François Alexandre Frédéric de La Rochefoucauld, 7th Duke of La Rochefoucauld, 1st Duke of Liancourt, 2nd Duke of Estissac (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa alɛksɑ̃dʁ fʁedeʁik də la ʁɔʃfuko]; 11 January 1747 – 27 March 1827) was a French social reformer.
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Early life
He was born at La Roche Guyon, the son of François Armand de La Rochefoucauld, duc d'Estissac, grand master of the royal wardrobe. One of his cousins was Louis Alexandre de La Rochefoucauld d'Enville. Known as the duc de Liancourt in infancy, he became an officer of carbineers, and married at seventeen. A visit to England seems to have suggested the establishment of a model farm at Liancourt, where he reared cattle imported from England and Switzerland. He also set up spinning machines on his estate, and founded a school, École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers, for the sons of soldiers, which became in 1788 the École des Enfants de la Patrie under royal protection. In 2008, this school was renamed Arts et Métiers ParisTech.