[1] He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Cugnet, dean of the faculty of law of the Université de Paris, and Madeleine Baudin.
Cugnet was administrator for the Domaine du Roi or King's Posts, a large territory on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence.
When the ironworks failed, he was pursued by the company's creditors and was forced to declare personal bankruptcy in 1741.
[1] His oldest son François-Joseph wrote several books on New France's legal system and also was official translator during the time of Governor Guy Carleton.
His son Thomas-Marie also served on the Conseil Supérieur and was an agent for the Compagnie des Indes.