Camille Blanc (; 1847 in

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 ...

– 1927), was a French municipal leader, with many interests in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. From 1904 to 1925, he was founding mayor of

Beausoleil BeauSoleil (French, ''beautiful sun'') is a Cajun band from Louisiana, United States. Band history Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil (often billed as "BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet") released its first album in 1977 and became one of the most well ...

, a town adjacent to

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

, which had previously formed part of

La Turbie La Turbie (; oc, A Torbia; in Italian "Turbia" from ''tropea'', Latin for trophy) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. History La Turbie was famous in Roman times for the large monument, the Trophy of Augus ...

and had been known as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur.

President of the Société-des-Bains-de-Mer

Blanc was also for many years president of the

Société des bains de mer de Monaco The Société des Bains de Mer (SBM; en, Society of Sea Baths), officially the Société Anonyme des Bains de Mer et du Cercle des Etrangers à Monaco (; en, Society of Sea Baths and of the Circle of Foreigners in Monaco), is a publicly traded ...

, of

, and took a leading part in the administration of the

Monte Carlo Casino The Monte Carlo Casino, officially named Casino de Monte-Carlo, is a gambling and entertainment complex located in Monaco. It includes a casino, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the office of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The Casino de Monte-Carlo i ...

''Persona non grata'' in Monaco

In the later years of his administration of Monte Carlo Casino, his relations with Louis II, Prince of Monaco, suffered a setback, and he withdrew to

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 ...

as someone who had become ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution. Diplomacy Under Article 9 of the ...

'' in Monaco's official circles. While married to Elisabeth Lanxade, his name was also linked to Madame Chinon, whose excessive gambling habits, indulged by Blanc, were widely believed by some observers to be substantially at the origins of the accusations of mismanagement which eventually led to Prince Louis' intervention and termination of his position at Monte Carlo Casino. In the closing years of Blanc's life, up to his death in 1927, he suffered severely from paralysis, said to have been derived mainly from the reported stresses of his experience of dealing with the Monaco authorities.

Legacy

The separate existence and prosperity of the neighbouring French town of

may be Blanc's principal lasting legacy. The town hall of Beausoleil in the rue de la République has a sculpture and gardens dedicated to the memory of Camille Blanc.

External links

*
Beausoleil's municipal site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanc, Camille 1847 births 1927 deaths Place of death missing Monegasque businesspeople Monegasque politicians 19th-century Italian businesspeople 19th-century Italian politicians Mayors of places in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Blanc family