Auguste Laurent François Baudin (21 November 1800,

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Hoogstraten (o ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

- 1 August 1877,

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

) was a French admiral and colonial administrator. His uncle

François-André Baudin François-André Baudin (2 December 1774 – Strasbourg, 18 June 1842) was a French naval officer. His nephew Auguste Baudin was a colonial governor and naval officer. Life He took part in the Baudin expedition to Australia, led by his namesak ...

was also a naval officer.

Life

Volunteering for the navy in 1817, he was promoted to élève de la marine in 1819,

enseigne de vaisseau Ensign (; Late Middle English, from Old French (), from Latin (plural)) is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was trad ...

in 1822, lieutenant de vaisseau in 1829,

capitaine de corvette Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy use ...

in 1841,

capitaine de vaisseau Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide includ ...

in 1846 and finally contre-amiral in 1855. He spent most of his career as a naval officer in the French colonies, becoming governor of Senegal and commander of France's West Africa Coast (Côtes occidentales d'Afrique) naval station from 1847 to 1850 (in which role he proclaimed to

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

the abolition of slavery decreed on 27 April 1848 by the

Second French Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Revo ...

), then governor and commander in chief of the naval division of

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

from 1855 to 1859, and finally commander of the navy in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

from 1860 to 1862. He was made a grand officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

on 19 September 1860.

Sources

*Dossier militaire au SHD : Côte S.H.A.M. CC7 ALPHA 125.
Dossier de Légion d'honneur du contre-amiral Auguste Baudin sur le site Leonore.
*Oruno D. Lara : ''Suffrage universel et colonisation, 1848-1852'', L'Harmattan, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baudin, Auguste 1800 births 1877 deaths French Navy admirals Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Colonial Governors of French Sénégal Colonial heads of Gabon Governors of French Guiana People from Hoogstraten