Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel (24 June 1774 – 27 March 1848) was a French
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and
naval officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
.
Rosales was born at the Château de Rosamel in
Frencq, Northern France on June 24, 1774.
He was commander of the
''Pomone'' in the
action of 29 November 1811
The action of 29 November 1811 was a minor naval engagement fought between two frigate squadrons in the Adriatic Sea during the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. The action was one of a series of operations conducted by the British Roy ...
against the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
Rosamel was wounded in action.
He served as French naval minister from September 6, 1836 until March 31, 1839. During his administration, several national scientific voyages were launched, most notably that of the ''Astrolabe'' to the
Magellan Straits
The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...
and
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
. It was during this voyage that an island was named in his honor. It was subsequently renamed
Andersson Island
Andersson Island is a long and wide volcanic island of the James Ross Island Volcanic Group, located at the eastern end of the Tabarin Peninsula, Antarctica.
The island was originally named Uruguay Island by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1 ...
.
Rosamel sent French troops to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
to guard its assets in the Cuba and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in March 1837, precipitating more problems between the governments. France had failed to recognize Mexico's independence. Mexico ultimately declared war against France, in which a naval blockade played a key role.
He was said to have left the Ministry poorer than he entered. He died in Paris on March 27, 1848, leaving his children without an inheritance.
[Jacques-Alain de Sédouy, ''Le comte Molé ou la séduction du pouvoir'', Paris, Perrin, 1994, p. 188.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosamel, Claude Charles Marie Du Campe De
1774 births
1848 deaths
People from Pas-de-Calais
Politicians from Hauts-de-France
Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy
Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy
Members of the 5th Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy
Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy
Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe