Jules Blancsubé

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Marie Jules Blancsubé (born December 11, 1834 in Gap , Hautes-Alpes , † March 1, 1888 in Paris ) was a French lawyer, publicist and politician who worked mainly in the colony of Cochinchina .

Life

In his youth he attended a seminary , but then turned resolutely from Catholicism and studied law . After working in Marseille for some time, he emigrated to the newly conquered colony of Cochinchina (now southern Vietnam) in 1863/64 and established himself as a lawyer in Saigon . He also founded the Masonic lodge Le Réveil d'Orient here to counter the growing influence of the Catholic Church in the colony.

In addition to his work as a lawyer, he wrote books and published the newspaper Le Mékong (later L'Indépendant ), in which he regularly criticized the power of the military governors and instead called for the election of a colonial council , which should have decision-making power , especially on financial issues. His demands found much support among the French settlers and were eventually implemented gradually. From 1874 to 1876, Blancsubé was initially provisional mayor of Saigon; In 1879 he was then properly elected to the mayor's office. During this time he was also active as an advisor to the Cambodian King Norodom .

As mayor, he immediately campaigned for the colony to be represented in the French National Assembly and was already successful the following year. In 1881 the first elections took place in which he was elected by an absolute majority to represent Cochinchina in the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house). There he expressed himself mainly on colonial policy and mostly voted with the Union républicaine faction . He spoke as a Republican for the Tonkin campaign off to - the - so his argument tonkinesische population from the aggression of the mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty to protect. In addition, he planned the development of the upper Mekong valley by building a railway and setting up a consulate in Luang Prabang, Lao, while simultaneously taking uncompromising and energetic action against Siam . In May 1885, Blancsubé's political career was badly damaged when it was revealed that he and four other Frenchmen had supported King Norodom in an intrigue against French state interests and had accepted bribes.

He was re-elected in October 1885, but died unexpectedly in 1888. His successor was initially briefly Henry Ternisien (who was also involved in the Cambodia affair) before the former governor Charles Le Myre de Vilers took over the office in 1889 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gregor Muller: Colonial Cambodia's 'Bad Frenchmen': The Rise of French Rule and the Life of Thomas Caraman, 1840-87 , Routledge, 2006, p. 169 (name, however, incorrectly Blanscubé )
  2. ^ Justin Corfield: Historical Dictionary of Ho Chi Minh City , Anthem Press, 2013, entry: "Blancsubé, Jules" , p. 26
  3. ^ Matt K. Matsuda: Empire of Love: Histories of France and the Pacific , Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 148
  4. ↑ Dieter Brötel: France in the Far East: imperialist expansion in Siam and Malaya, Laos and China, 1880-1904 , Franz Steiner Verlag, 1996, p. 116
  5. ^ Gregor Muller: Colonial Cambodia's 'Bad Frenchmen': The Rise of French Rule and the Life of Thomas Caraman, 1840-87 , Routledge, 2006, pp. 188-202 (name, however, incorrectly Blanscubé )
personal data
SURNAME Blancsubé, Jules
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French lawyer, publicist and politician in the Cochinchina colony
DATE OF BIRTH December 11, 1834
PLACE OF BIRTH Gap, Hautes-Alpes
DATE OF DEATH March 1, 1888
Place of death Paris