Sauthier was born in Strasbourg France in 1736 and was typical of many of the most prominent surveyors and draughtsman employed by the British to map the American colonies prior to, and during, the War of Independence. 

He learned his draftsmanship from the master French garden designers Le Blond and d’Argenville, and he even produced a treatis on Public Architecture and Garden Planning in 1763.  The major influence on Sauthier’s career however was William Tyron who, as the Royal British Governor of North Carolina, commissioned Sauthier to map towns and installations of military significance throughout the American colony between 1767 and 1771.  Tyron also had Sauthier assist in the design of the governor’s residence now known as Tyron Palace.