Pierre Boisson
Pierre François Boisson (19 June 1894 – 20 July 1948) was a senior French civil servant, colonial administrator, and the Governor General of French Equatorial Africa (AEF) and French West Africa (AOF). His diplomatic career included two terms where he reigned as Governor-General of the AOF and one term as Governor-General of the AEF. During his second reign over these territories, he is remembered for assuming the role of High Commissioner to Vichy France.[1] His diplomatic actions were met with strong condemnation from the French Resistance. These attitudes significantly aroused negative French public sentiment after the war until his death. As such, Boisson's legacy is significantly tainted by his decision to surrender French colonial control to Vichy administrative forces.
Pierre Boisson | |
|---|---|
 Boisson, c. 1940 | |
| High-Commissioner for French Africa Governor-General of French West Africa | |
| In office 25 June 1940 – 13 July 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Léon Cayla |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Cournarie |
| Governor-General of French Equatorial Africa | |
| In office 3 September 1939 – 28 August 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph-François Reste |
| Succeeded by | Félix Éboué |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 June 1894 Saint-Launeuc, Cotes du Nord |
| Died | 20 July 1948 (aged 54) Chatou, Ile-de-France, France |
Early life and career
Pierre Boisson was born in Saint-Launeuc, Cotes du Nord. His mother was a teacher and his father was a disabled war veteran. He took after the occupation ambitions of his parents to become a schoolteacher until the First World War broke out.[1]
World War I
During the First World War, he held the position of second lieutenant in the 71st Infantry regiment. He served in the battles of Artois, the Argonne, and at Verdun. Over the course of the war, Boisson attained many wounds, eventually having one of his legs amputated due to injuries in 1917.[1]
Interwar period
After the First World War, Boisson decided to take up colonial administration. His advancements were notably quick. In 1920, he was appointed as an assistant administrator at Brazzaville in the Congo. Over the next twelve years, he spent his career working in various African posting within the French colonies. By 1932, Boisson had been designated the chief of cabinet role of the under secretary of colonies.[2]
Between 1938 and 1939, Boisson served as temporary governor-general of the AOF, governor-general of the AEF, and governor of the Congo.[1]
World War II
On 3 September 1939, Boisson had been appointed to the role of Governor-General of French Equatorial Africa.[3]
By June 1940, the Nazis had overrun Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and most of France.[4]
On 25 June 1940, Boisson was appointed to the position of high commissioner of French West Africa. In the face of a mounting diplomatic crisis, Boisson believed that acting in favour of Vichy French forces, while being a difficult decision to commit to, was in the best interest of the French nation. Charles de Gaulle was notably critical of Boisson's decision to cave in to the diplomatic pressures of the Vichy administration in stating that Boisson's "ambition was greater than his discernment".[5] Boisson, however, stood vehemently against German and English depredations of his colonial territories alike and, therefore, asserted territorial control by way of "defending the Empire from any and all invaders".[2] Furthermore, Boisson's actions had been viewed as courageous acts of sacrifice for France's overseas colonies. On 5 June 1941, it was reported by the Glasgow Herald that he was to be awarded the "Order of the Nation for the defense of Dakar against de Gaullists by Petain personally".[6]
References
- Nichols, Michael Ray (2002). "The fortress and the formidable vessel: The struggle for Dakar and the Richelieu in World War II". ProQuest. ProQuest 305521851. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- Hitchcock, W. I. (1 April 2001). "Pierre Boisson, French West Africa, and the Postwar Epuration: A Case from the Aix Files". French Historical Studies. 24 (2): 305–341. doi:10.1215/00161071-24-2-305. ISSN 0016-1071.
- Cahoon, Ben (13 May 2022). "Congo (Brazzaville)". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- "German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940". encyclopedia.ushmm.org. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- Jennings, Eric T. (2015), "Free French Africa in Arms", Free French Africa in World War II, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 140–172, doi:10.1017/cbo9781107261464.009, ISBN 9781107696976, retrieved 27 March 2022
- "Dakar Defender at Vichy". The Glasgow Herald. 5 June 1941. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
Further reading
- Ramognino, Pierre (2006). L'affaire Boisson : un proconsul de Vichy en Afrique. Paris: Les Indes savantes. ISBN 9782846540773.
- Ramognino, Pierre (2004). "L'Afrique de l'Ouest sous le Proconsulat de Pierre Boisson (juin 1940-juin 1943)". In Cantier, Jacques; Jennings, Eric (eds.). L'empire colonial sous Vichy. Paris: Odile Jacob. pp. 69–90. ISBN 9782738115447.
- Hitchcock, William I (2001). "Pierre Boisson, French West Africa, and the Postwar Epuration: A Case from the Aix Files". French Historical Studies. 24 (2): 305–341.
- Ginio, Ruth (2006). French Colonialism Unmasked: The Vichy Years in French West Africa. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803253803.
- Akpo-Vaché, Catherine (1996). L'AOF et la Seconde Guerre mondiale : la vie politique, septembre 1939-octobre 1945. Paris: Editions Karthala. ISBN 978-2865376407.