Adolphe Colrat (born 15 April 1955 in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) is a French senior

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

who served as the French

High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia The High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia (french: Haut-Commissaire de la République en Polynésie française) is the highest representative of the French Republic in the overseas country of French Polynesia. The rank is equiv ...

from 2008 to 2011. He succeeded

Anne Boquet Anne Boquet (born 19 March 1952 in Bellac, France) is a retired French senior civil servant. She is the first and only woman to have been High Commissioner in French Polynesia to date. Boquet had previously served as Secretary-General in the Fre ...

in the post.

Early life

Colrat grew up in Lyon. He is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (rue d'Ulm), agrégé de lettres classiques, graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris and of the National School of Public Administration (France) (ENA).

Career

Colrat held the post of

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for the French police commissioner in

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

, a

French overseas department The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainlan ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

, from 1983 until 1985. He served as the prefecture secretary general in Réunion beginning in 1992. Colrat served as the head of

civil protection Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...

at the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

of the French capital,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

from April 2001 until February 2004. He served as the Prefect of the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

from 2004 until 2006. Colrat later became temporary director of political, administrative and financial affairs at the French Ministry for Overseas Territories for two years from August 2006 until 2008.

High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia

Colrat was appointed High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia by the Sarkozy government in June 2008. His predecessor,

, departed French Polynesia on 29 June 2008, after serving three years as the first female High Commissioner. He arrived in French Polynesia with his wife on Saturday night of 5 July 2008 to assume his position as High Commissioner. Colrat was greeted at the

Faa'a International Airport Faa'a International Airport (french: Aéroport international de Tahiti-Faaa), also known as Tahiti International Airport , is the international airport of French Polynesia, located in the commune of Faaa, on the island of Tahiti. It is situated ...

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...

by French Polynesian President

Gaston Tong Sang Gaston Tong Sang (born August 7, 1949 in Bora Bora) is a French politician and is the former President of French Polynesia. He served terms as President of French Polynesia from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until February 200 ...

, members of the

Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Plac ...

and other local Tahitian-based politicians. He was sworn in as High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia on Monday 7 July 2008.

Honours and decorations

National honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colrat, Adolphe 1955 births Living people French Polynesian politicians High Commissioners of the Republic in French Polynesia Civil servants from Lyon École Normale Supérieure alumni Sciences Po alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Prefects of Alpes-Maritimes Prefects of Manche Prefects of Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefects of Ardennes Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite