Samuel e Champlain, (c. 1567 - 1635) the "father of New France," was born into a Protestant family in the Province of Saintonge, lived when young in the town of Brouage, a seaport on France's west coast and made a journey through Canada before, he died in 1635 in Québec. A sailor, he also came to be respected as a talented navigator, a cartographer, and the founder of Quebec City. He was also integral in opening North America to French trade, especially the fur trade. Champlain's pattern was to spend several months or years exploring North America and then head back to France to raise more funds for further explorations.