Fountainebleau Plantation was once the summer home and plantation of Bernard de Marigny, who was born in 1785 to a family closely tied to the earliest colonial efforts in Louisiana. Over his lifetime, Marigny accumulated and lost a fortune, and the grounds that now make up Fountainebleau State Park were only part of the vast land holdings he acquired on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Between 1828 and 1852, he operated Fountainebleau Plantation, brick kilns, and a sugar mill. Although his major residence was in New Orleans, he spent much of his time at his summer residence, where lake breezes and a simpler way of life appealed to him. During his ownership of the plantation, he participated in the early development of sugar cane and the refinement of sugar. He also owned and developed the nearby town of Mandeville as part of his extensive real estate interests. Though unsuccessful in three campaigns for governor, he remained active in politics until his death in 1868.