with his family to Paris, where he was able to complete his law studies.
He joined Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam in the “Conferences of History”, advocating more effective charity work rather than endless theoretical discussions on history, literature, and philosophy. Ozanam described him as “a very likable, knowledgeable and savvy young man”. “The only fault he has is that he is not from Lyon”, joked Ozanam.
In 1833, he took an active part in the founding of the first Conference. He also gave religious instructions to the aspirants during home and prison visitations. Le Taillandier was cautious when splitting the first “Conference of Charity” because he thought that this decision would be the end of the institution. It is recorded in the minutes that he wept even during the debate over this subject in December 1835. But the other founders convinced him that it was necessary to allow new members to join the Conference, to serve a larger number of the poor in Paris.
In 1837, Le Taillandier went to Le Mans and then to his birthplace, Rouen. Pierre-Auguste is the first of the young founders to receive the sacrament of marriage. He married Marie Baudry on August 7, 1838. The couple had four children, three girls, and a boy. In Rouen, he was the director of an insurance company and a hospital. In 1841, he founded the Conference of Saint Godard and became its president. He was very popular among his fellow readers and fellow citizens, and he received many accolades.
He devoted his last days to his family, his children’s education, his friends, the Conference, and his house garden which he used to love. Pierre-Auguste Le Taillandier died in his hometown on March 23, 1886, at the age of 75.