Louis-Joseph Ernest Deproge, (15 August 1850 - December 1921) was a lawyer and deputy of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

from 1882 to 1898.

Biography

Education

Ernest Deproge completed his primary education in Fort-de-France. He left for France, obtaining his baccalaureate in Rouen; he then began studying law in Paris. The Franco-Prussian War forced him to abandon his studies for a while to take part in the fighting. When the war ended, he resumed his university studies and obtained his law degree. Ernest Deproge returned to Martinique to practise law.

Political career

In 1878, Deprogue and César Lainé assisted

Marius Hurard Marius Hurard (14 October 1848 – 8 May 1902) was a lawyer, journalist and politician from Martinique. He was the owner of major rum factories and served as deputy of Martinique from 1881 to 1893. Biography Marius Hurard was a member of the ...

in the publication of . It was the first newspaper founded and run by

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

free men of color Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

in Martinique. In 1880, he held the post of president of the General Council of Martinique for a year. In 1885, a rivalry between Deproge and Hurard caused the break-up of the Republican party. Ernest Deproge's

assimilationist Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's majority group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group whether fully or partially. The different types of cultural assi ...

camp accused Marius Hurard of collusion with the

autonomist Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tendenci ...

Béké group. They each created their own political party. Deproge founded the , or . Hurard created the . At the age of 48, Ernest Deproge left political life and Martinique. He became director of the and then of various institutions in France. After a long illness, he died on the 19th December in Sanvic (Seine-Maritime), at the age of 71.

Memorials and legacy

Martinique Rue Ernest Deproge IMG 0417 C

A street by the sea, near his family home in

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...

, was named after him. In 1925, bust was unveiled at Place Fabien, a plaza between rue Isambert and rue Victor Sévère in Fort-de-France, Martinique. He is now considered a controversial figure of French colonialism in Martinique's history; in 2021, protesters pushed his bust off its plinth. The Martinique Heritage Database, a project of the General Council of Martinique, writes the following about how he is remembered:

Political career

* Deputy of Martinique from 1882 to 1896 * President of the General Council 1880 to 1881

References

Bibliography

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External links

Deproge's page on the National Assembly website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deproge, Ernest 1850 births 1921 deaths People from Fort-de-France Martiniquais politicians Republican Union (France) politicians Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 5th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Martiniquais lawyers French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War