Born into an old Norman family that had helped keep the city of Caen allied to Louis XIII, in 1620, François-Dominique, son of Councilor of State-Claude Dominique Barberie de Saint Contest was named King's attorney at the Chatelet in Paris, 27 November 1721, and advisor to Parliament (1724), master of requests, advisor to the Hotel de Ville (1728), steward of Beam (1737), Caen (1739) and Dijon, from 1740 to 1749.
In the 1720s he was a member of the Club de l'Entresol, an early modern think tank, together with his father.
Appointed Ambassador of France to Holland, in the winter 1749, he went to The Hague, in September the following year.
In this department, he worked to set up against Austria, Russia and England, an alliance comprising France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia and Turkey.
In the twilight of his life, he was made provost and master of ceremonies of the king's orders, on 12 May 1754.