Léonce Lagarde
Encyclopedia
Léonce Lagarde, comte de Rouffeyroux, (1860, Lempdes
(Haute-Loire
) – 15 February 1936, Paris
) was a French
colonial governor of French Somaliland
and ambassador.
. One year later, he was designated Commandant de Cercle of Senegal
. However, it was a post that time did not allow him to serve because he was soon appointed French
colonial governor of Obock Territory
in Africa, a position he held for fifteen years, from 1884 to 1899.
Lagarde founded the port city of Djibouti
in 1888 and moved his administration there from the city of Obock
. He expanded French territory outwards around the Gulf of Tadjoura
. In doing so, he created the protectorate
known as the French Somali Coast (Côte française des Somalis), also called "French Somaliland." (It was later named the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
, and in 1977, gained its independence as the Republic of Djibouti.)
As ambassador to Ethiopia
n emperor Menelik II, Lagarde built-up French presence in the Horn of Africa
to protect the colony from British domination, which was slowly expanding from Egypt
. In 1896, he gained approval to build a railway line directly from Djibouti to Addis Ababa
.
At the beginning of the First World War, in 1914, Lagarde headed the Service for Wounded Sailors and Prisoners of War. He remained at the Naval
Ministry in an administrative position after the war, from 1920 to his retirement in 1929.
Lempdes
Lempdes is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-Sights:The parish church of St Stephen is in the Romanesque style and dates from the 12th century. It is first recorded in a document of the beginning of the 13th century.-Further reading:*Lempdes: mémoire d'un village...
(Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River.-History:Haute-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
) – 15 February 1936, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
colonial governor of French Somaliland
French Somaliland
French Somaliland was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. Established after the French signed various treaties between 1883 and 1887 with the then ruling Somali Sultans, the colony lasted from 1896 until 1946, when it became an overseas territory of France....
and ambassador.
Biography
In 1882, Lagarde was named secretary to the governor of CochinchinaCochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
. One year later, he was designated Commandant de Cercle of Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. However, it was a post that time did not allow him to serve because he was soon appointed French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
colonial governor of Obock Territory
French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
The French Territory of Afars and Issas was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, while it was still a colony of France...
in Africa, a position he held for fifteen years, from 1884 to 1899.
Lagarde founded the port city of Djibouti
Djibouti (city)
The City of Djibouti is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa. The biggest settlement on the Gulf of Tadjoura, it lies on a peninsula that separates that basin from the Gulf of Aden.-History:...
in 1888 and moved his administration there from the city of Obock
Obock
Obock is a small port town in Djibouti. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden. The population in 2003 was about 8,300 inhabitants....
. He expanded French territory outwards around the Gulf of Tadjoura
Gulf of Tadjoura
The Gulf of Tadjoura is a gulf or basin of the Indian Ocean in the Horn of Africa. It lies south of the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, or the entrance to the Red Sea, at . Most of its coastline is the territory of Djibouti, except for a short stretch on the southern shore, which is part of the...
. In doing so, he created the protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
known as the French Somali Coast (Côte française des Somalis), also called "French Somaliland." (It was later named the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
The French Territory of Afars and Issas was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, while it was still a colony of France...
, and in 1977, gained its independence as the Republic of Djibouti.)
As ambassador to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n emperor Menelik II, Lagarde built-up French presence in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
to protect the colony from British domination, which was slowly expanding from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In 1896, he gained approval to build a railway line directly from Djibouti to Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
.
At the beginning of the First World War, in 1914, Lagarde headed the Service for Wounded Sailors and Prisoners of War. He remained at the Naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
Ministry in an administrative position after the war, from 1920 to his retirement in 1929.